Fatal Mogadishu Clashes Kill At Least 12, Dozens Injured

Mogadishu, Somalia, 8 June 2008 - At least 12 people are killed in deadly clashes between Islamist rebels and Somali forces backed by Ethiopian troops in Somalia's troubled capital city of Mogadishu, witnesses said.

In fresh heavy artillery clashes, the two sides battled with each other after the security forces launched raids in the city's southern Wardhigley district.

In response to the move by the Ethiopian-backed Somalian troops, insurgents hurled grenades at the soldiers on foot patrol, which immediately killed three personnel, witnesses in south Mogadishu said.

The fighting caused the people to flee the area and led to the disruption of business in the city's most busiest part.

"The fighting is so heavy and a barrage of mortar bombs is hitting many parts in Bakara market, killing people and causing heavy damages of buildings " Ali Abdulkadir, a cloth trader at the city's main Bakara Market, was quoted saying by CNN.

Ethiopian security forces have engaged with the Somalia troops since more than a year to remove the presence of the Islamist insurgents from the region.

Thousands of Somalis have lost their lives in battles between Ethiopian soldiers and insurgents in the country, which has been without a functional government for around 17 years.

More than 40,000 residents have taken shelter in several makeshift settlements located in the western region of Mogadishu.

In the recent clashes, the reports quoting local shopkeepers said at least six of the dead were civilians, three government soldiers and three insurgents.

"There was fighting this morning and for sure it caused casualties, but I can't tell you how many people died," Somali government security official Colonel Abdi Hashi confirming the fighting without releasing a death toll, told AFP news agency.

Meanwhile, other reports suggest that the number of casualties could rise and dozens have been injured in the fatal clashes.

Source: AHN