Somalia’s war-riven capital Mogadishu was peaceful yesterday after days of fierce clashes that killed at least 39 people and wounded nearly 200 others.
Traffic returned and residents opened businesses that had been shut down by the fighting between government forces and hardline Islamist rebels.
Clashes erupted on Thursday and intensified at the weekend as the two sides used heavy weapons in battles over control of positions in the city.
PHOTO: AFP
A mortar shell hit a mosque in Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least 14 people.
The mosque was hit just as worshippers were filing in for afternoon prayers, witnesses said.
“The mortar shell struck at the gate of the mosque. I counted about 14 people who died instantly and 10 others were wounded,” said Hassan Abdifatah, a worshipper at the mosque in southern Mogadishu. “There was blood and body parts everywhere.”
Mumin Haji Yusuf, another worshipper, said: “I was inside the mosque when I heard a heavy explosion and shrapnel was flying everywhere killing many people.”
Islamist Shebab fighters were seen in their battle vehicles stationed in areas in southern Mogadishu that they claimed to have wrested from the government.
The fighting was among the heaviest in months. In February, just after Somali President Sharif Shekh Ahmed was elected, the Shebab launched attacks against government troops, killing dozens. The insurgents say Ahmed is too close to the West.
Hardliners have rejected talks with Ahmed’s government, even after it endorsed plans to introduce Islamic law, a key demand of the opposition militants.
“We express concern over the deteriorating situation and we regret the civilian lives lost,” said Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Salad, chairman of a religious panel trying to mediate peace between the two sides.
“We had been contacting both sides in the past week to avoid bloodshed, but they ignored our calls and engaged in fighting that led to civilian casualties,” he said.
Somali Security Minister Omar Hashi said that foreign fighters took part in the attacks and vowed to beat back the insurgents.
Foreign diplomats believe there are around several hundred foreign fighters in Somalia and that more are entering the country, either to fight for al-Shabaab or seek a safe haven in the country.
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