Somalia/Insurgency: 9 civilians killed in clashes in Mogadishu

Fresh clashes between Somali government forces and terrorists left at least nine civilians dead and 14 others wounded, a human rights group stated on Monday. Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation reported that clashes started late on Sunday and continued on Monday morning. According to the residents, government shells targeted houses occupied by Islamist Al-Shabaab fighters in the north of Mogadishu. "We saw Al-Shabaab carrying their dead and injured in a minibus. But we do not know the exact figure of the deaths," Hassan Nur, a resident, said.

However, there were no immediate comments either from the Somali government officials or from the Al-Shabaab group about the fighting.

Considered as a terrorist group by the US, Al-Shabaab controls much of Somalia’s south and centre and wants to overthrow the weak but internationally recognised Somali government in order to establish an Islamic state under strict Sharia rule.