Somalia: 12 Killed in One Day Violence

Somali Militants

At least eight people have been killed and nearly 20 others injured after an exchange of mortar fire and a roadside bomb targeted on Somali TFG security forces vehicle in the restive capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. The shelling erupted when the hard-line insurgents fired mortars at the first parliamentary session held in Mogadishu in months as Somalia President Sheikh Sharif was addressing the session.

He told MP’s that the training of security forces is almost at finishing levels and the forces are planning to take the control of the whole bullet-riddled city. AMISOM troops and Somali TFG forces who were keeping the security of the meeting returned fire, shelling rebel bases including civilian villages and caused the deaths of at least 8 people, mostly civilians. In another incident, a roadside bomb targeted on security forces vehicle killed 5 people including civilians and injured an unknown number of policemen. The Mogadishu police commander Ahmed Hasan Malin told reporters that rebel groups were behind the roadside attack.

The chief added that five people including civilians and the driver of the targeted security officials’ vehicle died on the spot. Islamist rebel groups control large parts of the capital and southern Somalia. Somalia has been without a central government since 1991 when clan warlords overthrew the Siad Barre administration.

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