At Least 10 Civilians Dead In A Fatal Shelling At Somali Market

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:07:15 +0000
Mayur Pahilajani - AHN News Writer

Mogadishu, Somalia (AHN) - Return fire from Ethiopian forces backing the Somali government killed at least 10 people in Mogadishu's main market on Saturday, witnesses were quoted as saying in reports.

The security forces fired in response to Islamist insurgents' mortar shelling at the Somali presidential palace, intending to disrupt talks between the top Ethiopian official and the Somalia's president.

According to the reports, President Abdullahi Yusuf was meeting with the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin. Both were not injured in that attack.

"Several mortars landed in the palace area and there were not any casualties," Bahuko Baridye, spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, told AFP.

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.

"Four men were selling textile products when they were hit by the shell," eyewitness Ahmed Abdi told AFP news agency on Saturday, adding all four died on the spot.

"A young girl who was hit by shrapnel also died," Abdinasir Olad, a Bakara trader, told the news agency.

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

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