SOMALIA: Death toll in Mogadishu fighting rises to 22

Record ID: 374878

  • Title: SOMALIA: Death toll in Mogadishu fighting rises to 22
  • Date: 18th June 2009
  • Summary: HOSPITAL NOTICE BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) DAHI DHERE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDINA HOSPITAL, SAYING: "As you see since early on Wednesday wounded people are coming into the hospital and we treated 47 civilians, but I can't disclose the exact number because we are still busy on helping with the victims, including women, children and old ages." FRIENDS AND RELATIVES OF THE
  • Embargoed: 3rd July 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Somalia
  • Country: Somalia
  • Reuters ID: LVA94I045LF55EDBTE845TYVPX0T
  • Story Text: Twenty two people killed and scores wounded in heavy fighting between hardline Islamist rebels and government forces in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
    Heavy fighting between hardline Islamist rebels and government forces in Somalia's capital on Wednesday (June 17) killed at least 22 people, including Mogadishu's police chief.
    Insurgents with links to al Qaeda stepped up attacks on the government in early May to try and oust President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, but neither side has delivered a knockout blow and fierce clashes have killed nearly 300 people since then.
    Western nations, some of Somalia's neighbours and the government fear that if the chaos persists, more foreign fighters coming to wage holy war will be sucked into the Horn of African nation increasing risks to the region in general.
    The fighting on Wednesday came after government forces attacked rebels in Mogadishu, the latest in a string of offensives to try and dislodge the insurgents from the capital.
    Eyewitnesses said a mortar bomb killed eight people in one house alone in Bakara Market, a rebel stronghold. Other residents said there was fierce fighting in the Hodan area.
    Mogadishu police Chief Ali Said was killed in the government attack and people in various parts of the city were struck down by stray bullets.
    Dead bodies lay in the streets and hospital wards were packed with casualties. Mogadishu's main hospital had to put up tents to accomodate the influx.
    "As you see since early on Wednesday wounded people are coming into the hospital and we treated 47 civilians, but I cant disclose the exact number because we are still busy on helping with the victims, including women, children and old ages," Dahir Dhere, deputy director of the Madina hospital in Mogadishu, told Reuters.
    Analysts say the fighting in Mogadishu is the worst for years and the chances of any negotiated peace are waning.
    African Union peacekeepers are protecting key sites from the insurgents but government forces have so far lacked sufficient strength to score decisive wins within or outside the capital.
    The government said it was confident of retaking major towns but once again called on African and Western nations to deliver on promises of logistical and financial support.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register