Somalia, May 11: At least 11 Somali soldiers have been killed after bitter clashes broke out between al-Shabab fighters and the transitional government troops in Mogadishu.
Somali soldiers died on Tuesday after al-Shabab fighters attacked military bases of the transitional government troops in Mogadishu’s southern districts of Hawlwadig and Hodan, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Clashes broke out in the aftermath of the attack with the two sides exchanging heavy gunfire and barrages of mortar shells.
More than 15 Somali soldiers sustained injuries as a result, the report added.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The Somali government has struggled for years to restore security but efforts have not yet yielded results in the nation.
Nearly a million people have died following years of fighting between rival warlords and also due to the country’s inability to deal with famine and disease.
There are more than 1.4 million internally displaced people (IDP) in Somalia. More than 300,000 IDP have been sheltered in Mogadishu alone.
Most of the displaced live in squalid conditions at makeshift camps in southern and central Somalia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
—–Agencies