Mogadishu, February 16: Heavy clashes between Somali government troops backed by African Union forces and al-Shabab fighters have left at least 17 people killed and many others injured in Mogadishu.
Thirteen Somali soldiers lost their lives after bitter clashes broke out between al-Shabab fighters and the transitional government troops in Mogadishu’s northern districts of Bondhere and Shibis late on Tuesday. The skirmishes continued till the crack of dawn, a Media correspondent reported on Wednesday.
Four civilians were also killed and 25 others sustained injuries in the fierce gun battles.
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 Horn of Africa nation.
Up to one million people have lost their lives following years of fighting between rival warlords and because of an inability to deal with famine and disease.
There are more than 1.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia. More than 300,000 IDPs are sheltering in Mogadishu alone.
Most of the displaced live in poor and degrading conditions at makeshift sites in southern and central Somalia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
——–Agencies