21 dead as fighting in Somalia rages

From Allafrica.com. Somalia is nothing but a nest of vipers. The country has not had a functioning governemt in 20 years,it is home to a welle stablished ring of pirates and it is one of the poorest countries in the world.

21 People Killed in Mogadishu Violence

AllAfrica.com; Fighting between African Union troops, Somali government forces, pro-government militiamen on one side and Al-Shabaab and its allies on the other end killed at least 21 people Wednesday and injured over 70 others in the Somali capital within the last 24 hours, said medical workers and witnesses.

Yesterday, at laest 16 people were killed in the continuing violence that has gripped Mogadishu.

Twelve people were killed in the north district of Hamarweyne where several mortars traded between the warring sides landed, according to witnesses.

"It was terrifying and left us with great worries. I have seen several dead bodies and injured ones," said Raho Suleyman, one of the people who were caught in the crossfire.

Several wounded people were admitted at Mogadishu's main Medina hospital, where according to medics, five of them died from their injuries.

The violence concentrated mainly near the main Bakara market in the capital where fighters from pro-government militia Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama faced off with their arch-rivals Al-Shabaab.

On the other hand, a suicide car bomb targeted on AMISOM base in Mogadishu Tuesday triggered another round of violence, claiming the lives of civilians.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, saying it was retaliation for the killing of two top al-Qaida leaders in Iraq. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri were killed last week during an Iraqi-U.S. military raid in northern Iraqi city of Tikrit.

However, the Al-Qaeda-inspired group put the blame of civilian casualties on AMISOM.

The claims were immediately refuted by government officials.

Civilians have suffered greatly as a result of clashes between the warring sides fighting for control of bullet-riddled Mogadishu.

The weak Western-backed Somali government is battling a powerful Islamist insurgency that erupted early 2007 and is determined to unseat it. The impoverished Horn of Africa country has not had a functioning government for nearly 20 years.