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Over 15 killed in Mogadishu fighting

    NAIROBI

    At least 15 people were killed and over 30 wounded in two days of fighting in the north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a local journalist told IRIN on Wednesday.

    The fighting, in the districts of Karaan and Yaqshiid, broke out early on Tuesday morning, when militia of the Warsangeli subclan attacked militia forces belonging to the Agon-Yar subclan. Both groups belong to the main Abgal clan. The fighting, which subsided later on Tuesday, resumed on Wednesday morning.

    The fighting which was initially confined to the Fagah road junction area has reportedly spread to all parts of Yaqshiid and Karaan, a Mogadishu resident, Awil Hashi, told IRIN. "We had a lull yesterday, but it is intensifying today," he said on Wednesday.

    "This fighting is a continuation of earlier fighting between the two sides in Mogadishu, in May," he added.

    In May, Warsangeli forces loyal to the self-styled governor of Middle Shabelle, Muhammad Umar Habeb, attacked and looted the home of Dahir Dayah, the interior minister of the Transitional National Government (TNG). The minister is a member of the Agon Yar subclan. "Each side is out to avenge perceived wrongs done to them by the other side," the local journalist said.

    Hospital sources in Mogadishu told IRIN they had six new cases of wounded people from Wednesday's fighting. Most of the victims are said to be non-combatants caught up in the crossfire.

    "Up to now we estimate that at least 15 have been killed and over 30 wounded since yesterday [Tuesday], but exact figures will come out once the clashes stop," one hospital worker told IRIN.

    Meanwhile, a landmine killed five elders in the Middle Shabelle Region. The elders were returning from the Galgadud Region where they had successfully mediated a ceasefire in fighting between two subclans of the Abgal, sources in Mogadishu told IRIN.

    The elders' vehicle struck a landmine at Raga-Ele village, some 130 km north of Mogadishu. "Five elders died on the spot, while 10 were wounded," the sources said, adding that the wounded had been taken to hospitals in Mogadishu.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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