Police clash with militia

At least two gunmen were killed and three others wounded when freelance militia attacked a police post near a market in north Mogadishu on 20 September, a senior police officer told IRIN on Friday. Police in Mogadishu have started to set up police posts in some of the most important markets and road intersections as the interim government attempts to re-establish law and order in the capital. The militia used to operate a checkpoint in the market area, where they would collect fees from vehicles bringing in produce and foodstuffs, a local resident told IRIN. On Thursday morning, the militia, on two battle-wagons attacked a police post at Wahara Ade market in north Mogadishu, the Mogadishu police chief, Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdid, said. "Two militia were killed in the incident and three others wounded. We have also captured two vehicles from them," Qeybdid said. He said the fighting was sparked when the militia tried to re-establish their roadblock, which was dismantled by the police on Tuesday. There was no police casualty in the attack, he added. The police, who started their current campaign last month, had so far covered over 70 percent of the city, Qeybdid told IRIN. "Most major crime is down since we started this," Qeybdid claimed. Local sources in Mogadishu told IRIN on Friday that there had been "a noticeable decrease in armed robberies, illegal roadblocks and other petty crimes" since the police crackdown started.