Bardhere now calm, death toll rises to 18

The town of Bardhere, 400 km west of Mogadishu, is reported to be generally calm two days after heavy fighting broke out there, local sources told IRIN on Thursday. The fighting on Tuesday pitted forces of the Juba Valley Alliance (JVA), which supports the Transitional National Government (TNG), and those of the opposition Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), led by General Muhammad Sa’id Hirsi Morgan. According to the sources, the town is relatively calm "with most of the businesses open". "There is less military activity today than yesterday," one source said. The JVA was holding at least 68 SRRC prisoners in Bardhere, he added. "Most of the prisoners belong to the Rahanweyn and Biyamal clans." The confirmed death toll now stood at 18, including "one child and one woman killed in crossfire inside the town", and the rest combatants, the source told IRIN. The SRRC forces were said to be regrouping at Qansahdhere town, 120 km northeast of Bardhere, while the JVA forces had taken up defensive positions at Shanqoley village, 35 km northeast of Bardhere, the source said. "Both sides are waiting for reinforcements and ammunition," he added. "Everyone here is expecting another bout of fighting in the near future, if not in Bardhere, then somewhere else in the region."