BELETWEIN, Somalia Apr 23 (Garowe Online) - At least seven people have been confirmed dead from cases of acute watery diarrhea in the central Somali town of Mahas, locals said.

Medical sources in Mahas, a district in the central Hiran region, told Garowe Online more than 135 additional people are ailing from the disease and there are growing concerns of more deaths because the district lacks sufficient medical facilities and supplies.

Locals complained that international aid agencies have not played a big role in helping avert this health crisis, except for Save the Children, which distributed medicines through the offices of a local aid organization.

Medical professionals in Mahas indicated that more people would die from the disease if immediate medical support is not delivered to the remote district.

Somalia's interim government spends the vast majority of its resources combating Islamist rebels, who are fighting to overthrow the government and its Ethiopian military backers.

Overnight Tuesday, Islamist insurgents attacked Ethiopian soldiers in Hiran region.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties during the nighttime fighting, but residents in Bulo Burte town said the battle sparked in the outskirts of the town when insurgents launched mortars at an Ethiopian army camp and soon spread into the town.

Source: Garowe Online