Somalia
Gunfights rock Somali capital, 5 killed
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Jan 3, 2008 - 4:04:13 PM

MOGADISHU, Somalia Jan 3 (Garowe Online) - A heavy explosion rocked the Somali town of Afgoye overnight Wednesday, killing three civilians inside a local shop, witnesses said.

No one else was hurt in the blast according to Garowe Online sources, but some unconfirmed reports said as many as six others were wounded in the deadly explosion.

Somali police sources declined to comment on the source of the bomb, saying only that the case is "still under investigation."

Afgoye locals who spoke with Garowe Online provided conflicting reasons for the explosion, none of which has been independently confirmed.

Government troops under attack in Mogadishu

Some locals suggested the explosion was unintentional and came from inside the shop itself, while other sources said the shop was specifically targeted "because Ethiopian soldiers shop there."

Afgoye is located 30km south of the national capital, Mogadishu. In recent months, the town has become home to tens of thousands of Somali families fleeing relentless bombings and gunfights in the capital.

In Mogadishu, allied Somali and Ethiopian troops took the streets in force Wednesday morning and began conducting routine search operations for weapons, explosives and suspects.

Ethiopian soldiers patrolling 30th Avenue in Mogadishu were attacked by heavily-armed insurgents. Witnesses said one Ethiopian soldier was killed during the attack.

Subsequent gunfire opened by the Ethiopians wounded three people, including one insurgent, the witnesses reported.

In a separate attack, one Somali soldier was shot to death while on patrol near Mogadishu's notorious Bakara market. Two civilians were wounded in the crossfire, sources said.

A third attack targeted Somali troops along Industry Road. No casualty reports emerged from that attack but witnesses said the gunfight lasted several minutes.

Meanwhile, a meeting held by Mogadishu's Regional Security Committee ended today with an announcement that 18 Somali police officers have been arrested.

The police officers were arrested for committing crimes against Mogadishu's civilian population, according to Abbas "Galeyr" Mohamed, the acting mayor of Mogadishu.

Mr. Galeyr said the police officers will be tried in a Mogadishu court soon.

The Regional Security Committee also declared that "no roads are closed" in Mogadishu, although residents reported that both 30th Avenue and Industry Road were briefly shut off today by Somali-Ethiopian troops.

Somalia's interim government, backed by the Ethiopian army, is attempting to restore central rule in the country after 17 years of lawlessness.

But Islamist-led insurgents have vowed to fight until foreign troops withdraw from Somali soil, creating a guerrilla war that has killed thousands of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

Source: Garowe Online