Three Somalis killed in clashes
2008-04-05 13:00
Mogadishu - At least three Somali soldiers were killed in clashes between Islamic insurgents and government troops in the centre of the capital, Mogadishu, residents said on Saturday.
An Associated Press Writer heard gunfire in the south of the city and resident Sarhra Ali said she saw three dead government troops and three wounded civilians. The bodies were later retrieved, she added.
Islamic insurgents have launched almost daily attacks on government troops and their Ethiopian allies since the alliance pushed the Islamists from power in December 2006.
The Islamists had been in control of Mogadishu and much of the south and after their ouster vowed to fight an insurgency with support from Ethiopia's archenemy, Eritrea.
The last time lawless Somalia had a functioning government was in 1991, when warlords used their clan-based militias to topple dictator Mohamed Siad Barre then fought each other for power.
- AP