Six killed in Somalia clashes
24/03/2008 19:06  - (SA)  

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Mogadishu - Four policemen and two civilians were killed on Monday in the latest fighting in the Somali capital, witnesses and police said.

Islamist insurgents attacked policemen manning a checkpoint in southern Mogadishu's KPP neighbourhood, triggering a heavy exchange of fire, they said.

"I have seen three dead soldiers and a civilian near KPP intersection. They were all killed in the clashes," said Mohamed Suge Ali, a witness.

Angry residents dragged the body of one of the policemen through the streets after the fighting subsided, said Omar Ali, another witness.

A policeman and a second civilian died in hospital, bringing the overall toll to six people. The pair were among a group of 10 people taken for treatment, said Ali Ade, a medical aid in the capital's Madina hospital.

A Somali policeman confirmed the deaths, a day after five fatalities occurred in similar clashes in Mogadishu.

Over the past year, the city has been rocked by almost daily violence pitting Ethiopian-backed Somali forces against Islamist insurgents.

The guerrilla fighting has killed hundreds of civilians and forced tens of thousands to flee.

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