Shelling in Mogadishu Kills 18 and Injures 40
Apr 12, 2010
Story Highlights
Bakaara market shelling kills 18
Convoy bombing aimed at AU forces kills 4 civilians
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA -- Almost 20 civilians were wounded in heavy mortar shellings that struck a large market as government troops and insurgents exchanged fire.
"We have collected 18 dead people and 40 injured from the Bakaara market alone," Ali Muse, an ambulance coordinator in Mogadishu, told Tiziano. "The scenes were gruesome."
Witnesses in the market say the shelling started after Al-Shabaab fighters fired mortars at Aden-Adde International Airport, which caused a retaliatory shelling that landed on the market.
Elsewhere, more fatalities were caused from a roadside bomb explosion targeting an African Union Peacekeeper convoy.
"The bomb killed four civilians passing by, not soldiers." Fatime Hussein, a tea shop owner, told Tiziano.
The Al-Shabaab rebel group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
"We have carried out a holy blast that killed seven AU soldiers," Al-Shabaab claimed in a statement.
The spokesman for AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu described al-Shabaab's statement as "silly propaganda".
"Our soldiers did not suffer one scratch from that bomb," Major Barigye Ba-Hoku told Tiziano.
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Tags:
African Union, Al-Shabaab, Ali Muse, Bakaara Market, Military, MOGADISHU, Somalia, Somalia bombing, Somalia civilian victims, Somalia death, Somalia shelling
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