AT LEAST 35 KILLED IN SOMALI CLASHES

12.03.2010 [14:06]
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Baku, March 12 (AZERTAC). Mortar shells and machine-gun fire rocked Mogadishu on Sunday, as pro-government Islamist fighters clashed with gunmen who want to topple the Western-backed government, officials said, according to AP.

Officials said that the renewed violence killed at least 35 people over the weekend in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

A hospital official said 60 wounded people were admitted to the hospital this weekend.

It was some of the worst fighting in weeks in one of the world`s most violent cities, with both sides pounding Mogadishu with mortar shells and machine-gun fire. Residents were streaming out of the city in search of safety.

The nation has been in chaos since the 1991 ouster of the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Rival clans then turned on one another. Since late 2006, insurgents have been trying to topple the weak government. The lawlessness has also allowed piracy to thrive off the coast.

The violence has pitted pro-government fighters against those allied to the Shabab, an insurgent group seeking to overthrow the government.

AT LEAST 35 KILLED IN SOMALI CLASHES

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