Deadly clash kills four people near Mogadishu
At least four people were killed and five others were wounded on Saturday in brief clash in Afgoye town, Lower Shabelle region, some 30km away from the capital Mogadishu, a witness said.
The battle, sparked by mutual suspicions, erupted when government soldiers encountered armed men in an area designated for an operation.
Speaking to Mareeg Online via phone, a witness who asked to remain anonymous said those killed and wounded were local fighters known as Ma’awisley, supporting security in the town and preventing ambush attacks by Al Shabab militants.
In his address to the media, Major Hashi Mohamud, said the troops were unfamiliar with any local fighters staying in the town. He said the clash erupted when they spotted armed men in an area marked for their routine night operations.
Major Mohamuud said the skirmish occurred unexpectedly and that the troops did not act intentionally. He also urged the media to avoid portraying the soldiers as having deliberately killed those men.
He also mentioned that an investigation had begun to determine how it happened that the local fighters arrived at that specific area where a security operation was to be conducted.
Mohamud added that the wounded were taken to medical facilities for treatment.
Ma’awisley are local villages have taken arms and stood up to resist demands from al-Shabab, an al Qaeda-linked group, including taxes, livestock, weapons and boys they can turn into militants.
The local rebels drew support from Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia. Mohamud pledged his full support to their uprising, and they joined forces with the Somali army in fighting against the al-Qaeda-linked group.
The coalition forces weakened the militants and drove them out of many towns and areas in the Middle Shabelle, Hiiraan, Galgaduud, and Mudug regions.
Despite losing control of many towns, the al-Qaeda-linked terror group has intensified its attacks since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” to remove the militant group from Somalia.
Driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by Somali army and African Union troops, the extremist group still carries out deadly attacks. They have been battling for more than a decade to topple the Somali government and establish a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
Al Shabaab continues to hold large swaths of territory in the south and central regions, from which it is believed to launch deadly attacks against military bases of Somali National Army forces, African Union peacekeepers, and the capital, Mogadishu.
Source » mareeg.com
