More than 30 Killed in Heavy Fighting in Somali Capital
By VOA News
09 November 2007
Bodies littered the streets of the Somali capital Friday, after more than 30 people were killed during intense fighting between Ethiopian troops and insurgents over the last two days.
Witnesses say Ethiopian forces fired shells into Mogadishu's Bakara market area early Friday, killing at least eight civilians.
Meanwhile, the bodies of at least 25 others were found in parts of the city where Ethiopian troops and insurgents clashed since Thursday.
The fighting intensified late in the day after residents dragged the body of a slain Ethiopian soldier through the streets while crowds of onlookers chanted "God is great."
Mogadishu has endured nearly a year of continuous fighting between the mainly Islamist insurgents and the Ethiopians, who are supporting Somalia's transitional government.
Ethiopia sent the troops into Somalia last year to help the government stop Islamists from taking control of the entire country.
The fighting has prompted hundreds of thousands of residents to flee the city for safer areas, with many going to the town of Afgooye to the south.
The U.N. refugee agency said earlier this week that many of those displaced Somalis are living in extremely harsh conditions, with little shelter and not enough water.
On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that sending U.N. peacekeepers to Somalia is not a "realistic or viable option."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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