06/08/07 (B407) SH M NETWORK / Somalia explains its military operations in the capital. (Info lecteur)

Mogadishu 05, August.07 ( Sh.M.Network)- A government soldier was wounded in a grenade explosion in Suuq Baad, north of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, on Sunday. Witnesses said unknown gunmen hurled a grenade at government troops moving inside the market.

All shops in the market were closed down following the blast which sparked mad rush among the traders. Government troops sealed off the whole area, opening fire, witnesses said.

Nonetheless the Somali and Ethiopian troops have conducted massive house-to-house search operations in a large part of Mogadishu on Sunday.

The troops halted all movements of passenger buses and ordinary people walking inside Bakara market, the capital’s largest open-air market where 80% of the population goes for work.

In a press conference he held, Abdulahi Hassan Baris, the head of the Somali police force, has told journalists that the operation was meant to secure the capital, indicating that it will continue indefinitely.

He reiterated that the government troops were never involved in robbery. « Government troops will pacify Mogadishu, » he said.