06/04/08 (B442) TV ON LINE / De très durs combats dans le Sud de la Somalie et dans la région de la capitable causent la mort de 17 personnes. 17 killed in Somali violence (En Anglais – Info lecteur)

Heavy fighting continues to wreak havoc in Somalia

Heavy fighting continues to wreak havoc south of Somalia and in the country’s capital where violence has claimed another 17 lives.

At least four Somali government officials were gunned down in south Mogadishu’s Waberi district, including the head of the Supreme Court, Hagi Ali Dududble.

Elsewhere in north Mogadishu, the head of Hormut Telecom Somalia was shot dead in his car by armed men wearing government uniforms and another 12 soldiers were killed in the Puntland town of Bossaso near the sea port where roads have been closed following the killings.

Over the past year, the insurgents have attacked government targets after being ousted from the southern and central regions by Ethiopian-backed Somali troops in early 2007.

The fighting has killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee mainly from Mogadishu, which has been the epicenter of the clashes.