Somali Islamists kill civilians in attacks
United Press International ^ | July 31
upi.com
MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 31 (UPI) -- Six people were killed Tuesday when a roadside bomb targeted at a truck carrying soldiers was detonated on a busy street in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
Witnesses told Shabelle Media Network that none of the soldiers on the truck were killed or hurt, but about a dozen civilians were injured.
"Many people were moving along the road when it (the bomb) was remotely blown up by unknown gunmen. The troops opened fire indiscriminately, getting on their journey," said, Derie Ali, a witness to the explosion.
Also Tuesday, Islamist militants attacked an Ethiopian army base outside Mogadishu, killing a soldier and three civilians.
About 40 heavily armed men shouting Islamic slogans pulled up to the base in five vehicles and opened fire, a BBC correspondent reported.
For about an hour, the area shook to heavy machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the report said.
One of the civilians killed was a 4-year-old child, hospital officials said.
While the violence continued, UN officials arrived in Mogadishu with equipment, including land-mine detonators and flak jackets, for the African Union forces now in the capital, Shabelle said. |
