MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali insurgents attacked the president’s residence in Mogadishu on Thursday, sparking fierce exchanges with Ethiopian Woyanne and government forces in which six civilians were killed, witnesses said.
Two mortar shells landed in the compound of President Abdullahi Yusuf, who is currently in Ethiopia.
Mortar also smashed into houses in the capital’s heavily populated Bakara district, wounding 12 civilians.
“Four civilians were killed when a heavy artillery shell landed in front of a big mosque in Bakara market. Seven others were also injured,” witness Hassan Adan Yarisow said.
Another witness, Feisal Ibarahim, said three shells hit houses in Bakara district wounding five civilians “minutes after insurgents attacked the presidential palace.”
“I saw two dead civilians, one of them a mentally ill patient,” he added.
Separate clashes between insurgents and a local clan militia killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the southern port town of Kismayo.