| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa Horn |
| Somalia: Eight killed in violence |
| 2007-10-04 |
| (SomaliNet) At least eight people were killed in separate attacks in Somalia Sunday, witnesses said, a day after the president summoned top security officers and ministers to discuss worsening violence. Unidentified gunmen shot dead three civilians in Mogadishu's notoriously dangerous Bakara market, where the Islamist-led insurgency frequently ambushes Somali police patrols, witnesses said. Four others were killed in internecine violence sparked by clan rivalry in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia. "The dispute is about a piece of land where charcoal is burned," Haji Ali Bidaye, a local elder, told AFP. "The four were shot dead as they were burning charcoal. Tension is rising." A government soldier was also killed in northern Mogadishu, a witness said. "The officer was on duty when he was killed," said Mohamed Hassan. President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed held talks with senior government officials in Mogadishu Saturday to shore up a crackdown on insurgents who have waged deadly hit-and-run attacks against government targets since an Islamic movement was defeated at the start of the year. "There are ... moves to crack down on the violent people in Mogadishu and the president discussed these with his security commanders," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "But it seems that a difficult task is ahead." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 It seems like any killings in Muslim places are reported as if they are part of jihad against the infidel and his supporters. Never is it over a woman, or gang turf, or robbery, or just some wacko (oh, wait, I guess that one's the same as jihadi). "Eight killed" sounds bad, but it's probably no different than the murder rate in a typical US population of the same size - of course it is only "at least eight", which could mean 50,000, but the rest just didn't make it into the report. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-10-04 07:12 |