[Pak Daily Times] A night of clashes in south Mogadishu killed at least 11 civilians as forces of Evil continued whittling away the areas controlled by government forces, sources said on Saturday.Fighting erupted late on Friday and continued overnight around Hodan and Holwadag districts where witnesses reported Somali government forces and their allies lost key positions. "Pro-government Sufi fighters have moved back from their positions in Sigale (part of Hodan) late yesterday but we have reinforced the positions with heavily armed military units so that the situation is under control now," Mohamed Adan, a government security official told AFP on Saturday.
"The fighting sporadically continued overnight and the turbans are trying hard to reach Maka Al-Mukarama road but I can assure you they will never succeed," he added.
Paulus once said something very similar...
There were still sporadic firefights and shelling late morning on Saturday, residents said.
Maka Al-Mukarama is the only direct supply route linking the presidential palace and the airport. "We have advanced onto the enemy lines and taken control of their barracks near Maka Al-Mukarama road, I tell you today that this war is aimed to finish the apostate regime and their African invaders," Sheik Ali Mohamoud Rage, front man for the al Qaeda-inspired Shebab, told reporters. "We have diluted their powers and forced them to retreat with the only road they were controlling becoming our front line. It was cut off and the mujahedeen will continue advancing if Allah says," he added.
"Many people died yesterday in our neighbourhood, six non-combatants were killed in a mortar blast and three others were caught in the crossfire," Muktar Hasan Nur, a witness, said on Saturday. "No one is left around Sigale area this morning with all families who lived there fleeing."
Another witness, Abshir Muse, said two other civilians were also killed in Bakara neighbourhood where artillery fire struck.
"We did not sleep last night because of the heavy artillery, every family took cover under concrete buildings and I saw two civilians who were killed by shrapnel," Muse said.
The latest toll brings to more than 80 the corpse count since the fighting erupted on Monday.
Shebab fighters have stepped up their attacks against Somali government forces and their African Union backers in the past week. The government forces and their African peacekeeper allies -- some 6,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops -- are the last barrier between the group and the embattled government of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The government now has only partial control of a few districts of the capital.