The festivities began shortly after Islamist Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
forces of Evil attacked on bases at Hosh and Aslubta villages located on the outskirts of Mogadishu that manned by Government forces, backed by African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
(AU) troops.
The AU forces are reported to have used tanks and heavy artillery, according to the locals. No casualties reported so far.
Abdullah Osman, a TFG commander told Shabelle Media that the fighting in Mogadishu followed an attack by Al-Shabaab on Saturday night on their military camps run by AU troops in the south ofMogadishu.
Somalia's Transition Federal Government (TFG), declared Mogadishu was under its control in August, when Al-Shabaab, whose name means "the Youth," withdrew from the city.