Islamist insurgents on Sunday attacked Somali interim government troops in the capital, triggering clashes that killed five civilians, witnesses said. Seven other civilians were wounded in the fighting in southern Mogadishu's Folorensa Junction and Taleh districts where interim government troops are based."I saw three bodies near Foleransa Junction, where insurgents exchanged machinegun fire with Somali forces. Four civilians were wounded," said Osmail Salad, a witness.
Another witness, Mohamoud Adan Shire, said a civilian and a child were also killed by stray bullets in Taleh district.
An Islamist commander, Sheikh Kofi, claimed that insurgents had killed several soldiers, but there was no independent confirmation. "We killed several Somali government troops when we attacked three of their bases," he told AFP.
Several witnesses confirmed the civilian toll and said that three others were wounded in the skirmishes.