A foreign fighter and a top government security official are among 16 people killed in Saturday's fighting between U.N.-backed government forces and Islamist insurgents in the north of the capital, a Somali official said.Presidential information officer Abdulkhadir Wehliye said the foreign fighter is believed to be Bangladeshi because of identity documents found on the body.
| Bangladeshi? Has Pakistan given up supporting its jihadis in the renegade province, then? |
There are believed to be hundreds of foreign jihadi fighters in Somalia supporting an Islamic insurgency. Government officials have claimed there are thousands of foreigners fighting against them but most analysts dismiss this as a ploy to wring cash and support for the international community, which is worried about the failed state becoming a haven for al-Qaida-linked terrorists.
Saturday's attack also claimed the life of Nor Daqli. He was head of security for the capital, Mogadishu, and the surrounding Benadir region.