Thursday, December 24, 2009
MOGADISHU — Security forces clashed with clan militias in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland in a battle that left at least nine people dead and dozens wounded, elders said.
The fighting took place in Galkayo, a large city straddling the border between the northern state and the territory of Galmudug, which officially falls under the administration of the transitional federal government.
"The fighting was the heaviest between the two sides in recent years and caused several casualties," local elder Abdi Mohamed Gele told AFP.
"Nine people, five of them civilians who were caught in the crossfire, have died so far," he said by phone from Galkayo.
He said sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the city.
According to elders and residents, militiamen from the southern half of Galkayo shot dead a Puntland local government official late Wednesday, sparking the anger of the Puntland authorities.
"The reason for the fighting is not clear yet but it looks like the clashes are a consequence of the recent incident in which a local Puntland security officer was killed," Husein Yahye, another elder in the town, said.
"Around 10 people died today and the death toll could rise because the fighting is ongoing," he said.
"I saw the dead bodies of five civilians, some of them killed by a mortar shell that struck in the northern part of the town," local resident Muse Ibrahim said.
Galkayo is the scene of frequent tensions between both sides but Thursday's clashes were the worst of their kind in years.
Puntland, which declared its semi-autonomous status in 1998, is relatively peaceful compared to Somalia proper, which has been wracked by violence since former president Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
Source: AFP, December 24, 2009