By Sahal Abdulle
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The incident occurred near a football stadium in the north of the Somali capital, which seems to be sliding further into chaos with near-daily attacks since the interim government, backed by Ethiopian troops, routed Islamists in a December war.
Officials blame remnants of the Islamist movement for the violence. Some Islamist fighters have vowed holy war since being routed from the strongholds they had controlled since June.
"When we heard the explosion, we thought a mortar had hit the area and people started fleeing without closing their shops," shopkeeper Mohamed Hussein said.
"The car is in pieces. The trunk of the car and the roof were blown apart by the explosion. I saw four skulls and bones lying in the car."
Reuters cameraman Farah Robleu said he saw the charred remains of the car and the dead. "The wreckage is still smouldering," he said.
The recurring bloodshed has sent hundreds of residents fleeing from the lawless coastal city, which experienced a semblance of order under the Islamists.
Some 1,500 Ugandan troops are to deploy within days to the city as part of an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission to restore stability.
Although some Somalis welcome their arrival, others feel the force will not achieve much in a nation in chaos since a dictator was ousted in 1991.
Burundi's army said on Sunday the tiny central African nation would also deploy troops to Somalia, and an advance mission could go in days.
"Burundi will supply 1,700 troops and the first elements are expected to leave next week," Burundi army spokesman Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza said, adding that an additional 80 army officers would also be sent.
Diplomats have urged rich nations to back and fund the AU mission but only about 4,000 troops have been pledged of the 8,000 called for.
Some Islamist fighters have vowed to attack any foreign troops dispatched to Somalia.
(Additional reporting by Patrick Nduwimana in Bujumbura)
Source: Reuters, Feb 18,2007