Friday, October 02, 2009
The fighting was initially thought to have left 10 dead.
"The bodies of a further 12 people killed in the violence in Kismayo have been recovered," he said on Friday, explaining that the dozen were in addition to the toll of 10 previously reported.
Local resident Abdiweli Mohamud said those recovered from the scene of the battle included "fighters as well as civilians".
"The number of wounded are more than 70, including some with very serious injuries," Mohamud said.
Thursday's fighting pitted the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab against the Hezb al-Islam group and started when the Shebab launched a dawn offensive, residents said. Both parties claimed the upper hand when fighting ended.
The city, about 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of Mogadishu, was wrested from government forces in August 2008 and has been an Islamist bastion ever since, but relations between the two groups have soured in recent weeks.
The two factions agreed to share power in Kismayo, with each governing for six months alternatively, but clan politics intervened and the rotation failed when the Shebab refused to relinquish the administration.
Kismayo had been relatively quiet until Thursday. On Friday residents said the city was tense but calm.
Source: AFP, Oct 02, 2009