Dozens reported killed in clashes between Somali troops and Al-Shabab militants

Dozens of soldiers and insurgents were killed in two
days of fighting between Somali government forces and Al-Shabab militants northwest
of the capital Mogadishu, a witness told Reuters on Friday.
Somalia’s state news agency Sonna said the military
had killed about 50 fighters from the extremist group. No immediate account of
the battle was available from the militants.
Hussein Ali, a farmer in the Afgoye area, told
Reuters he and other civilians had been trapped in the crossfire during two
nights of fighting.
“The Somali government transported dozens of dead
bodies. Likewise, Al-Shabab took dozens of their bodies. They both suffered blows,”
he said, adding he had counted at least 20 bodies on both sides.
Sonna, the state news agency, said that among the
insurgents killed was a commander it identified as Osman il Fidow. “Al-Shabab
buried its dead bodies in another village called Bulo Yarey,” it said.
Neither the Somali military nor Al-Shabab could be
reached for comment. Both sides often give sharply different figures of
fatalities in skirmishes.
Al-Shabab has been fighting for more than 10 years
to dislodge the country’s central government.
The group frequently carries out gun assaults and
bombings of both military and civilian targets and has also carried out attacks
on regional targets, especially in neighboring Kenya.