From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun Jul 12 2009 - 15:05:24 EDT
Somalia:AU troops directly engage in Mogadishu fighting
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By Ahmednor Mohamed Farah
12/07/2009
MOGADISHU (Mareeg)- The African Union troops in Mogadishu known as AMISOM
were directly involved in fighting between the Somali government soldiers
and anti government fighters on Sunday, leaving at least 40 people dead and
more than 100 others wounded, officials, and medical sources said.
Dahir Mohamoud Dhere, the deputy director of Medina hospital in Mogadishu
said 123 wounded civilians were hospitalized in Medina hospital for the last
24 hours.
"We are involved in the fighting with the insurgents because they have
crossed a red line by threatening the African Union peacekeeping forces in
Mogadishu," Barigye Bahoku , the spokesman for AMISOM said.
The spokesman added that AMISOM troops they would pursue the rebels who
have withdrawn from several key positions they held in north Mogadishu.
He also said that AU troops were in imminent danger and had to take some
limited action because the rebels crossed the red line where they were not
supposed to go.
Sheik Yusuf Mohamed Siyad better known as Indho Ade, a state minister for
defense of the Somali government said president Sharif Sheik Ahmed ordered
the fighting against the rebels and added that they would continue the
fighting until the clear the Islamist rebels out of the country.
The government soldiers packed by AU tanks captured three districts in north
Mogadishu. Witnesses in Mogadishu say heavy fighting has also started in
Hawlwadag district where the Islamist insurgents have main bases.
The nearly 4, 300 troops from mainly Uganda and Burundi are part of an
envisaged 8, 000- strong African Union Peacekeeping forces, have the limited
mandate of protecting senior government officials and important government
installations in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
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