Somalia fighting kills 23 in border town

Mon Sep 21, 2009

Heavy Fighting between Al Shabaab rebels and government soldiers has killed 23 people in a border town in Western Somalia, disrupting communication lines.

A Press TV correspondent cited elders and witness as saying the conflict in Yeet, on the Ethiopian border, and the Rab-Dhhure district also left 20 injured.

The identity of the victims was not immediately clear, as both sides claimed victory, with Al Shabaab, which is waging a war against the new transitional government in Mogadishu, claiming to have captured Yeet.

The rebels have also ordered the shut down of telecommunication lines with the Press TV correspondent reporting that the heaviest fighting is still continuing in the outskirt of Yeet.

Other reports said at least 12 Al Shabaab rebels have also been killed in the attack.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered capital was the scene of more fighting, which has intensified since an inland US operation angered the rebels, who have vowed more attacks. The US, which links al Shabaab to al Qaeda, has claimed that the air strike killed an alleged operative working for the terror organization.

On Thursday, a twin suicide car bomb attacks inside an African Union base, near the capital's airport killed at least 21 people, including 17 AU peacekeepers.

It was the deadliest attack targeting the AU presence since March 2007, as the country struggles to form a functioning government after 21 years of lawlessness.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/106754.html.