Twelve Killed in Mogadishu as Rebels Attack Lawmakers Meeting

[Somalina]

Thursday, September 16, 2010

 

MOGADISHU (Xinhua) - At least 12 people were killed and almost 45 others were wounded on Thursday in heavy shelling exchanges after Islamist fighters launched a mortars attack on Somali lawmakers meeting in Mogadishu, medical sources said.

 

"We have so far taken 45 injured civilians to the hospitals and our ambulance staff has spotted the bodies of 12 dead people that were killed as a result of the shelling," Ali Muse, head of the local Mogadishu emergency service told Xinhua.

 

The Somali lawmakers were holding a debate over a confidence vote on the Somali government led by Prime Minister Omar Abdurashid Sharmarkeh at the National Assembly House overlooking the insurgent held area south of Mogadishu.

 

At least one lawmaker was slightly injured after a mortar shell landed outside the parliament building as Islamist fighters fired several rounds at the compound igniting intense barrage of artillery fire from African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces protecting the parliamentarians meeting.

 

Residents say most of the shells landed in and around the main Bakara market in the Islamist controlled section of the Somali capital where thousands come to trade and shop every day.

 

Somali lawmakers have overwhelmingly agreed to call on the government to seek the confidence of the parliament as difference between Somalia's top leaders resurfaced with the government of Premier Sharmarkeh accused of failing to carry out its responsibilities, a charge vehemently denied by the government.

 

Somali Premier has been reluctant to ask parliament for a vote of confidence and in a letter to the legislature on Wednesday he reiterated that his government does not need to ask for the vote and that the time was not right for such a move.

 

The end of the term of the current government is drawing ever closer with almost a year left here is a sense of urgency within the transitional government to do something as Islamist rebels keep their deadly three year long insurgency against the fragile but UN-backed government which now controls only a few section of Mogadishu.