Mortar attack at Ethiopian forces in Mogadishu

[Castro]

Unidentified gunmen have tonight attacked a military compound housing Ethiopian forces in the Somalia capital Mogadishu – it is part of increasing insurgent attacks in the city. Residents told Somalinet that they could hear explosions and gunfire in Suqa-Xolaha (market of livestock) area in north of the capital.

 

“We heard the sounds of heavy explosions around 8:00 pm local time and then followed several minutes gunfire near El-Erfid where the Ethiopian forces are stationing,” Maslah Mohamed, one of the local residents said.

 

There is no immediate casualty on the latest attack.

 

The attackers were reported to have been riding Toyota Pickup or SUV and fired around five mortar shells at the compound.

 

It is the fifth attack by supporters of the ousted Islamists in Mogadishu within a week as bodies of slaughtered men were seen in different locations of the capital.

 

No one knows who carried out the killings in Mogadishu.

 

Meanwhile, unknown pro Islamist insurgents spread leaflets in the capital putting thousands of US dollar on the head of the interim government spokesman Abdirahmna Dinari.

 

They said in the paper that they would pay $10,000 for the death or capture of Dinari who they described him as the enemy of Islam.

 

The leaflets were today circulating in the capital as everybody saw it.

 

Earlier, extremists in Somalia warned on Tuesday they would hunt down and kill the soldiers of AU peacekeepers if they land in Somalia soil

 

In a videotape posted on the official Web site of Somalia's routed Islamic movement (

www.qaadisiya.com

), a masked Islamist gunman read a statement saying that all African peacekeepers would be seen as invaders.

 

The video warning comes as African leaders met in neighboring Ethiopia to discuss the deployment of 8,000 peacekeepers to Somalia. So far only three nations — Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi — have pledged around 4,000 troops.

Somalinet

[Castro]

Mortar attack at Mogadishu main seaport

 

Unknown militia has tonight attacked the main seaport in restive Somalia capital, Mogadishu – five civilians killed in the reactions of the Ethiopian forces.

 

It is a sing of further insecurity and violence in the city.

 

Around nine mortar shells have been fired at the port, which houses Ethiopian forces together with the interim government troops. Three of the mortars have fallen in the port while the two other rounds hit outside.

 

The shelling started around 3:40pm local time as the allied forces of Ethiopia and Somalia got alerted and were ready to react against the attackers.

 

“We at once woke up by the sounds of artillery fires, I tried to find what is going on and I understood that it was an attack aimed at seaport,” Ali Abdi, one of the local residents near Mogadishu told Somalinet by telephone.

 

The Ethiopian forces suddenly reacted with their own rocket counter-attacks, sources confirmed Somalinet.

 

Some of the rockets slammed in compounds of displaced people in Mogadishu killing at least five civilians and injuring dozens others. Residents in the areas of the shelling began fleeing heading to safe grounds.

 

Islamist extremists hiding in the capital continue to attack positions of the allied forces of Somalia in the city mainly after dark.

 

The government has nowhere to go to capture the attackers, despite security officials vowed to hunt down the remnants of the ousted Islamists.

 

The latest mortar attack was part of series insurgent attacks against the presence of the Ethiopian forces in the capital.

 

Some reports say that stray mortar shells hit areas near the seaport fearing that it might cause human casualties.

 

Earlier, the government officials acknowledged that about 3,000 Islamist remnants are hiding in Mogadishu organizing attacks on the government interests.

 

Elsewhere in Mogadishu, unidentified gunmen have launched an attack on Lafa-weyn hotel in north of the capital. No casualty has been reported.

 

Other developments, three people have been killed and others were wounded in north of Mogadishu this afternoon in armed clashes between two local militias. The fighting began after rival sides argued over land possession in Geda-Qorow area in Suqa-Xolaha village.

 

The situation in the Somalia capital Mogadishu is deteriorating time by time as nighttime attacks became something common to ears of the public.

Somalinet