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Somalia

SOMALIA/MOGADISHU: INTENSE FIGHTING IN NORTH AREA, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

At least eight people, though the number could easily be larger, have been killed after intense fighting in some northern areas of Mogadishu. Local media said that units of the government army have attacked, in the early morning, some of the insurgency's positions in the quarters of Hodan e Hawlwadag, giving way to intense fighting that ended in the afternoon. At least eight people, mostly civilians caught in the crossfire, have been killed and over a dozen are wounded. Moreover, there are contrasting reports over the number of fighters who have been killed or wounded. The anti-government Hizbul Islam says that it has managed to repel the government offensive. [AB]