Clan fighting erupts between govt troops in south Somalia, 17 dead
22 Jun 22, 2007 - 6:00:44 PM
Fighters used rifles, RPGs and "technicals" in battle for Kismayo
KISMAYO, Somalia June 22 (Garowe Online) - Somali government troops clashed amongst themselves for the second time in the last two months in Lower Jubba region, residents said on Friday.
At least 10 soldiers were confirmed dead and another 27 wounded in battles that erupted around 9:30am local time in the outskirts of Kismayo, a strategic port city 500km south of Mogadishu along the Indian Ocean coast.
Independent sources in the region told Garowe Online that the first battle erupted in Goobweyn, a village 12km north of Kismayo. Villagers said government troops expelled from Kismayo by fellow soldiers following an April 23 battle had arrived in Goobweyn over the past several days.
The attacking group, the Marehan clan soldiers based in Kismayo, managed to chase their rivals from Goobweyn and pushed them further north to Bulo Gadud, a garrison town used as a base by the expelled soldiers and their commanders.
After an intense battle in Bulo Gadud, the Marehan soldiers overran defenses set up by fellow Darod clan soldiers belonging to the Harti and Ogaden sub-clans, locals said.
The Harti-Ogaden soldiers, led by government-appointed Lower Jubba Governor Ilyas Gabose, had reached parts of Middle Jubba region later Friday, sources said.
Meanwhile, another group of Harti fighters entered Kismayo from the west and engaged in gun battles with Marehan soldiers guarding the airport.
Marehan reinforcements who declared victory over the Bulo Gadud-based opposition returned to Kismayo to join the battle near the airport, which spread into the interior of the city according to locals.
At least 7 fighters died during the airport battle, witnesses reported. The Harti clan fighters withdrew as heavier Marehan reinforcements arrived.
Kismayo residents said Marehan clan soldiers paraded 5 battlewagons around the town, claiming that the armed vehicles known as "technicals" in Somalia were captured during Friday's battles. The city came under a nighttime curfew aimed at strengthening local security, a regional police official said.
Hassan Mohamed Ali, a Marehan elders' spokesman, said government troops had successfully removed militias who were threatening travelers along the vital road that leads to Mogadishu.
Last Saturday, Ali issued a strong warning to the Somali transitional government to do something about the Bulo Gadud-based force or the Marehan clan would deal with them "on clan terms." [ Full story]
All the sub-clans involved in the Kismayo conflict claim to support the transitional government, but vehemently disagree on the distribution of power in the Lower Jubba regional administration.
These same sub-clans have fought numerous times over the control of Kismayo, dating back to the clan wars of the early 1990s.
US AND KABLALAX ARE ALL DHABADHILIFS...AND WE ARE ALSO ALL DAROOD...so get the hell out of here.
