Somalia: 'We Warned Civilians to Leave' Insurgent Strongholds, Says Mayor
Garowe
The mayor of the Somali capital and governor of Banadir region, Mr. Mohamed "Dheere" Omar, told local media on Saturday that the ongoing offensive targeting specific areas deemed insurgent strongholds will not stop.
"If people are using guns to shoot you, it is a must you use a bigger one that destroys the enemy's capacity," Mayor Dheere said.
The mayor's comment referred to an Ethiopian-led offensive in recent days to cleanse Mogadishu neighborhoods viewed as hotspots for insurgent activity.
Nearly 100 people, including 20 Ethiopian soldiers, have been killed in the Somali capital over the past three days and 200 others wounded.
Hundreds of families continued fleeing their homes as the fighting intensified. The mayor of Mogadishu said the government was "deeply bothered" with the civilian death toll, but said the al Shabaab insurgents are responsible for the mortars.
"We warned civilians to leave areas where anti-peace groups stay...and we consider some of them [civilians] an enemy because we told them to leave many times before," Mayor Dheere said.
He dismissed widespread reports of unjustified killings and other forms of abuse perpetrated by members of the Ethiopian army serving in Mogadishu.
But he blamed foreign fighters and the al Shabaab youth wing of the Islamic Courts for the ongoing violence.
"Foreign terrorists are being hidden in areas west of Industry Road and we will finish off the anti-peace groups within the coming 24 hours," Mayor Dheere vowed.
Insurgents' guerrilla-style attacks on Ethiopian and government troops have led a heavy-handed crackdown targeting certain areas of Mogadishu.
The insurgents are opposed to the government, whom they accuse of being a puppet for the Ethiopian leadership.
