At least 12 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the blasts in the Somali capital and the death toll was expected to rise from the latest bloodshed blamed on Islamic insurgents. Another five were killed in a separate gunbattle in the city.
"I saw so many dead people lying on the road, I couldn't even look at them, I was so scared for my life," resident Salah Garweyne told The Associated Press.
At least 19 of the wounded by the shelling were in critical condition, said Dr. Hassan Osman Isse at Medina Hospital.
Before the attacks, Sheik Qasim Ibrahim Nur, director of security at the National Security Ministry, said the government has "no power to resist the Islamists."
"About 80 percent of Somalia is not safe and is not under control of the government," Nur told the AP. "Islamists are planning to launch a massive attack against the (government) and its allied troops."
Nur appealed for international support, saying Islamic fighters "are everywhere."
Presidential spokesman Hussein Mohamed Mohamud also said that the Muslim fighters were regrouping, and said they have "a lot of weapons and foreign fighters."
-------------
Nur appealed for international support, saying Islamic fighters "are everywhere."
Ignorant idiot.
