Mogadishu hit by intense gun battles

At least 14 people were killed and more than 20 injured as heavy fighting broke out in Mogadishu after government troops launched a dawn attack on a house belonging to a former militia leader as part of a disarmament campaign, residents and officials said.

Explosions and gunfire were heard on Friday in the Somali capital as government troops backed by African Union forces battled militiamen.

“At least 14 people, mostly militia, died in the fighting this morning. The government’s aim is to secure the city,” Major Abdullahi Farah, a senior police officer, told Reuters.

Government forces want to disarm fighters loyal to Ahmed Daaci, a former militia leader and ex-district commissioner of Mogadishu’s Wadajir.

Fatima Ali, a Mogadishu mother of four, said the battle sent everyone in her house to the ground for safety.

“We are very terrified,” she said. “We haven’t ...........COMPLETE STORY HERE