Fierce Fighting Continues in Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) — Militiamen loyal to the government battled Islamist al Shabab fighters in Somalia on Wednesday, despite calls from around the world for a halt to the country’s worst fighting in months.Years of conflict have sucked in foreign militants, confounded 15 attempts to establish a central government, killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and created a security vacuum that has spawned piracy and other criminal activity. Since the weekend, the capital Mogadishu has been rocked by mortar and machine gun fire as Islamist rebels try to topple President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed’s government. The violence has killed at least 135 civilians, and thousands have fled the city. There have also been fierce clashes between the Shabab Terrorist Al-Shabab and a more moderate Islamist militia, Ahlu Sunna, in the country’s central and southern regions. At least five people died on Tuesday in Mahas town, witnesses said...more..http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/world/africa/14somalia-wire.html