Mogadishu residents flee insurgent offensive

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Residents fled Mogadishu on Friday as pro-government forces scrambled to contain an insurgent onslaught that has left more than 100 dead over the past week.
The embattled government, entrenched in an ever-shrinking tract of the city, appointed a new army chief late Thursday after failing to repel the offensive that heightened international concerns over the lawless nation. The fighting has "so far claimed the lives of more than 135 people," the UN's refugee agency said in a statement, adding that it had counted 315 wounded and 30,000 displaced. "Hospitals in central Mogadishu are reported to be overwhelmed by the large number of casualties in need of urgent medical attention," the UNHCR statement said. Earlier Friday, Somali Information Minister Farhan Ali Mohamoud spoke of at least 103 killed and 18,000 displaced. Yusuf Osman Dhumal was named the new military chief. "He will command the military operations in the capital," Mohamoud also told reporters. The strife-torn seaside capital woke up to an uneasy calm as the Islamist insurgents maintained positions in trenches along streets near the presidential palace...more..http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gtrLb4FZXDLeWXSuYpBMw3wiF-Hw
Islamists linked to al-Qaeda on verge of toppling Somali government
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/5331615/Islamists-linked-to-al-Qaeda-on-verge-of-toppling-Somali-government.html