At least 27 killed in Somalia clashes

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least 27 people were killed in a third day of fighting between pro-government militias and the al Shabaab rebel group in central Somalia, witnesses and a rights group said on Tuesday.
Al Shabaab, branded by Washington as an al Qaeda proxy in the region, wants to enforce a strict version of Islamic sharia law in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation that has had no functional central government since 1991.Its fighters and those of the government-friendly Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca militia, which advocates a more moderate version of Islam, clashed in Wabho, Warhole and Baladwayne in central Somalia.
"At least 14 people died and 32 others were injured in Warhole. Most of the casualties are fighters from both groups," Ali Yasin Geddi, the vice chairman of Elman peace and human rights, told Reuters.
"So far 250 families, mostly pastoralists, have fled and there is fear fighting might spread to other areas."
Since the beginning of 2007, clashes have at least killed 19,000 Somalis and displaced 1.5 million people. Western security agencies say Islamist militants, including foreign jihadis, have found safe haven amid the chaos.Residents say the fighting in Warhole started on Monday and continued in Wabho where al Shabaab fighters retreated."Armed Ahlu Sunna vehicles took over Warhole yesterday afternoon and their fighters are on the streets," resident Farhan Ali told Reuters by telephone.  Continued...