Tension high in Somalia as 22 are killed

MOGADISHU, Thursday  Clan elders and other peace advocates are trying to defuse tension at settlements in Mudug region in Central Somalia after a war broke out between two militias at Amara and Ba’adweyn villages, 660 km north of Mogadishu.The clashes that took place early Wednesday and continued for most of the day left 22 persons dead and many more wounded. Although most of the casualties were combatants from the clan militias, four unarmed civilians have also been affected, according to area residents.The dispute originates from territorial and resource control in semi-arid area. Villagers and pastoralists told The Nation that the confrontations have so far left over 100 dead, scores of injuries and displaced many villagers and nomads.Meanwhile, fighters and loyalists of al Shabaab, the radical Islamist movement opposing the TFG, continued destroying religious shrines and tombs containing remains of Sheiks in Mogadishu.In a campaign that has entered in its second week, Al-Shabaab militants have destroyed over two dozen tombs in central and northern suburbs of Mogadishu.According to Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, al Shabaab’s boss in Mogadishu, the destruction of shrines will continue.Moderate Islamists in the Somali capital staged a demonstration against al Shabaab, vowing to fight the radical group.