UN condemns civilian deaths in Somali clash

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations on Tuesday urged Somali troops, African Union peacekeepers and Islamist militants not to indiscriminately shell densely populated areas of the capital Mogadishu.
Thousands of civilians have been killed in fighting between the Western-backed Somali government and Islamist rebels in the last several years in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been mired in civil war since the ousting of a dictator in 1991.
The death toll from the latest bout of violence on Monday rose to at least 26, a rights group said, with scores wounded.
"These are clear violations of the law of war," Mark Bowden, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, said.
"I am deeply disturbed by the plight of civilians in Mogadishu, who are caught amidst the warring parties," he said.
Monday's fighting saw shelling by insurgents, triggering return volleys of artillery from the A.U.-backed Somali forces. A school, a crowded market, a U.N. compound as well as residential areas were hit, the United Nations said.
Al Shabaab rebels, who profess loyalty to al Qaeda, have been fighting Somalia's government since 2007 and Western powers say the anarchic nation is a breeding ground for extremism.
The U.N. World Health Organisation (WHO) said that medics in Mogadishu's hospitals were being overwhelmed by casualties.   Continued...