Photo/Somali Times
Somali police spokesman Sadiq Aden Ali gave more details about the clashes that took place today in the Jazeera beach on the outskirts of Mogadishu between Somali government forces and a militia group he described as bandits.
The spokesman said residents had been informed that there was a gang of thugs who were harassing commuters, so troops went to deal with it. He said there were casualties on both sides, but declined to comment on the number of casualties.
He also denied that any military personnel had gone to the scene to fight the government forces who had gone there to deal with the gang as he put it. “I do not know of any military forces that have fought there. The Somali National Army is a force that is respected by the Somali people. It was fought against groups that were manning checkpoints, not military forces,” he said.
Finally, a police spokesman said that the battlefields are now occupied by the Somali Police Force who are fighting against groups he described as bandits.