Somalia Islamists Begin Mogadishu Offensive; 29 Dead
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At least 29 people died in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as Islamic insurgents began a new offensive against government forces and African Union peacekeepers in the city.
Fighting erupted yesterday and continued today as the two sides exchanged mortar fire and fighters from the rebel al-Shabaab militia fired rocket-propelled grenades, said Ali Muse Sheikh, a paramedic at Nationlink and Lifeline Africa. Most of the bodies collected so far were of women killed in Bakara market in the central Mogadishu, he said in a phone interview.