Southern Port Town of Kismaio in Somalia Remains VolatileThe men of General Mohamed Saeed Hirsi Morgan who has been ousted from the town of Kismaio in Somalia have collided head-on outside Bu'aleh district, some 290 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Mogadishu, with militias from the Jubba Valley Alliance that controls Kismaio.Although Morgan has been ousted from the town, 500 kilometers South of Mogadishu, some three years ago, he still has mind stuck on trying to regain control of the town which made the situation there volatile. The fighting took place Wednesday afternoon in the middle of Dinsor and Bu'aleh districts where Morgan's men have found themselves a temporary base. According to the reports reaching here Thursday, the two sides using more than 30 battle wagons and over 400 heavily armed men have fought bitterly and the thunderous noise of the heavy exchange of the gunfire could be heard from around the villages in the area. There are no exact casualty figures available at this stage, however a radio operator in the field who does not want to be identified told Xinhua that nine combat militias have died altogether. Six these men have died from the side of General Morgan, the VHF radio operator said. Likewise, over 21 others, all combat militias from both sides, have also been wounded during the fighting. Most of the wounded including one military official belong to the Jubba Valley Alliance. As the fighting continued for a while, the forces of General Morgan have been forced to withdraw back a few kilometers. Eyewitnesses reported to have seen one battle wagon neutralized by a landmine during the fighting. They said the battle wagon destroyed by the landmine belongs to the Jubba Valley Alliance which consists of Marehan and Habar Gidir clans. According to the militiamen loyal to the Jubba Valley Alliance, they have captured two battle wagons from the side of Morgan. It is reported that General Morgan's men have been regrouping in Dinsor district. Both sides have asked for reinforcement militias from the respective bases they have left some three days ago. Since the downfall of the late regime more than 10 years ago, Kismaio town has been a focal point for clannish fighting between the nomadic clans of Majerten, Marehan and Habar Gidir. All three clans descend from the central regions of Somalia where the land is semi-barren and life is difficult. The very fertile regions of Lower and Middle Jubba regions and Lower Shabelleh region have been very well sought by these three clans, while the indigenous communities of those regions are unarmed farmers who have nothing to do politics. |
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