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Heavy Armed Confrontation Breaks out in Southern Somalia
An expecting heavy armed confrontation broke out on Monday between the Jubba Valley Alliance and the Ethiopian-backed Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council (SRRC) in and outside the southern port town of Kismaio, 500 kilometers south of Mogadishu.
According to independent sources, the fighting broke out early Monday morning from the southern outskirts of Kismaio town, just a day after the Jubba Valley Alliance achieved what they called a sweep victory against the SRRC outside the strategic town of Jilib, some 150 kilometer north of Kismaio.
So far no official fatalities have been established, with witnesses in the town estimating that at least 18 people were killed and dozens others wounded
Kismaio, the third largest city in Somalia, is significant in terms of its wealth in the agriculture, livestock and marine resources. Whoever controls Kismaio will have a significant say in the power sharing of Somalia.
Meanwhile, Bassaso, a port town in northeastern Somalia Monday remained calm after a fierce fighting broke out Sunday between the supporters of Judge Yussuf Hajji Nur and the troops of his rival Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed.
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