Mogadishu: At least 17 civilians were
killed on Tuesday when a Somali government soldier fired on a crowd
in Mogadishu, according to hospital sources and witnesses.
Witnesses said the soldier accidentally triggered an
anti-aircraft machine gun after a dispute with other soldiers
on a crowded street in the south of the Somali capital.
It is unclear what caused the dispute among the
soldiers.
"There was a disaster in Mogadishu today. We have
received around 56 injured people, 12 dead bodies and five
others died of their injuries at the hospital," Mohamed Yusuf,
the director of Mogadishu's Madina hospital, told reporters.
Defence Minister Abdihakin Mohamed Fiqi expressed
regret over the incident and promised government assistance to
the wounded.
"On behalf of the Somali government, the president,
his prime minister and the speaker, we are very sorry about
the sad incident..," Fiqi said at the hospital.
"We will help the wounded and promise to bring those
behind the brutal killing to justice," he added.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 01, 2011, 11:32