13 killed as Somali soldiers, AU forces attack insurgents' area

IT was a sad 66th anniversary for Somali police authorities yesterday when Islamic militants fired mortars into the Mogadishu's police compound, sparking a battle that killed no fewer than 12 civilians and a police officer, agency reports claimed.

In the ensuing battle, one police officer was killed and three others were wounded after the mortar landed near the compound during the ceremony, a police official, Aden Ahmed, told Associated Press (AP).

He said that government soldiers and the African Union forces returned fire, shelling Mogadishu's rebel-controlled district. Most of the shelling hit near the Bakara market, a busy shopping area, Ahmed said.