MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s warring sides pounded the capital with mortar rounds and gunfire Monday, killing 30 people — including a family of seven — as Islamic insurgents who want to topple the government gain significant power.
Monday’s fighting pitted insurgents against government forces and their Ethiopian allies, who come under regular attack in Mogadishu, one of the most violent cities in the world. The violence left bodies in city streets.
Islamic militants with ties to al-Qaeda have been fighting the government and its Ethiopian allies for control since their combined forces pushed the Islamists from the capital in December 2006. Within weeks of being driven out, the Islamists launched an Iraq- style insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians to date.
