At least
six people were killed and nearly 20 others wounded when unidentified
gunmen attacked the Hararyalleh residential quarter in South
Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday night.
According
to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators of the attack crossed from
North Mogadishu, took the former presidential palace road
and turned on the Wadnaha street before opening an indiscriminate
fire on the unarmed civilians around the mini-khat and fuel
market of Hararyalleh.
The gunmen,
about seven of them, driving a pickup mounted with an anti-
aircraft heavy machine gun, opened fire in every direction
before escaping unhurt into the darkness along the road of
Hirtah.
There
had been no resistance or return of fire against the attackers
during the operation even though Hararyalleh area is one of
the pockets of land in Mogadishu controlled by the Islamic
courts.
The reason
for the attack is not officially disclosed. However, most
of the local people pointed the finger of blame on Bashir
Rageh Shirar, a well- known Warsangeli sub-clan businessman
living in North Mogadishu.
One of
the eyewitnesses even said that he recognized the vehicle
and the driver of Shirar personally during the attack.
Shirar
has reportedly carried out the attack in response to an earlier
assault against one of his vehicles in Hararyalleh area two
days ago in which one of his men was killed and two others
wounded.
The gunmen
who attacked Shirar's vehicle have claimed that the vehicle
was looted from their clan during heavy clannish fighting
in Medina area five years ago.
However,
when contacted last night, Shirar distanced himself from being
involved in the attack in Hararyalleh, stressing that all
his fighters were busy at the Issaley airport and a wedding
ceremony in his place Monday night.
The insecurity
and banditry-related attacks have been on the increase in
the past 10 days.
However,
attacking crowds of civilians on clan-related animosity has
long been forgotten in Mogadishu since the Cairo peace deal
was signed three years ago when all of the green lines that
divided the capital were abolished.
Following
the massacre, more than one hundred people took to the streets
of the Hararyalleh residential quarter Tuesday morning, shouting
words against the Islamic court responsible for the security
in the area.
They demanded
the Islamic court officials either to guarantee their security
fully or leave them alone to deal with the situation by taking
the law in their hands.
|
