Mogadishu: Mortar shells slammed into a busy market in Somalia's capital, killing at least 17 people as humanitarian agencies appealed to the international community to help the country's desperate population.

Also yesterday, a remote-controlled land mine killed a Somali driver and wounded two aid workers, an Italian and a Somali, in the port town of Merka, some 95 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu.

The aid workers injuries were not critical, said Dr Abdi Rahman of Merka Hospital, who treated the men.

Witnesses said the yesterday s fighting in Mogadishu killed at least 17 people, including a 13-year-old. The fighting started when insurgents fired mortars at the presidential palace but missed, military spokesman Dahir Hersi said.

Al-Shabab, a radical group on the US list of terrorist organisations, claimed responsibility for the attack. Mortar shells then slammed into the bustling Bakara Market, where people can buy everything from packets of rice and sugar to grenades and AK-47s.

The government suspects insurgents use the market as a base and it often comes under attack.

A joint statement from 52 aid organisations said "the international community has completely failed Somali civilians," appealing for all warring sides to allow aid workers unhindered access.

"The poorest of Mogadishu's residents have no means to flee the extreme violence and have limited means to earn a living, leaving them completely dependent on humanitarian assistance," the statement said.
Source : PTI