Aid group: Shelling in Somali capital injures 89 civilians, mostly women and children
By APWednesday, February 3, 2010
Aid group: Armed forces shelling Somali civilians
NAIROBI, Kenya — An aid agency spokeswoman says indiscriminate shelling into residential areas of the Somali capital wounded 89 civilians in three days.
Axelle de la Motte St. Pierre says 30 of the wounded are children under 14 years old and 36 are women. Some lost limbs and others needed stitches for deep lacerations.
St. Pierre heads the Somali program for Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders. She said Wednesday so many patients arrived at Daynile Hospital between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2 that some of the wounded had to be treated in tents.
Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has seen an upsurge in fighting between African Union peacekeepers, government forces and Islamist insurgents in recent weeks. All sides have used mortars in the city.
