6 Somali civilians die in fighting between gov’t forces and insurgents in Mogadishu

6 Somalis die in battle between gov’t, insurgents

MOGADISHU, Somalia — An emergency official in the Somali capital says six civilians were killed after being caught in a battle between government forces and Islamist insurgents.

The head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service, Ali Muse, says at least 21 other civilians were wounded in Thursday’s fighting.

Radio Mogadishu, the state-run radio station, reported that President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed visited the front lines. The station’s website showed him standing near sandbags while wearing army fatigues.

Somalia’s weak, U.N.-backed government is battling an Islamist insurgency that controls much of the country’s south and center. Somalia has not had a functioning government in nearly 20 years.