"Report cites civilian deaths in Somalia" by Associated Press / November 25, 2010
MOGADISHU, Somalia — The only ambulance service in war-torn Mogadishu said yesterday that more than 4,200 bystanders have died in warfare in the past two years, and a US group that works to prevent civilian deaths said Somalia is more dangerous for civilians than Afghanistan or Iraq.
The seaside capital sees frequent barrages of mortars, rockets, and artillery shells fired between Islamist insurgents like al-Shabab and progovernment forces who protect the sliver of land controlled by the UN- and US-backed Somali government.
The head of the city’s ambulance service said progovernment forces from the African Union and Somali troops are to blame for the majority of the civilian deaths....
Human rights groups and Mogadishu residents have repeatedly accused the African Union of indiscriminately targeting populated areas of the city with artillery fire after insurgents fire mortars toward AU troops.
The executive director of CIVIC, the US-based Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, said civilians bear the brunt of war in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. But she said Somalia may be the most dangerous because neither side abides by obligations under international law to avoid civilian casualties.
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