At least 16 people killed in battles in Mogadishu: reports

At least 16 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in the exchange of fire between insurgents and Somali government forces in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday, according to agencies' reports.

The reports quoted medical sources as saying that it was the result of the heavy shelling and artillery fire on Bakara Market and surrounding areas in Mogadishu.

The development came at the same day when the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that funding shortfalls may threaten the humanitarian assistance activities in Somalia.

The UNICEF said in a statement received in Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday that the funding is urgently needed for roughly 3.6 million people in Somalia, including 1.4 million affected by severe drought and about 1.5 million displaced primarily by conflict.

UNICEF officials are concerned that the current situation in Somalia will have lasting consequences on Somali society.

Somalia has had no strong central government since the ouster of former ruler Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991. It has been mired in deadly civil conflicts for the past two decades.

The internationally recognized government is struggling to assert its authority in the face of two-year Islamist insurgency.

Rebels control much of southern and central Somalia while the Somali government backed by African Union peacekeeping forces runs small part of the chaotic coastal city of Mogadishu.

Source: Xinhua