Twenty-one civilians 'killed by shelling in Mogadishu'

MOGADISHU (AFP) – Artillery shelling and gunfire between African Union troops and Islamist insurgents killed at least 21 civilians in Somalia's capital Mogadishu Wednesday, witnesses and medical sources said.

Most were killed in Bakara, Mogadishu's biggest market, when African Union troops started shelling the area after an explosive device hit one of their convoys, witnesses said.

"The medical teams got an emergency alert and they rushed to Bakara market where they have collected around 16 dead bodies of civilians who were killed in the shelling," said Ali Muse, head of Mogadishu ambulance service.

Another five civilians were killed in crossfire after a roadside bomb and an ambush hit an African Union convoy, witnesses said.

Muse said at least 46 civilians were injured in the latest violence.