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Somalia: Troops Lay Siege to Bakara Market, 3 Killed
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Garowe Online (Garowe)
19 February 2008
Posted to the web 20 February 2008
Garowe
Hundreds of Somali and Ethiopian government troops were deployed at major intersections leading into Somalia's largest marketplace Tuesday, a day after three policemen were killed manning a checkpoint near the market.
The hours-long search operation began early in the morning when soldiers backed by armored vehicles including tanks closed off two intersections leading into Bakara market, witnesses said.
Some of the Somali soldiers went inside the market and were searching through select businesses, looking for weapons and explosives.
Bakara traders and customers alike were not allowed into the market during the military operation.
Soldiers detained at least a dozen people for questioning, including a member of the self-styled Hawiye Council recently released by the interim government.
Ahmed Ali Gess was arrested at his residence near the market today, according to a spokesman for the Hawiye Council. Government officials have often accused the pair of being unrepresentative of the Hawiye clan-family, the most dominant clan in Mogadishu.
Gess and clan elder Ahmed Dirie were released in January after spending nearly three months in a Baidoa jail.
According to a police source, some of the detainees were later released, but a number of people were taken to police headquarters for further investigation.
The bodies of three civilians were also found in the market after the troops withdrew this afternoon, witnesses said.
Conflicting reports emerged from their cause of the death, with unconfirmed reports saying soldiers gunned down the civilians.
Ali "Dheere" Mohamed, chairman of the Bakara business council, said government soldiers raided his home near the market but he escaped unharmed.
He accused some soldiers of robbing Bakara shops and of other unspecified damages to storefronts.
But Mogadishu Mayor Mohamed "Dheere" Omar distanced government security forces from the robbery allegations and launched his own counter-accusations against the Bakara business council.
Bakara traders were "directly involved" in yesterday's deadly gun battle at Howlwadaag intersection between insurgents and police, Mayor Mohamed Dheere said.
The mayor, who is also the governor of Banadir region, said Bakara traders had unified their ranks with Islamist fighters, who form the core of the Mogadishu insurgency.
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The Somali government's Ethiopian-backed attempt to restore national order has faced armed resistance since January 2007 when Mogadishu's Islamist rulers were overthrown.
It is estimated that upwards of 6,000 people have been killed during the ongoing insurgency, which is now in its 14th consecutive month.
Residents say whole sections of Mogadishu have been transformed into ghost towns as Somali-Ethiopian forces continue the elusive hunt for rebels.
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