BBC NEWS Hunt for insurgents in Mogadishu Somali government troops and Ethiopian forces have closed down Mogadishu's main market to search for insurgents. Soldiers are carrying out door-to-door searches in Bakara - which is a lifeline for the remaining civilians. Military roadblocks are halting fleeing civilians from leaving and large areas of the capital are almost deserted. At least 80 people are thought to have been killed in the recent fighting. The Somali government has also closed a leading independent radio station. Security personnel raided Radio Shabelle on Monday saying were acting on orders from their superiors. A DISPLACED LIFE My children did not die but children all around us were dying Khatija, 25, mother of three, Mogadishu The station has been closed a number of times and last month the acting manager was killed by unknown gunmen. Bakara market has been the hub of commercial activities in Somalia since the fall of Siad Barre 16 years ago. But government forces say the market is a hideout for insurgents responsible for attacks against its troops. "The operation will continue for a week," said Mogadishu's mayor Mohamed Omar Habeb. Hospital crisis Mogadishu has seen a rise in violence since Ethiopian-backed government troops ousted Islamists last December. On Sunday, insurgents fired mortar rounds at the presidential palace in Mogadishu prompting an artillery duel with government forces. AFRICA HAVE YOUR SAY Ethiopia should pull out its troops before it is too late, they are part of the problem not part of the solution Mustafa, Leicester The UN says 100,000 people have left in the last two weeks to escape the clashes. Mogadishu's hospitals are packed with wounded and refugees from the fighting, and are reported to be running low on supplies of food and water. The International Red Cross and Crescent (ICRC) says some 300 people are being treated at Medina and Keyseny hospitals in the capital, but warn many are unable to reach hospitals because of the insecurity. ICRC spokesman Pedram Yadzi said the number has exceeded capacity and staff have erected makeshift tents to accommodate the wounded. The ICRC spokesman said most of the injured suffered bullet and shrapnel wounds. "Surgical operations on war victims do not stop, they are continuous from morning to night," Mr Yadzi told BBC News after a weekend tour of Mogadishu. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in Somalia. "Overall, 1.5m people are in need of humanitarian assistance, a 50% increase since the beginning of the year," he said on Friday. Earlier, he said a UN force would not be viable and that other options should be considered, including a multi-national force or what he calls a "coalition of the willing". The African Union did agree to send 8,000 peacekeepers to Somalia this year but only 1,600 Ugandan troops have actually made it. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/africa/7090225.stm Published: 2007/11/12 12:37:17 GMT C BBC MMVII . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=11648958/grpspId=1705447214/msgI d=47919/stime=1194889101/nc1=3848621/nc2=3848644/nc3=4763757> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
