Hundreds of civilians wounded in Somali fighting

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hundreds of civilians have been wounded in fighting in the Somali capital between Ethiopian-backed government forces and Islamic insurgents, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday. More than 430 people, the vast majority of them civilians, have been admitted to hospitals since January, when government and Ethiopian forces drove out a ruling Islamic group, said Pascal Hundt, the head of the ICRC Somali delegation. This month alone 200 wounded have been brought in, including at least 30 women and 24 children. "It is a war zone," Hundt told The Associated Press as more wounded were taken to hospitals after another night of violence in which at least 10 people were killed. The fighting is the heaviest seen in this violent city in a year, he added.