Somali President Escapes Insurgent Gunfire

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed yesterday escaped unscathed after insurgent gunmen attacked a road connecting his presidential compound to Mogadishu’s Adde International Airport.

Eyewitnesses say President Ahmed’s convoy was driving towards the airport when the insurgents struck, but he managed to escape and take off safely on his way to an African Union conference in Kampala, Uganda

Some sources have revealed that the clashes left at least 25 civilians dead and 75 others seriously injured.

Mogadishu has experienced intense violence between government forces and Islamist insurgents bent on overthrowing the current UN-backed transitional administration. [CK]