Not far from the southwestern periphery of the Somalia federal capital, Mogadishu, armed militias engaged security forces resulting in the confirmed death of five combatants on both sides.
The armed skirmish between the two sides, reports said, started when federal forces attempted to stop the militias smuggling Kat – a mild, leafy narcotic which abundantly grows in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The smugglers, government sources contended, we5e bringing a consignment of the narcotic from Kenya by sea.
Since Somalia has completely ‘severed’ relations with Kenya over ten days ago, everything Kenyan was not welcome in the international community-propped, war-torn country.
Jazeera beach – the place where the two armed groups clashed – was not that far from the heavily-guarded Halane AMISOM basecamp which housed all of the offices of the UN, INGOs EU, and foreign embassies present in Mogadishu.
This is, according to reports, the umpteenth time armed militias reigning supreme in areas in and outside the capital have physically engaged Somalia security forces who, themselves, often fight among themselves, too.
The latest clash between Somalia security forces happened also the same day, today, in the Kaaraan district of Mogadishu itself.
At least two police officers lost their lives after an army unit mounted an attack on Kaaraan police station.
Kaaraan and Yaqshid districts of the capital have seen a number of clashes within the past seven days which started with an armed engagement between two army units over illegal proceeds collected from vehicles going through a checkpoint commanding one of the in-and-out main roads in northern Mogadishu.
The situation in the northern districts of the city took an ugly turn following civilian demonstrations decrying the leadership of President Farmajo in retaliation of which security forces started making nocturnal raids and arrests of participants.
