Somalia: 8 killed, 17 wounded in weekend skirmish between insurgents and troops in Mogadishu

8 people killed in shelling in Somalia’s capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali official says eight people were killed in weekend skirmishes between insurgents and troops in the capital.

Mogadishu ambulance service chief Ali Muse says five people died and seven were wounded late Saturday. A witness saw three more wounded people. Muse says three died and seven were wounded Sunday when mortars hit a market. He says most of the dead were civilians.

The news came as African leaders discussed Somalia’s conflict at an African Union summit. Somalia became a focus of the summit after 76 people were killed two weeks ago in twin bombings in Uganda. Somali militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Islamic insurgents control much of Mogadishu and have been trying to topple the fragile government for three years.