Many killed in Somali clashes

Asha Moalim, a Mogadishu resident, said: “This is the strongest fighting we have seen in recent months.”

A surge of violence in Somalia’s capital since last month has killed about 200 people as Somali fighters battle the interim government and its allies.

The fighters want to topple the Western-backed government. Somalia has had no effective central government for nearly two decades amid widespread tribal power struggles.