At least 17 people have been killed in Somalia after fighting broke out between Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab and clan militias in the country’s central semi-autonomous region of Galmudug, residents and the group said on Thursday.
Somalia’s state-run Radio Muqdisho reported on its website on Thursday that the fighting in the Haradheere area, which started on Wednesday, had been triggered by alleged al Shabaab conscription of teenagers into their ranks.
The militant group has controlled the port district for years, but has repeatedly clashed with local clan militias over a range of disputes.
“Al Shabaab asked for teenagers to be recruited,” the radio reported. A tax called zakat being imposed by al Shabaab had also stoked anger among the residents and militias, it added.
The Horn of African country has been dogged by lawlessness and conflict since 1991 when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown.
Al-Shabaab has been in the war with an aim of toppling the government and instill an extreme jihadist system of governance.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others, also crippling the country’s development.
