AU probes death of 6 civilians in Somalia

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Tuesday that it has launched investigations into the killing of six civilians in separate incidents in Qoryooley and Marka in southern Somalia over the weekend.

The AU said initial reports established that AMISOM troops came under mortar attack by suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists hiding in the neighborhood on Saturday night.

This, AMISOM said, was after the troops on patrol noticed an unusual movement of vehicles in the night, believed to have been ferrying Al-Shabaab fighters.

"The movement of vehicles prompted AMISOM troops to set up a roadblock to thwart attacks by Al-Shabaab militants. A minibus approaching the roadblock was ordered to stop but the driver defied the order and reversed the vehicle in haste, forcing our troops to shoot, killing six people in the minibus," the statement said.

The AU mission said there is an agreement in place between the local administration and AMISOM banning movement of vehicles in the area after 19:00 to minimize terrorist attacks in the night, which had become frequent, killing innocent civilians.

The AU mission said the AMISOM convoy en-route to Mogadishu was ambushed by Al-Shabaab militants after it hit an improvised explosive device (IED) on the same evening near Buffow.

"Our troops fought off the attackers and managed to arrest one of the fighters. By the time AMISOM left the area, no civilian casualty had occurred," it said, noting that the AU mission operates under the international human rights law and takes civilian casualties seriously.

According to AMISOM, all allegations made against its personnel are thoroughly investigated and action taken under the rules and procedures governing the mission's operation in Somalia.

The mission has over 22,000 peacekeepers supporting the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia and AMISOM said their commitment to this noble goal will not be derailed by the selfish acts of a few of its members.

source: Xinhua