Somalia Launches Offensive Against Militants

Somali and African Union troops launched a long-promised battle Thursday against an al-Qaeda backed group in the capital, Mogadishu, seeking to push back Islamic militants that have left the government all but powerless to rule the chaotic eastern African country.
In fighting that began early Thursday morning, 16 people died and 45 were wounded in the neighborhood of Karan, in the north of Mogadishu, hospital and ambulance workers said.
Government troops, backed by a force of some 5,000 African Union peacekeepers, attempted to seize positions from the militants, who control most of the country apart from a small, government-controlled slice of Mogadishu. Government troops seized positions during hours of fierce fighting between sides armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and other arms and missiles, residents of Karan said by telephone.
On Thursday evening, residents said, militants pushed the troops back to their bases. They said the death toll was likely to rise citywide, with some residents believed killed when mortars that landed on their homes.
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