More African Union troops arrive in Mogadishu

With fighting raging on in war-torn Somalia, two planes carrying African Union troops land in the country’s capital Mogadishu.

The planes that landed at the capital’s Aden Adde International airport Tuesday were carrying Burundian and Ugandan troops, government sources told Press TV.

According to the officials, another plane carrying mainly Somali soldiers — trained outside the Horn of Africa — landed in Mogadishu on the same day.

The numbers of soldiers deployed to the capital have yet to be disclosed.

Major Barigye Bahoku, the commander of AU troops in Somalia, has denied the claims that the union has increased its forces on the ground, stressing that any addition to the troops would be made public.

“There are no extra troops deployed in Somalia. If there are any, they would be made public to Somali people and the world,” he has been quoted as saying.

It is not yet clear whether the troops who have arrived in Mogadishu have been redeployed from other areas of Somalia.

AU has some 4,300 troops from Burundi and Uganda, who are guarding key sites including the airport, seaport and the Somali presidential palace, while providing backup to government forces fighting a violent insurgency.

Clashes between government forces and rebel fighters have continued for a second day in parts of the restive seaside capital.

According to eyewitnesses, fighters from the al-Shabaab group attacked government positions, leading to a confrontation that left at least 10 people dead and dozens of others wounded.

The clashes come after Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed claimed Tuesday that his administration had successfully countered a bid by the rebels to topple his government.

Mogadishu has daily been the scene of fierce fighting and attacks since May, when rebel forces launched a major offensive against Ahmed’s government.