MOGADISHU (Reuters) - An exchange of mortar shells between Somali government forces and rebels killed at least nine civilians and injured 14 others, a human rights group said on Monday. The clashes started late Sunday and continued Monday morning, the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization said. "These casualties are from the overnight shelling. We are still monitoring Monday's casualties ...

Top Somali officials are threatening to begin a military offensive against Islamist insurgents but critics — some of them demoralized soldiers — say a lack of equipment, funds and training put any ultimate success into doubt. The offensive has been planned for months and has been postponed repeatedly, but ...

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates released the cargo ship MV Filitsa on Monday after a ransom was delivered and the crew are safe, a regional maritime official and pirate sources said. A pirate on board the vessel told Reuters earlier they were expecting to receive $3 million for the Marshall Islands-flagged 23,709 dwt cargo ship, which was seized in ...

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's hardline al Shabaab insurgents have agreed to join forces with a smaller southern militia and both groups professed their loyalty to al Qaeda. The failed Horn of Africa state has not had an effective central government for nearly two decades, leading to the rise of warlords, heavily armed criminal gangs and pirates who have been terrorizing ...