13 civilians killed in Mogadishu attack

At least 13 Somalis died yesterday, including 11 in almost simultaneous mortar blasts, as Mogadishu's civilian population continued to bear the brunt of relentless fighting.
"A mortar shell exploded in the midst of a crowded stall, killing six people and wounding five others, some of them seriously," witness Hassan Abdalla Nur told AFP.
Moments later, another shell landed nearby, killing another three people.
"The shell landed in the middle of a crowd and killed three civilians on the spot and seven others seriously wounded," said Beq Omar, a local pharmacist.
Haji Ibrahim, another witness, gave the same death toll and said the victims were torn to shreds by the explosion.
"These incidents were horrific, I have never seen anything like it. The explosion cut people into pieces and splashed blood on the market stalls. We're not sure where the mortar came from," he told AFP.
An AFP correspondent saw a microbus whisking the injured away to hospital. Witnesses said the death toll could yet rise as many of the wounded appeared to be in critical condition.