MOGADISHU, Somalia — Officials and witnesses say at least 13 people were killed in heavy clashes between armed groups fighting for control of villages in central Somalia.
The fighting erupted when a government-allied militia attacked Wardhumale village Saturday. The clashes continued Sunday.
Wardhumale resident Abdi Fatah Ali said Sunday he saw ten bodies in the village.
A man in neighboring Elgod village, Abdulkadir, said he saw three bodies.
The residents said the Islamist militia al-Shabab abandoned Wardhumale village, leaving the government-allied Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama militia in charge.
Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama is a Sufi clan-based militia. It says the insurgents are practicing a brand of Islam foreign to Somalia.
Somalia has been a failed state for nearly 20 years.
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