Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The overnight killing occurred when heavily-armed insurgents attacked a police station in northern Mogadishu’s Huriwa neighbourhood, sparking a gunbattle.
"We came under attack at about midnight (2100 GMT) from insurgents armed with machine-guns and rocket propelled grenades," Abdi Indho, a police officer, told AFP.
"They killed one policeman and injured three others after we exchanged gunfire for about seven minutes," he added.
"It is not the first time. This is something that happens often and we expect such attacks at any moment, because insurgents are everywhere hunting for government officials."
Somali government forces, backed by Ethiopian troops, quelled an Islamist insurgency in April after months of bloody fighting.
Mogadishu has since witnessed sporadic violence, including guerrilla-style attacks against government officials.
Last week, a United Nations-backed peace conference bringing together feuding Somali factions was postponed for the third time to July 15 owing to insecurity and lack of funds.
Somalia plunged into lawlessness with the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and more than a dozen attempts to restore central authority have since failed.
Source: AFP, June 19, 2007