10 dead as residents in 1 Somali town resist al-Shabab taxes
MOGADISHU -- A resident says clashes between the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab and villagers in a central Somali town have left 10 people dead and dozens wounded.
Ahmed Mohamed said the clashes erupted Monday after al-Shabab fighters who control the port town of Harardhere ordered nomadic villagers to pay a tax.
He said the residents, who have lost hundreds of animals from the current drought, dismissed the demand, leading to fighting between the two sides.
He said six militants and four residents have been killed in the ongoing fighting.
Civilians have rarely resisted al-Shabab, which carries out executions to impose its authority.
It was not possible to get a comment from al-Shabab, which seeks to establish a strict Islamic emirate in Somalia and is waging an insurgency against the weak UN-backed government.
