28 die in central Somalia clashes

Over 15 Somali soldiers died on Saturday morning after skirmishes broke out in Baladweyn town, the capital of the Hiran region and a strategic central town that lies some 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.

At least 13 civilians lost their lives and many more sustained injuries when Somali government soldiers and al-Shabab fighters exchanged heavy gunfire, and barrages of mortar shells were fired.