Mortar Attack Kills Somalis
Violent exchanges between insurgents and government forces in Mogadishu have left 12 Somali civilians dead, the BBC reports. Insurgents reportedly fired at least six mortars at the presidential palace, and government troops retaliated by firing back. “Most of the shells landed on deserted houses but three hit places where people stay,” a witness told the BBC. Just in the last several weeks, more than 165,000 Somalis have fled the capital city due to fighting between the government and insurgents. The country, which has been without a stable government since the early 90s, is due to get more African Union peacekeepers, according to the nation’s Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. “We welcome the support of the recent AU heads of states summit in Libya for the government … and we have a firm pledge for the increase of the AU peacekeepers,” he told reporters Sunday. While Mogadishu currently has 4,300 AU peacekeepers, they are not allowed to fight insurgents unless they are defending themselves. However that mandate will be changed, to allow the peacekeepers to “fight along government soldiers,” Sharmarke said.

U.S. Will Give Flu Meds to Caribbean

The United States is set to donate 420,000 packets of Tamiflu to help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean combat the spread of swine flu. As the winter season begins, countries in the region including Argentina, Brazil and Chile are seeing a surge in serious cases of the illness, The New York Times reports. While most cases of the virus are mild, its spread is now unstoppable, Margaret Chan, who leads the World Health Organization, said at a global forum, reports the BBC.