| An ambush on African Union peacekeeping troops in the Somali capital left 12 civilians dead, according to a new toll given on Thursday by witnesses and victims’ families. The toll was revealed as more Ugandan troops arrived at the heavily-fortified Mogadishu airport, part of the AU contingent which is to eventually reach around 8,000. Deputy Defence Minister Salad Ali Jelle confirmed that no AU peacekeepers had been wounded or killed in the gunfight on Wednesday sparked by an ambush at a notorious junction near the airport. Initial reports said two civilians had died in the crossfire. However, residents on Thursday discovered the charred bodies of four people who were killed in a nearby hotel restaurant. “One of them was eating, two were employees, and one was a man who has taken shelter in the hotel” said Amina Mohamen, one of the owners. Three more bodies lay on the roundabout of the junction, known as the K4. Two others died as they waited for a bus nearby. |