Somalia Clashes Kill 17 as Level of Violence Rises

At least 17 people were killed and an unknown number wounded in clashes between rival clans in Somalia, which is fast slipping back into violence and anarchy, U.N. officials said Sunday.

A woman and a child caught in cross-fire were among 10 dead in the southwestern town of Baidoa on Friday. Fighting broke out when members of one group tried to hijack a truck belonging to another, a U.N. official said.

In the southern port of Kismayu on Saturday, seven members of one clan were killed when members of another tried to steal a truck.

Saturday at Marka, 60 miles south of Mogadishu, bandits raided a school, detonated an explosive device and stole money and equipment. U.N. officials said the raid was apparently an attempt by Muslim fanatics to destroy the school, which is administered by Italian Christian missionaries.

After recent attacks on U.N. personnel, U.N. troops have been withdrawn from some outposts and moved into more secure garrisons. The Security Council has said its operation in Somalia will be reviewed if the warlords do not make progress toward forming a government by the end of this month.