Somali Clash Over U.N. Building Kills 3

Three people were killed and at least 13 wounded Monday when rival Somali clans battled over a building abandoned by a U.N. agency as the world body stepped up preparations to abandon the Horn of Africa nation.

The fight came as U.S. troops arrived in neighboring Kenya to help U.N. personnel evacuate from Somalia after a three-year effort to establish order.

It also came three days after leaders of warring clans told U.S. officials they would guarantee safe passage to a U.S.-led force that will evacuate U.N. troops before March 31.

U.S. officials said if the clan leaders fail to keep their word or are unable to control other militias in Somalia, the multinational force would have the firepower to respond to “any eventuality.”

The U.N. Security Council has set March 31 as its deadline for the withdrawal of the remaining 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers and civilian staff from Somalia, ending a $1-billion-a-year operation that began in December, 1992, and failed to bring peace to the strife-torn country.