22 Killed in Clan Battle in Somalia

Heavily armed groups from rival clans clashed Saturday in some of the worst violence in Somalia’s capital in months, killing 22 people and seriously wounding 25, health workers and witnesses said.

Using assault rifles, antiaircraft guns and antitank weapons, fighters loyal to faction leader Muse Sudi Yalahow battled gunmen from a clan that supports the transitional government formed last year after a decade of chaos and violence.

The fighting was focused on a market in the Sana neighborhood of Mogadishu.

Stray antitank rounds also fell outside Sana.

It was not immediately clear what set off the violence, but Yalahow’s men reportedly were angered because residents of Sana appeared to be supporting the new government, which Yalahow opposes.