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Somalia mine kills 5 children

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From the Associated Press

Five children who stopped to play with a land mine on the way to Friday prayers died when one threw the device against a wall.

The deaths of the children, ages 7 to 12, were shocking even in this bloodstained capital, where civilians often fall victim to roadside bombs, assassination attempts and gun battles.

The mine exploded in the Hurwa district, a hotbed of support for the Islamic Courts Union, which ruled Mogadishu for six months last year before being pushed out by Ethiopian and Somalian government troops in December.

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Mines kill or wound more than 20,000 people annually worldwide, according to the United Nations.

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