More than 1,700 people were killed in violence in crisis-hit Somalia in 2009, a Somali human rights organization reported Friday, according to dpa. Most of the victims of the conflict between troops of the transitional government and radical Islamist militias have been civilians, Radio Garowe reported, citing the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre. Around 5,000 people in 2009 were wounded by grenade fragments and bullets. The number of victims however lies substantially lower than the 8,000 killed in 2008. Somalia has not had a functioning government since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The radical Islamist al-Shabaab militia, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, controls large sections of the country including the capital Mogadishu. A spokesman for the militia speaking on Friday to Radio Shabelle said hundreds of new fighters were being trained to fight the transitional government and African Union peacekeeping troops.
