Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble on Saturday ordered investigations into the deaths of seven civilians reportedly killed by the African Union troops during a counter-offensive in Golweyn, the southern part of the country.
The prime minister’s spokesman Mohamed Moalimuu said Roble has formed a ministerial committee to probe reports of civilian killing by AMISOM forces on Aug. 10.
Moalimuu said the prime minister on Saturday held talks with Ugandan Ambassador to Somalia Nathan Mugisha in Mogadishu on the incident. “Prime Minister said punitive action should be taken against those involved,” Moalimuu said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
AMISOM had issued a statement on Aug. 11, saying its forces killed seven al-Shabab terrorists while others sustained injuries during the counter-offensive.
The AU mission said the terrorists were killed after the militants ambushed the Ugandan troops while on a routine patrol to secure the main supply routes between Beldamin-Golweyn forward operating bases in southern Somalia.
However, the residents said the AMISOM forces killed seven civilians and not al-Shabab militants, prompting the AU mission to launch a probe into the incident on Aug. 12.
The families of the victims have reportedly been holding demonstrations in the streets in Mogadishu for the last three days to protest the killing.
