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Witnesses in the Somali capital Mogadishu say at least 17 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded in violence Monday — but there are conflicting reports about the circumstances.

Medics and witnesses told VOA that Somali government soldiers opened fire on each other outside a local hospital. They say the dispute was linked to the shooting of a police officer by the hospital's armed guards.

Other reports say a government soldier accidentally fired a gun into a crowd.
Most of those hit were civilians. The wounded were taken to Mogadishu's Madina hospital.

Meanwhile, Somali insurgent group al-Shabab has executed a man it accused of spying for U.S. intelligence.

An al-Shabab official says 44-year-old Ahmed Ali Hussein was killed by a firing squad in Mogadishu on Sunday.

Somalia's capital has endured years of violence and chaos, as insurgents try to overthrow the U.N.-backed Somali government.

The government controls only portions of the capital with the help of African Union peacekeepers.

Al-Shabab has carried out other executions in the past, in addition to whippings and amputations, as it tries to enforce its strict view of Islamic law.

Article by VOA News