Somalia war in pictures: worst fighting in 18 years

Within the past week, the western-backed Transitional Government of Somalia has lost its Internal Security Minister, a senior police commander and an ambassador. The three men were killed by Islamist insurgents fighting to topple President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

A Somali fighter firing a heavy machine gun in Mogadishu. Prolonged chaos has left Somalia flooded with weapons.

Somali nationals say the fighting in Mogadishu and other parts of the countryside is the worst since the country plunged into chaos back in 1991. Though Somalis are eager for peace, armed groups are getting financial and military support from international players. This is the reason why fighting in Somalia is so brutal. The guilty parties are: The United States, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Gulf Arab states. Minor players include Egypt, Yemen and Libya.

A Somali teenager taking position during heavy fighting between pro-government forces and Islamist militias. In Somalia, armed groups frequently shift their loyalties making it extremely complicated for foreigners to understand the situation.

Though Kenya supports the Transitional Government, it has not had a major military intervention deep into Somalia. With growing attacks on Somali government officials, Kenyan foreign minister Moses Wetangula said that Kenya will get involved though the depth of involvement has not been clarified.

Bodies of combatants left to rot in the streets. Without a functioning administration, there is nobody to collect and bury the bodies. There are no mortuaries to preserve the bodies.

Needless to say, foreign intervention in Somalia has created more death and misery to a nation that has become synonymous with chaos.

A woman carrying a wounded child to hospital. Civilians have suffered heavy casualties as combatants fire rockets and mortars indiscriminately. Iraq-style roadside bombings and suicide attacks have lately emerged in Somalia. Picture by the Kuwait Times.

Somali citizens using public transport vehicles to flee from the escalation of fighting in the capital of Mogadishu.

A US Airforce AC-130 gunship. The US has used this aircraft in its military intervention in Somalia. The AC-130 is an attack version of the popular C-130 transport aircraft.