Somali gains mixed post-election

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MOGADISHU, Somalia, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the military in Somalia said an attack on civilians by Kenyan forces fighting al-Shabaab was a deliberate act.

Somali military spokesman Adan Mohamed Hirsi told the BBC that Kenyan forces were responsible for the deaths of seven civilians.

"It was a deliberate killing," he was quoted as saying.

Kenyan forces supporting the fledgling Somali government were battling militants near the Somali city of Kismayo, one of the largest areas held by al-Shabaab.

The United Nations estimates at least 10,000 people have fled the area during recent fighting.

Somalia has made political gains in recent weeks following presidential and parliamentary appointments. There hasn't been a viable central government in Somalia since the 1990s.

Unknown gunmen, however, killed parliamentarian Mustafa Haji Maalim last weekend.

Despite the violence, Momahed Moalim, a spokesman for insurgent group Hizbul Islam told the BBC it was ending its ties with al-Shabaab.

The group joined forces with al-Qaida's affiliate in Somalia in 2010. The split was over ideological differences and the spokesman heralded Somalia's political action as a "positive development."