There were concerns that fighting in such a crowded area, known as the Afgoye corridor, could lead to ordinary people being caught up in the conflict, or Islamist fighters melting into the local population.
“At this stage, we have no reports of significant movements of people from the corridor,” said Mark Bowden, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.
“However, I remain concerned that an escalation of hostilities or a prolonged operation could lead to displacement, further straining the capacity of settlements and host communities in Mogadishu or driving people away from the life-saving help they require.”
Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti, AMISOM’s Force Commander, said that the attack had been “designed to minimise the harm to the population”.
“During this joint operation AMISOM is taking every precaution to prevent harm or injury to civilians,” he said.
Abdisamad Moalim Mohamoud, Somalia’s interior minister, said that government forces had made “a great achievement” during the first day of the offensive, taking the towns of Garasbaley and Daynile from al-Shabaab.
But Islamist commander Sheikh Fuad Mohamed Khalaf told Mogadishu’s Radio Al Andalus that “the crusade forces and their Somali puppets launched an offensive, they were pushed back, they were given a lesson enough”.
Reports that al-Shabaab had killed senior AU officers and Western military advisers could not immediately be verified.
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