Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 6, 1993 TAG: 9301060189
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: From wire reports
DATELINE: MOGADISHU, SOMALIA LENGTH: Medium
MARINES SHOOT SOMALI; CLANS TALK
A U.S. Marine sniper shot a Somali gunman Tuesday after his patrol came under fire during a skirmish between Somali gangs, an American spokesman said.In other developments Tuesday:
Clan leaders at a U.N. peace gathering agreed only to extend their talks.
A Somali driver for The Associated Press was fatally wounded in Mogadishu's main food market.
In the most precise timetable yet offered, a senior U.S. official predicted American troops will be able to transfer most of the responsibility for securing Somali relief to the United Nations in about six weeks.
U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, expressing confidence that a workable peace process has been initiated for Somalia, said he expects a transition from the U.S.-led military force to U.N. peace-keepers to take place by spring.
Marine Col. Fred Peck, spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition, described the shooting incident, in which the Marine believed he killed the gunman. No body was recovered and none of the Americans was hurt.
Peck said that about midday, 45 Marines set out to chase gunmen from a building from which they were shooting at U.S. forces. About five fled the building and the Marines chased them. Another Somali gang began trading fire with the gunmen and some of the bullets came toward the Marines, Peck said. The Marine sniper returned fire, hitting one gunman.
At the U.N. meeting, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, shouting came from behind the closed doors. The 14 clan leaders agreed to extend the gathering for another day, but the largest meeting of Somali leaders since the nation disintegrated into a cycle of clan warfare and famine failed to approve ground rules for a proposed national reconciliation conference.
Such an agreement was the main goal of the Addis Ababa gathering, which hopes to stem the effects of a war and drought that has killed more than 350,000 people the past year.