10 dead as residents in 1 Somali town resist al-Shabab taxes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A resident says clashes between the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab and villagers in a central Somali town have left 10 people dead and dozens wounded.
Ahmed Mohamed said the clashes erupted Monday after al-Shabab fighters who control the port town of Harardhere ordered nomadic villagers to pay a tax.
He said the residents, who have lost hundreds of animals from the current drought, dismissed the demand, leading to fighting between the two sides.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said six militants and four residents have been killed in the ongoing fighting.
Civilians have rarely resisted al-Shabab, which carries out executions to impose its authority.
It was not possible to get a comment from al-Shabab, which seeks to establish a strict Islamic emirate in Somalia and is waging an insurgency against the weak U.N.-backed government.