MOGADISHU, March 7 (Xinhua) -- At least two children were killed and more than 18,000 people displaced in central Somalia following two weeks of military offensives against al-Shabab by allied forces, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Thursday.
The UNHCR said that seven children have been separated from their caregivers or families and many people were injured following the Feb. 11-27 military operations against al-Shabab militants in several villages in the Harardhere district of the Mudug region.
"As of Feb. 27, two deaths, along with the injury of two children and many people from the same community, were reported to (UNHCR-led) Protection and Return Monitoring Network monitors from Camara villages targeted by the air and ground bombardment," the UNHCR said in a report released in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
It said the security situation in the area remains unstable, which increases the risk of further displacement occurring in nearby villages.
The military offensives against the al-Shabab extremist group were launched by Somali government forces backed by its international partners.
According to the UNHCR, the families who have been recently displaced are facing a shortage of essential services, such as food, healthcare, protection, water and sanitation, and education.
It said there have also been reports of various health issues, including measles, fever, and acute watery diarrhea at a time when the district has a limited humanitarian presence.
Pro-government local militia dubbed Ma'awisley has also intensified its attack against al-Qaida-linked militants who have lost a huge swathe of territory that they controlled a decade ago. ■
