Islamist militants from al Shabaab on Friday killed 12 people drilling a well in drought-ravaged southern Somalia, a local resident and official said.
Conflict between the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, which wants to implement a strict implementation of sharia, or Islamic law, and the central government has killed thousands of people since 2006.
Somali security forces say they have made gains on the battlefield in recent weeks while fighting alongside local self-defence groups, but al Shabaab has continued to conduct deadly raids.
