Since Friday, September 19, amidst intensifying violence in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, there has been a sharp increase in the number of admissions of war wounded civilians to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Daynile, located just outside the capital.

Of the 65 patients admitted to the emergency room since Friday, 53 were suffering from serious war-related injuries consistent with mortar blasts and gunshots. People presented with abdominal, chest, and head wounds; several patients required immediate surgical intervention. Among the wounded were 13 women and 12 children under 16 years of age.

After a relative decrease in admissions to Daynile Hospital in July and August, the current spike corresponds to intensified fighting in densely populated residential areas in Mogadishu.

The MSF hospital in Daynile has treated more than 3,700 people suffering from traumatic injuries since the beginning of 2008. More than half are women and children under 14 years of age, with 50 percent of patients treated for war-related wounds.

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