Mogadishu

When Somali and African Union troops started gaining ground in Somalia’s civil war, fighters from al-Shabaab turned to another weapon: The water supply. Now many Somali towns and cities struggle to find enough water to survive, even when government troops appear to be winning.When Somali and African Union troops started gaining ground in Somalia’s civil war, fighters from al-Shabaab turned to another weapon: The water supply. Now many Somali towns and cities struggle to find enough water to survive, even when government troops appear to be winning.

Mohamed Ali escaped Somalia’s civil war when he was 10. When he learned that Somali youth who don’t escape often end up wearing bomb-laden suicide vests, he decided to do something for them. Now he helps them start businesses.

Kathy Eldon lost her 22-year-old son during a brutal attack in Mogadishu two decades ago. In her new memoir, “In The Heart of Life,” she struggles to come to grips with every mother’s worst nightmare.

Cities are centers of culture, but they’re also increasingly home turf for militant warfare. That’s what counter-insurgency guru David Kilcullen argues in his new book Out of the Mountains: The Coming of Age of the Urban Guerrilla.

Kevin Mwanza is a reporter with Reuters. He speaks with anchor Marco Werman about the reaction of Eastleigh residents to the Westgate mall attack.