12 killed in revenge mortar attack on Abidjan market

Mortars killed at least 12 people in an Abidjan neighborhood yesterday, officials said, in the latest in a string of street battles that has gripped the city this week as Ivory Coast's political crisis deepens.

The shells, which witnesses say were fired from a military police base into an area loyal to the internationally recognised president, could have been retaliation to an attack on police loyal to the incumbent leader.

Shells fell without warning on a market in front of the mayor's office in Abobo, a district held by fighters loyal to Alassane Ouattara. Four people were killed instantly, said a local official, who asked not to be named because he isn't permitted to speak with the press. At her market stall, an elderly woman lost both her legs, a witness said.

Earlier in the day, pro-Ouattara fighters attacked a police station in the Adjame district of Abidjan, though it was unclear whether anyone was killed.

Adjame residents said commandos loyal to Ouattara warned people to stay inside just minutes before the attack.