( CNN ) -- At least nine people were killed in Somalia 's war-torn capital Mogadishu when mortars slammed into a home for disabled veterans , according to journalists and witnesses . Al Shabaab fighters display two bodies of Somali police officers during a battle August 12 in Mogadishu . At least 27 people were wounded in the Friday night incident , when Muslim militants fired mortars toward Mogadishu 's port and struck a residential area . The mortars hit a home for former national army officers who were disabled in a late-1970s war with Ethiopia , the sources said . Insurgents from the Al-Shabaab militant group have been fighting to topple Somalia 's government . Its fighters have frequently shelled the city 's airport and seaport , which are controlled by the African Union and government forces . The United States is supporting the Somali government 's fight against the insurgents , including providing weapons to government forces . Al Shabaab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden 's al Qaeda network . The United States is concerned that Somalia 's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency , as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power later that year .
Sources : Militants fired mortars toward Mogadishu 's port , struck residential area . Mortars hit home for disabled national army officers . Comment: , 27 wounded in attack in war-torn capital .