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Somalia's Bakara Market, Seven Months On
The sprawling Bakara Market in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, stood for years as a symbol of the government's weakness. VOA's Peter Heinlein visited the market as it lay in ruins days after African Union troops reclaimed it last August. Seven months later, he went back to see the difference.
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An African Union armored personnel carrier (APC) rolls down the busy main street of Bakara Market. (P. Heinlein/VOA)
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A worker brings his own shovel to Bakara Market to participate in the cleanup operation in progress. (P. Heinlein/VOA)
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High-rise buildings damaged in the African Union offensive are being restored as Bakara Market returns to normal. (P. Heinlein/VOA)
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Streets of Bakara Market were empty except for security guards and a few goats on August, 15, 2011, shortly after the end of the AU offensive that drove al-Shabab out of the market. (P. Heinlein/VOA)