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Civilians flee as Congo army pounds M23 rebels

A man accused by the Congolese Army of being a spy for rebels of the M23 movement is tied up and taken away on July 16, 2013, in Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma.
A man accused by the Congolese Army of being a spy for rebels of the M23 movement is tied up and taken away on July 16, 2013, in Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images
By PhotoBlog

GRAPHIC WARNING: Contains images which some viewers may find disturbing. 

Civilians react to shell fire erupting as Congolese armed forces drive through the area of Munigi on the outskirts of Goma on July 15, 2013. At least 130 people were killed, including 10 soldiers, in the deadliest clashes in months between troops and rebels in the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said on July 15.
Civilians react to shell fire erupting as Congolese armed forces drive through the area of Munigi on the outskirts of Goma on July 15, 2013. At least 130 people were killed, including 10 soldiers, in the deadliest clashes in months between troops and rebels in the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said on July 15.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images
A group of Congolese army soldiers driving out of Goma on July 14, 2013, after exchanges of artillery and rocket-fire broke out between the Congolese army and M23 rebels.
A group of Congolese army soldiers driving out of Goma on July 14, 2013, after exchanges of artillery and rocket-fire broke out between the Congolese army and M23 rebels.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

Congolese government forces supported by helicopters attacked M23 rebel positions near the eastern city of Goma on Tuesday in a third day of heavy fighting that has forced hundreds of villagers to flee their homes and raised tensions with Rwanda. 

M23, a movement launched by Tutsi defectors from the army who accuse the Kinshasa government of reneging on a 2009 peace deal, last year occupied Goma for 10 days before pulling out under international pressure.  

The clashes have focused attention on the role of the United Nations, which is deploying a new force with a mandate to attack rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

-- Reuters, Agence France-Presse

A man accused by the Congolese Army of being a spy for rebels of the M23 movement is tied up and taken away on July 16, 2013, in Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma.
A man accused by the Congolese Army of being a spy for rebels of the M23 movement is tied up and taken away on July 16, 2013, in Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images
Displaced people flee the area of Kanyarucinya through Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma, on July 15, 2013.
Displaced people flee the area of Kanyarucinya through Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma, on July 15, 2013.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images
The bodies of two alleged M23 fighters are dumped out of the back of a pickup truck by Congolese Army soldiers in the village of Rusayo on July 16, 2013 during a press visit. According to the army, one of the men was Ugandan and the other Rwandan, but they could not produce the identity cards that they claimed to have seen proving this.
The bodies of two alleged M23 fighters are dumped out of the back of a pickup truck by Congolese Army soldiers in the village of Rusayo on July 16, 2013 during a press visit. According to the army, one of the men was Ugandan and the other Rwandan, but they could not produce the identity cards that they claimed to have seen proving this.Phil Moore / AFP - Getty Images

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