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Deadly clash claims 5
24/12/2007 10:37 - (SA)
Mogadishu, Somalia - Insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles have attacked an Ethiopian army base in northern Mogadishu, triggering a deadly nighttime clash that sent stray mortar rounds crashing into homes, residents and witnesses said.
At least five Somalis were killed and eight wounded in the crossfire, they said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a first contingent of 100 Burundian peacekeepers deployed in the capital, joining 1 800 Ugandan troops in an African Union force that is still well short of the personnel strength needed to help restore order.
In the overnight attack, fighters struck a former factory being used as a base by troops from Ethiopia, which is allied with Somalia's UN-backed government in its battle against Islamic insurgents.
The Ethiopian troops used tanks and artillery to repel the attack, residents said.
"My elder brother was hit by a stray mortar as he was sleeping and died on the spot," said Ali Dhagey.
Four other people were killed by stray mortar rounds at various locations, said Hussein Osman, who lives near the base, adding that the two sides exchanged heavy machine gun fire for at least two hours.
Yahye Ali, a resident in the nearby Huriwa neighbourhood, said the latest attack was the heaviest fighting in the city for weeks.
Hospital staff said at least eight people were wounded in the overnight fighting. "Some of the victims were in dangerous condition," said Faduma Hussein, a nurse at Medina hospital.
There was no news on casualties among the attackers. Mohamed Omar Habeb Dhere, mayor of Mogadishu, told a local radio station that one soldier from the government side was slightly injured.
Early on Sunday, Somali government soldiers and their Ethiopian allies moved into the area in search of weapons and the attackers.
Thousands of Somalis have been killed in fighting this year between Islamic insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting shaky Somali government forces. The Islamists vowed to fight an Iraq-style insurgency after the Ethiopians dislodged them from power one year ago. They had taken control of the capital and much of southern Somalia.
The Burundian peacekeepers arrived on Sunday, said Paddy Anakunda, a spokesperson for the Ugandan peacekeeping force. The African Union has said it wants to deploy 8 000 peacekeepers in Somalia, but countries have been slow to come forward with troop contributions.
Burundi is one of several nations that pledged to help beef up the force.
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