3 government soldiers dead

[Hiiraan boy]

Heavy fighting convulses Somali capital

MOGADISHU, March 21, 2007 (AFP) -

Heavy fighting erupted Wednesday in the Somali capital killing at least eight people in a dramatic escalation that saw stray rounds flying over southern Mogadishu, residents said.

The clashes, pitting Ethiopian troops backing government forces against suspected Islamist insurgents, come a day after African Union peacekeepers reinforced security in the seaside capital.

Residents said the heavy weaponry duels, which left at least eight dead and several wounded, erupted when the insurgents opened fire in the former defence ministry headquarters in southern Mogadishu, where Ethiopian troops are based.

"So far, I have seen four bodies of people killed and several others wounded. The fighting is intensifying and stray bullets are flying all over the area," said Abdullahi Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Shukri area.

Another resident Mohamed Ali Sheke said: "I have seen three government forces killed in Hilweyne military camp. Their bodies are still lying in the area."

"A stray bullet killed my neighbour and wounded five others, one of them is a child," added Muhubo Moalim Dahir, a resident of Al-Baraka area.

Other civilian residential belts that were pounded by stray rounds were inaccessible, they added.

Somali-Ethiopian forces responded to the attack with heavy artillery fire in a bid to take over areas surrounding their oft-targeted base believed to be insurgents' hideout, residents said.

"The Ethiopians responded with unbelievable fire," said Mohamed Ali Nur, a resident.

"They ... want to take over Odweyne area from the gunmen," added Abdi Elmi Hassan, another resident.

Dozens of people have died since January when joint Somali-Ethiopian forces ousted an Islamist movement from south and central Somalia, including the capital, but insurgents and allied factions have responded with deadly guerrilla warfare.

Currently, at least 1,500 AU peacekeepers from Uganda are in Mogadishu, an initial deployment of 8,000 troops the African countries plan to send to the war-fatigued nation.

Factional bloodletting has wracked Somalia since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, creating a platform for a civil war that has defied more than 14 peace-making attempts.