Insurgents in Mogadishu attack AU peacekeepers

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Hardline Islamist insurgents  in Somalia’s capital fired mortar bombs at the presidential  palace and attacked African Union peacekeepers last night  at the end of a second day of heavy fighting
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Government forces and rebels blasted shells at each other in  the afternoon and fighters clashed in parts of Mogadishu. Two  people were killed and 10 wounded near Bakara Market, an al  Shabaab rebel stronghold. Fighting on Friday killed at least 45.

A human rights group said many residents fled during a lull  in the violence yesterday, joining 49,000 others who have fled  the city during an upsurge of violence over the past two weeks.

Neighbouring states and Western governments fear the Horn of  Africa nation, mired in civil war for 18 years, could become a  haven for militants linked to al Qaeda unless the new government  of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed can defeat them.

At night, heavy gunfire and explosions could still be heard. “Opposition groups have attacked us with rocket-propelled  grenades,” a senior Burundian officer told Reuters. “They are  still firing at us and we shall defend ourselves.”      The African Union has some 4,300 peacekeepers from Burundi  and Uganda in Mogadishu to help protect key sites. Their mandate  limits the force to defending itself when attacked.

Islamist insurgents took up arms in 2007 to drive out  Ethiopian troops propping up a Western-backed government which  failed to wield control over much of Somalia.

Since the start of 2007, fighting has killed at least 17,700  civilians and driven more than 1 million from their homes. About  3 million Somalis survive on emergency food aid.