At least 20 people have been killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu in clashes between government troops and Islamist insurgents since Saturday, reports said Sunday. ( dpa )
Troops from the transition government and Ethiopian soldiers had encountered heavy resistance when they attacked insurgents, according to British broadcaster BBC.
Scores of civilians were among the dead, the report said. Five diners at a restaurant were also killed when the establishment was hit by a grenade.
In early 2007, government troops, assisted by Ethiopian forces forced out the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) that once ruled much of the country. The UIC, mainly fronted by a hardline faction known as al-Shabab, has been fighting the transition government since, stepping up attacks in the last few months.