At least 50 rebels from the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab and four civilians were killed Monday in clashes in south-western Somalia, the country's former parliamentary speaker told dpa, reported dpa.
The insurgents were killed in a five-hour battle with Ethiopian and Somali forces around the city of Hudu, according to Sheikh Aden Mohamed. The civilians died in the crossfire.
A spokesman for al-Shabaab said Ethiopian troops also died.
"We have killed many Ethiopian soldiers and troops from the so-called Somali government," an al-Shabaab member told a pro-insurgent website. dpa mo kt ar Author: Mohamed Odowa