Artillery battles between Islamist insurgents, Somali government forces and African Union (AU) peacekeepers killed at least 30 people in the capital Mogadishu today, residents and medical workers said.
Witnesses said the rebels launched volleys of mortar bombs at the international airport as President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed left for a meeting in Uganda, prompting AU soldiers there to respond with artillery fire.
Medical sources and residents said at least 30 people were killed and scores more injured in one of the heaviest exchanges to rock the lawless city for weeks.
AU sources said Ahmed was not hurt in the shelling.
Farah Olow, a shopkeeper in the city's Bakara market, said six people were killed by one shell that demolished a home there.
"They were taking cover in a concrete building, but such big shells can penetrate the strongest house. We can't go out to count how many more are dead. Bombs are raining on us," he said.
Fighting in Somalia has killed 19,000 civilians since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.5 million from their homes.
Western security agencies say the Horn of Africa nation has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who are using it to plot attacks across the region and beyond.
Reuters