More than a dozen mysterious hooded men who invaded the smallest island in the Comoros archipelago appear to have been mercenaries. Comorian troops have killed five of the men.
A senior Comorian defence official said the men appeared intent on destabilising the tiny Indian Ocean islands ahead of a crucial referendum this weekend.
Earlier reports suggested the armed men, who claimed to be FBI agents and cut telephone links to the outside world, could have been hunting al-Qaeda operatives, or even Osama bin Laden himself.
A Comorian - Fazul Abdullah Mohammed - has been indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 Nairobi embassy bombing which killed 12 Americans. He was named as one of 22 most wanted terrorists by US President George Bush.
Comorian troops killed five of the insurgents on Moheli island, said Mr Mahamout Soilih, secretary-general for defence.
Speaking in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands, Mr Soilih said it is not clear who was behind the pre-dawn incursion by between 15 and 30 hooded men.
"Whoever it was, they were intent on destabilising the Comoros just when we are trying to find a peaceful solution to our problems," he said.
The three island archipelago off the coast of Mozambique is holding a constitutional referendum on Sunday that, if approved, would allow greater autonomy to the three islands and end military rule in Moroni.
AP