At least four Somalis were killed Friday as heavy fighting broke out in the capital Mogadishu between insurgents and the Ethiopian-backed government forces, police and witnesses said.
An AFP reporter in Mogadishu described the clashes as among the most intense since April, when the interim government wrested final control of the city from an Islamist militia that briefly held large parts of the country.
The latest bout of fighting erupted in southern Mogadishu at around midnight (2100 GMT) and lasted for an hour and a half, witnesses said, adding that no further clashes were reported on Friday morning.
The worst fighting took place around the Holwadag police station, which insurgents attacked with machine guns and rocket launchers. "We suffered no casualties but a civilian in a nearby house was killed," policeman Mohammed Farah told AFP.
Witnesses said insurgents also launched a mortar and rocket attack against a Somali security position near a milk factory, killing two soldiers. A grenade also struck a civilian home in the southern neighbourhood of Shirkole, wounding three brothers, according to the victims' sister.
The latest violence brings to at least 11 the number of people killed in Mogadishu violence over the past 48 hours. Following the latest flare-up, one of Mogadishu's main radio stations, Shabelle, was raided by policemen who ordered it off air and briefly detained seven staff members.