Islamist Guerrillas Battle Each Other, Two KilledI

Islamist rebels fighting against Somalia's interim government battled each other Sunday in the town of Bal'ad, which is located 30km north of the national capital Mogadishu, Puntland-based Radio Garowe reported.
The violence erupted in the western outskirts of Bal'ad town where the Islamic Courts militia set up a security checkpoint earlier in the day.Local residents told Radio Garowe that a band of guerrillas loyal to Islamist opposition group al Shabaab attacked the checkpoint, sparking a bloody battle that killed at least two fighters and wounded eight people including civilians.The Islamic Courts fighters withdrew only to return during the evening, when a second round of fighting over control of the checkpoint erupted and al Shabaab guerrillas withdrew.
"Gunmen shot directly at a vehicle transporting al Shabaab last night," said a witness in Bal'ad who did not want his name in print, saying most businesses were closed due to the violence.The situation was reportedly calm but tense Monday, as Islamic clerics and traditional elders sought to diffuse the potentially dangerous state of affairs.Bal'ad, and all of Middle Shabelle region near Mogadishu, has been under the control of Islamist armed groups since April.Islamist insurgents have largely fractured since being ousted from power in December 2006 by Ethiopian-backed government troops, with a pro-peace faction led by Islamic Courts executive head Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed based in Djibouti.Other militant groups, like al Shabaab, have rejected the peace process and refused to recognize the UN-endorsed transitional government in Mogadishu.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the Somali insurgency so far, according to local human rights groups.