Heavy fighting has erupted in central Somalia between a pro-government Sufi Muslim group and Islamist hardliners.
At least 10 people have been killed in fighting near the town of Webho.
The clashes come after the Sufi Ahlu Sunna Waljamea sect pledged to defend President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed at a meeting of moderate Islamic leaders.
An Islamist alliance controls much of southern and central Somalia but pro-government forces have been on the offensive in recent days.
Correspondents say the Sufi sect has been angered recently by the desecration of the graves of revered Sufi leaders by the al-Shabab group which follows the strict Saudi Arabian-inspired Wahabi branch of Islam.
"We are ready to stand by the government of Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. We will defend it and we will fight the rebels," said Ahlu Sunna Waljamea's Sheikh Ali after meeting the president in Mogadishu on Thursday. ..more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8084872.stm
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