Somali rebels attack Mogadishu for third day

A plain clothed government soldier guards a roadblock as residents flee Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Photograph: Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP

Somalia was today embroiled in some of its fiercest fighting for nearly a year as government troops shelled advancing rebels in the capital, Mogadishu.The Islamist militia group al-Shabaab attacked government positions near the president's palace and four people were killed by return fire, witnesses said.
The violence erupted in the Wardhigley district in the early hours, the third day of battles between the insurgents and government forces backed by African Union troopsAbdi Abdullahi, who lives in the area, told Reuters: "Al-Shabaab fighters arrived this morning at Aden Ade junction near the palace and fired mortars at the palace, prompting heavier shells. The two groups are still exchanging shells. I have seen one dead and four injured."At least 54 people were killed on Wednesday and yesterday as rebels tried to destabilise the government before a long-awaited offensive aimed at dislodging the insurgents from Mogadishu.
Another resident said a shell hit the vehicle he was travelling in and three civilians were wounded. Aden Yusuf said: "We were going to Bakara market. When we ran away, we could see three dead men lying in an alley."
Rebels advanced to as close as one mile from the government-held area yesterday, but have since been pushed back several blocks.Mohamed Abdi Haji, another witness, said about 200 insurgents in a dozen gun-mounted vehicles moved into his neighbourhood and drove toward the presidential palace. Government soldiers and AU peacekeepers fired barrages at the militants and forced them to retreat, Haji said.
An Associated Press reporter in Mogadishu said the fighting was the heaviest since last May, when insurgents trying to topple the weak, UN-backed government launched massive attacks.Abdurisaq Mohamed Nor, the mayor of Mogadishu, has warned residents to withdraw from battle zones because the government offensive may start soon. "The ongoing fighting is not part of our planned major offensive, but there is a possibility that it can follow," Nor said."We urge the civilians to flee from the battle zones and go at least 2km away to avoid being hit. This time your suffering will not last much longer. We will finish the rebels off."
Civilians are often caught in crossfire or hit by off-target munitions. About half of Mogadishu's residents have already fled the city after two decades of conflict.Residents fleeing the city said many of their relatives and neighbours were trapped in the war zone. "My husband and six of my relatives and some of my neighbours are trapped inside their homes ... by mortars and bullets flying every where," said Dahabo Duhulow, a mother of six.With his two-year-old son clasped to his chest, Adow Yusuf Da'ud said he had walked three hours through dangerous streets to escape the fighting."During the day and during the night, the shells were raining down into our residences," Da'ud said. "We had to walk through the danger to escape. My oldest son is still there to take care of the house and the property."Somalia has had no effective central government for 19 years and western and neighbouring countries say the country provides sanctuary for militants intent on launching attacks in east Africa and beyond. Friday 12 March 2010 12.45 GMT