Somali insurgents in deadly raids

Islamist insurgents clashed with government forces and their Ethiopian allies in the capital, Mogadishu, and near Mataban, in central Somalia.

The exchanges of machine gun and mortar fire in the capital were the heaviest for two months, a BBC reporter said.

Somalia's government signed a ceasefire pact with opposition groups last month, but some factions rejected the deal.

Islamists linked to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) have been staging an insurgency against the government troops and their Ethiopian allies who ousted them from power in 2006.

The BBC's Mohammad Olad Hassan in Mogadishu said the latest violence in the capital began when Islamist insurgents attacked a government military base south of the city.

Civilians killed

At least 12 people were killed, according to security and hospital officials, and witness accounts.

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