Fighting flares in Mogadishu, 20 killed

Bullets and artillery shells pounded Mogadishu for a fourth day yesterday, killing at least 20 people, as rival militias intensified their battle for control of the Somali capital.

Fighters for a coalition of warlords who say they have joined forces to fight terrorism used anti-aircraft guns mounted on pick-up trucks, artillery and machine guns to assault Islamist militias in a bitter turf war.

Militia leaders and hospital officials said at least 20 people had been killed and 18 injured, but residents feared the toll could be much higher.

The fighting, which threatens Somalia's weak transitional government as it tries to impose authority on the anarchic nation, is also being seen by many as a battle between Islam and the United States' "war on terrorism".