Fighting in central Somalia kills 15

MOGADISHU — Clashes on Friday between Somalia's Al Qaeda-inspired rebels and a pro-government militia killed at least 15 people, many of them fighters, witnesses and an insurgent spokesman said.
The clashes erupted in a village near the central town of Dhusamareb and the hardline Shebab rebels claimed they had defeated their rivals, whom they said were supported by Ethiopian forces.
"The Ethiopian army supporting the apostate militia attacked our bases in El-Laheley village this morning and after heavy fighting we repelled them, thwarting their plan to penetrate our positions," Shebab spokesman Sheikh Abudlaziz Abu-Musab told reporters in Mogadishu.
"They ran away, leaving 12 bodies of their fighters near our barracks. We also destroyed one of their vehicles," he added.
Several local residents said three civilians were also killed.
"The situation is calm now and the Sufi militants have retreated to their positions," said Muhidin Moalim Abdikarin, an elder.
Officials from the pro-government Sufi militia, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa, were not reachable for comment.
Somali government forces backed by the African Union forces recently launched a military onslaught against the Shebab in one of the largest coordinated drive in years.
Supported by other militia, the government forces have also taken some towns in the south of the country from the Shebab.
On Thursday, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmen said they were defeating the insurgents. Sharif spoke when he toured military bases in the capital Mogadishu where his AU-backed forces have seized key positions from the Shebab.