The fighting occurred in the northern districts of Karan and Huriwa yesterday Thursday.

The Somali capital, Mogadishu, has been hit by some of the fiercest fighting in the city in months, in what is seen as a major setback for the government. Reports say the clashes began shortly after dawn yesterday between Islamist al-Shabab militants and government forces, backed by African Union (AU) troops. The AU forces are reported to have used tanks and heavy artillery.

Al-Shabab withdrew from Mogadishu in August and the government then declared that the city was under its control. BBC reports said the fighting lasted for several hours as al-Shabab tried, but it seems failed, to seize ground. A spokesman for the Islamist insurgent group is reported to have said that four AU soldiers had died; along with nine government troops meanwhile a spokesman for the government forces told the press they had killed six al-Shabab fighters. Neither claim has been independently verified.

The fighting in Mogadishu followed an attack by al-Shabab on Wednesday on a military training camp run by AU troops in Wadajir to the south of Mogadishu. That area had previously been considered relatively safe. Since the Islamists made their “tactical withdrawal” from Mogadishu, there have been several suicide attacks in the city. The most recent happened on Tuesday in the Hodan district - at least five people were killed. The latest clashes suggest many al-Shabab fighters never left the capital but melted into the community.

Reports say the AU has about 9,000 troops in Mogadishu to prevent the internationally-backed government from being overthrown.