At least 19 people have been killed in violence involving the militant al Shabaab rebel group since yesterday afternoon, Somali government officials and residents said today.
Al Shabaab, the main rebel group, which Washington says is al-Qaeda's proxy in Somalia, hit the African Union peacekeeping mission's (AMISOM) main base in Mogadishu with twin suicide car bombs on Thursday, killing 17 peacekeepers.
Late last night the Islamist group seized control of a town on the border with Ethiopia from government forces after clashes that killed at least 14 people.
Residents said militiamen of the Ethiopian rebel group the Ogaden Liberation Front (OLF) helped al Shaabab drive out government forces from Yeed town in the Bakool region.
"Al Shabaab and OLF militias took Yeed town from us," Abdi Mohamed Bakool region's governor said.
"They also crossed the border and looted property from an Ethiopian mining company. At least seven soldiers died on our side and 11 were wounded. We also killed many al Shabaab fighters."
The international community is trying to bolster President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's UN-backed government, which until this week controlled only four districts of Somalia's coastal capital Mogadishu. Most of the country is in the hands of al Shabaab and allied groups.
Reuters