Shelling between Islamist rebels and Somali government troops killed at least 14 dead and 28 wounded in the capital Mogadishu, residents and NGOs on Human Rights.
Insurgents have fired mortars against government positions, drawing return fire one that killed civilians in several suburbs of Mogadishu and resulted in scenes of panic.
The fighting in Somalia have been 19,000 civilian deaths since early 2007 and led 1.5 million others to flee, causing a humanitarian crisis the worst in the world today.