Heavy fighting in Somali capital kills 19

Islamist insurgents launched multiple attacks on government bases and African Union peacekeeping troops Friday and at least 19 people, including women and children, were killed in the heaviest fighting in a day seen in Somalia's capital in months. The battle came two days before President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed marks his first year in power and underscored that his goal of ending violence in a nation shattered by nearly two decades of war remains as elusive as ever. More than 30 people were wounded in the hours-long fighting, said Ali Muse, the head of the ambulance service in Mogadishu. Residents cowered in their homes, unable to venture out as the warring sides pounded each other with artillery, mortars and machine guns.