Mogadishu shelled after lull in deadly battle

Heavy shelling reported in the south of Mogadishu broke a brief lull Saturday in the battle between government and rebel forces for Somalia's capital. An offensive Friday by the U.N.-backed government, trying to regain neighborhoods won by the Islamic insurgents in recent weeks, led to heavy fighting and shelling of the city center. A human rights group said 53 people were killed in the capital in a single day and 181 more were wounded. Somali insurgents said earlier Saturday that despite the battle the previous day, they continued to hold their positions. And residents reported that the government operation had failed to dislodge the Islamists. But Defense Minister Mohamed Abdi Gandi said the government offensive had been a success. When asked to elaborate, given that residents reported government troops had retreated to the areas they held before the push, he declined to comment. A lull in the fighting was reported earlier Saturday, but resident Omar Abdukahi said shelling began later when reinforcements arrived for the insurgents. Ali Muse, a coordinator with African Life-line and Nation Link Ambulance service, said he had transported seven people wounded by Saturday's shelling. Six others were wounded by gunfire, he said. The center of the city had been heavily shelled Friday. Both sides fired mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and truck-mounted anti-aircraft missiles into residential areas. Elman Human Rights Organization compiled the casualty figures from interviews with health officials, morgues and witnesses. Since the renewal of fighting two weeks ago, the Islamic insurgents had captured several strategic locations in Mogadishu. Despite successes, they failed to gain control of key installations including the airport and presidential palace, which are guarded by African Union peacekeepers. The two main Islamist insurgent groups, the Islamic Party and al-Shabab, formed an alliance a month ago. Although the two groups have differing aims, they agreed to work together to overthrow Somalia's new government, headed by their former ally President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. They consider Ahmed a traitor for signing a peace deal with the previous administration which paved the way for him to become president. The U.N. has said some 49,000 people had fled the capital, and the humanitarian situation was dire. Many families camped out under trees or by the side of roads, sheltered by nothing more than a few scraps of plastic, without access to food or water. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then turned on each other.