24/05/08 (B449) PRESS TV – De nouveaux affrontements en Somalie causent la mort d’au moins 35 personnes dont des civils. Les insurgés ont attaqué une base éthiopienne dans le nord de la capitale. Fresh Somali clashes leave 35 dead

At least 35 people, including civilians, have been killed and many more displaced in heavy clashes north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Islamist fighters attacked an Ethiopian base in the Towfiikh district on Saturday, killing 15 Ethiopian soldiers, the Press TV correspondent in Mogadishu reported.

Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers raided Gupta and Isa Abdi districts following the attacks. At least 17 civilians were killed during the raid, but more are feared to have lost their lives, a witness told our correspondent.

Thousands of civilians are fleeing from the area as a result of violence, which has led to the death of thousands of people.

The senior leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, vowed on Thursday to force Ethiopian troops out of Somalia, saying the recent UN-sponsored peace talks in Djibouti were doomed to failure unless Ethiopia first withdrew all its forces.

The conflict-torn country has been ruled by an interim government since 1991, backed by Ethiopian forces.