MOGADISHU, Somalia May 17 (Garowe Online) - Heavy fighting erupted in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday between insurgents and Ethiopian soldiers, local sources told Garowe Online.

Four soldiers were killed when an Ethiopian army convoy transporting food to a major military base at the former pasta factory, in north Mogadishu, hit a roadside bomb.

Somali insurgents

A total of seven people were wounded during a brief skirmish immediately after the explosion, as insurgents opened gunfire and the Ethiopian soldiers responded with a barrage of bullets.

Seven people – four Ethiopian soldiers and three Somali insurgents – were wounded in the subsequent gunfire, witnesses said.

The insurgents escaped moments before Ethiopian army reinforcements sealed off the area.

Several people were arrested by Ethiopian troops, who entered surrounding neighborhoods in search of suspects.

Upwards of 7,000 people have been killed in Mogadishu clashes since January 2007, when Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces expelled Islamist rulers from the capital.

The Islamists have since been blamed for a spate of guerrilla attacks targeting the Somali government and its foreign military allies.

Source: Garowe Online