At least 10 people were killed Saturday in the Somali capital Mogadishu as daily violence continued between government forces and insurgents, Radio Garowe reports.

Witnesses in Mogadishu's Bondhere, Hodan and Howlwadag districts reported intense street battles, with at least 5 civilians among the dead.

Mogadishu medical sources said 16 wounded civilians were rushed to local hospitals for treatment.

Al Shabaab insurgents, who claimed responsibility for the fighting, said they targeted positioned manned by Somali government forces and their African Union (AMISOM) allies.

Some reports said artillery shells hit residential areas of Mogadishu, with two civilians killed in Wardhigley district and one person killed in Yaaqshiid district, where no street fighting took place.

Mogadishu has been the scene of intense near-daily violence since early 2007 when Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Shabaab insurgents launched a war to topple the Western-backed TFG administration and their AMISOM allies.

Last week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that upwards of 6,000 wounded civilians were treated in 2010, of which 40% were described as women and children.

The violence in Mogadishu has affected the civilian population and forced many families to lose loved ones or flee the capital to surrounding areas of relative stability.

Somalia's last effective national government collapsed in Jan. 1991 and the country has disintegrated, with various factions fighting for dominance in southern regions while the northern states of Puntland and Somaliland have enjoyed relative peace.

GAROWE ONLINE