23 Killed as Somali Insurgents Attacks AU, Ethiopian Troops

At least 23 people were killed Thursday as Somali insurgents attacked African Union (AU) peacekeepers and Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. Sources say the civilians were caught in crossfire that also destroyed homes and businesses when the insurgents shelled separate camps housing the AU and Ethiopian forces. The 3,400-strong AU mission was deployed in March 2007 to bolster Somalia's fragile interim government and protect humanitarian operations, but has lately come under attack from militant Islamist groups that have waged a sustained guerrilla war since an Ethiopian-backed onslaught ousted them from Mogadishu. [PE]