MOGADISHU - Heavy fighting between a government-allied militia and al Qaeda-linked rebels in central Somalia killed dozens of fighters on Tuesday, residents said, as Islamist militants also stepped up attacks in the capital.Dusamareb, 560 km (350 miles) north of Mogadishu and the capital of Galgadud region in central Somalia, has been under the control of the Ahlu Sunna militia group for years. Residents said al Shabaab, which controls two other towns in the region, stormed Dusamareb early on Tuesday, looting shops and cars before they were repelled by Ahlu Sunna.
"The death toll has now risen to about 50, this includes five civilians. Al Shabaab also kidnapped a local elder they linked to the (Ahlu Sunna group)," Ali Hussein told Reuters from Dusamareb.
Hussein said he counted the bodies of 27 al Shabaab members in front of a police station and another seven outside the city. He saw eight bodies belonging to Ahlu Sunna.
"The death toll may rise as more dead are reported to be lying under the trees in the outskirts of the city. The fiercest part of the war took place a few kilometres outside," he said.
Al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the group had taken Dusamareb but then left for "military tactical reasons".
Ahlu Sunna commander Abdi Hussein said his group had regained control of Dusamareb after killing dozens of al Shabaab fighters.
| There's your 'military tactical reason' for the retreat... |