(SomaliNet) The death toll of today’s deadly street violence in the Somalia capital Mogadishu rose up to 22 people with more than 80 injured, some of them seriously, medical sources say late Wednesday – as fresh gun battle erupted in northern suburb of the capital. The clashes came as hundreds of Ethiopian forces left the capital after handing over the security of the presidential headquarter to the Ugandan troops of the African Union peacekeepers. Medical officials in Medina hospital, south of Mogadishu confirmed that the number of wounded people has increased. “The number of injured civilians being brought to the hospital reached to more than 80, mostly hit by stray bullets and shrapnel from artillery shells,” one health official at the hospital said.
Masked men, presumably supporters of the ousted Islamists fought with the government troops backed by the Ethiopian forces in three locations of south and northern Mogadishu where the rival sides engaged in fierce clashes.
TodayÂ’s gun battles which were the worst since the Ethiopian backed transitional government arrived in the capital forced many villagers to flee their homes in fear of mortar and rocket shells. Self organized local militia men could be seen in the streets of Mogadishu manning roadblocks and checking up all cars and ready to repel any government soldiers.
Meanwhile, fresh gun battle erupted northern outskirt of Mogadishu where the interim government forces clashed with local militants. There is no immediate casualty on both sides on the latest battle.
UPDATE: MOGADISHU - Ethiopian tanks guarding a Somali government base in Mogadishu opened fire on unidentified attackers on Thursday as clashes broke out in the capital for a second straight day. Witnesses said the cannons thundered repeatedly over a 10-minute period, followed by the chatter of machine guns around the base, situated in a former defense department headquarters.
A separate gun battle also raged in the northern Ramadhan neighborhood, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, but hundreds of residents -- mainly women and children -- fled the fighting pushing their belongings on donkey carts. "The fighting is still going on. It is the remnants of the Islamists and the government fighting," said a Ramadhan resident who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal.
The defense department base has been a favorite target of gunmen who almost daily launch hit-and-run attacks on the government and its allies, including African Union (AU) peacekeepers from Uganda who arrived this month.