By MOHAMMED IBRAHIM

MOGADISHU, Somalia — At least 18 people, including the city’s police chief, were killed Wednesday after government forces carried out a pre-dawn attack on an Islamist rebel stronghold here in the capital, witnesses said.

Somali forces have been fighting desperately for control of Mogadishu with Islamist insurgents accused of having links to Al Qaeda, displacing tens of thousands of people. On Wednesday, the two sides exchanged automatic rifle fire, mortars and artillery shells that fell on residential areas, wounding dozens.

Somali analysts said the loss of the police chief, Col. Ali Said, would be a major blow to the transitional government led by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a moderate Islamist cleric picked as the nation’s president this year with great hopes of stabilizing the country. Months later, however, his government controls only a few slices of the capital, with Islamist rebels battling fiercely to topple it.

One of the police chief’s relatives, Mohammed Abdi, confirmed that Colonel Said was killed in the fighting along with two colleagues.

But a number of civilians died as well. In one case, a mortar slammed into a wall where people were hiding, said Elmi Hussein, a witness. “Two children were among the dead,” he said.

Another witness, Abdow Jimale, said that four people died and nine were wounded after “a mortar shell hit their house.”

More than 40 wounded were admitted to Madina Hospital for treatment, according the deputy director of the hospital, Dr. Daahir Dhere, while another 35 wounded were sent to Daynile Hospital, north of Mogadishu. Several of the wounded died, according to hospital officials.

Both sides declared victory in the fighting.

“We have been attacked,” said Sheik Hassan Mahdi, a spokesman for the Hizbul Islam, one of the groups fighting the government. “Thanks to Allah, we overpowered the government forces who attacked us.” he added. “Now, we control the areas the fighting took place this morning.”

The Union of the Islamic Courts, which is fighting alongside government forces, said it would continue fighting the rebels.

“We have attacked the insurgents who are fighting against the Islamic government,” said Sheik Abdirazaq Mohamed Qeylow, acting spokesman of the Union of the Islamic courts. “We will continue the fight until we eliminate the anti-Islamist government elements.

“We have seized prisoners in today’s fighting,” he added.

The fighting came after insurgents took over a government military base northeast of Mogadishu.

Source: New York Times