By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - At least eight civilians and one policeman died in the Somali capital during an hours-long battle between Islamic insurgents and policemen, residents and police said Wednesday, adding it was the heaviest fighting in weeks in this violence-wracked city.
Meanwhile, The World Food Program, a U.N. food agency, said 50 to 60 heavily armed and uniformed members of the Somali National Security Service detained Idris Osman, the head of the agency's Mogadishu office, early Wednesday.
Osman is being held in a cell at the National Security Service headquarters. The food program has not received any explanation for the action, which they said in a statement violates international law.
"In the light of Mr. Osman's detention and in view of WFP's duty to safeguard its staff, WFP is forced immediately to suspend these distributions and the loading of WFP food from our warehouses in the Somali capital," the statement said.
No shots were fired when the officers stormed the U.N. compound in Mogadishu, the statement said.
The civilians killed during the late Tuesday battle died when mortars crashed into their houses during fighting that began when 100 insurgents blasted a police station in the south of Mogadishu with heavy machine-guns and rocket propelled grenades, residents said.
"Buildings shuddered and weapons exchanged by the two sides illuminated the sky of the city," said Abdullahi Hussein Mohamud, who also said some mortars landed near his home that is some distance away from where the battle took place.
Abdi Haji Nur, a businessman, said that the insurgents captured the station, forcing about 30 policemen based there to flee.
Gen. Yusuf Osman Hussein, director of police operations in Mogadishu, denied the insurgents seized the station, saying policemen repelled "elements of peace-haters" and lost one of their colleagues during the fighting.