The Block is Hot in Mogadishu: Dozens Killed in Fight Between Rebels and Army

Somali rebels and the government they are trying to remove have taken their bloody battle to the streets of Mogadishu. From Al Jazeera:

At least 24 people have been killed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu after Islamist rebels fought Somali government and African Union troops for a second day.

Residents hid in their homes as mortar bombs fired by fighters from al-Shabab, the group battling to remove the government, hit the city on Friday.

Six people died when mortars exploded as traders were setting up their stalls in a market.

Another 18 corpses were recovered after the attacks, ambulance staff said.

"Hundreds of well-armed insurgents came to our district with minibuses and pick-up trucks and immediately they started firing towards the government troops and an African Union base," Mogadishu resident Abdi Haji Ahmed said."

Al-Shahab claims they were provoked by African Union troops who trespassed on land they controlled a day earlier. Get the full scoop here.