At least 15 people have been killed in a mortar attack on a mosque in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, witnesses say.
Armed groups in Mogadishu have in recent days intensified attacks against government targets.
Sharif Ahmed, the former leader of the Islamic Courts Union, was sworn in as president in January and has pledged to do "everything imaginable" to stabilise Somalia.
He has been trying to broker peace with warring groups and gain legitimacy, but his administration wields little control outside Mogadishu and needs support from African Union peacekeepers.
Fighters opposed to the government see the 4,350 AU peacekeepers as "foreign invaders" and an obstacle to a lasting peace.
The attack on Sunday came after about 50 people were killed and about 100 hurt in weekend fighting across the city between fighters loyal to the government and groups allied with al-Shabaab.
"I can see 15 bodies of people killed after a mortar hit a mosque," Hassan Abdulle, a witness, said.
"They wanted to attend the afternoon prayers."
Thousands of people have fled their homes in search of safety from the continuing fighting.
Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, a senior al-Shabaab official, said of the violence: "We killed an uncountable number of government fighters and moderate Islamists. Their dead bodies lie in the streets."
Attacks intensifying
Armed groups in Mogadishu have in recent days intensified attacks against government targets.
Sharif Ahmed, the former leader of the Islamic Courts Union, was sworn in as president in January and has pledged to do "everything imaginable" to stabilise Somalia.
He has been trying to broker peace with warring groups and gain legitimacy, but his administration wields little control outside Mogadishu and needs support from African Union peacekeepers.
Fighters opposed to the government see the 4,350 AU peacekeepers as "foreign invaders" and an obstacle to a lasting peace.
Source: Aljazeera.com
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