MOGADISHU, Somalia: A gun battle Tuesday between insurgents and Somali soldiers in Mogadishu left at least five soldiers dead, witnesses said.

Insurgents attacked a Somali military base of Sinka dher on the outskirt of the capital, leading to an hourlong gunfight, the witnesses said.

"I have seen five soldiers killed in the battle and lying on the ground," said Mohamed Dini, who said he saw the fighting as he was traveling the road the clash happened. Dini said also one insurgent fighter was wounded in that attack.

Islamists had vowed to avenge the death of Hashi Aden Ayro, the commander of the al-Shabab militia killed last week along with 24 others when U.S. fighter jets bombed his home, according to local elders. The al-Shabab commander had been leading the Islamist insurgency in Somalia and was allegedly an al-Qaida leader in the Horn of Africa country.

International human rights groups have accused Ethiopian troops of targeting civilians out of frustration over their failure to halt insurgents who have adopted Iraq-style guerrilla tactics, including roadside bombs and occasional suicide attacks.

It was not known how many Ethiopians died in the militant attacks, and the witness accounts could not be verified by officials. Ethiopia, which sent troops into Somalia in December 2006 to back up soldiers fighting Islamic insurgents, does not make public its military fatalities.

Shabelle Media Network