Jihadis turn on each other in Somalia

Al Shabaab and the Islamic Courts militi battle each other in a gun fight.

BAL'AD, Somalia Oct 20 (Garowe Online) - Islamist rebels fighting against Somalia's interim government battled each other Sunday in the town of Bal'ad, which is located 30km north of the national capital Mogadishu, Puntland-based Radio Garowe reported.

The violence erupted in the western outskirts of Bal'ad town where the Islamic Courts militia set up a security checkpoint earlier in the day.

Local residents told Radio Garowe that a band of guerrillas loyal to Islamist opposition group al Shabaab attacked the checkpoint, sparking a bloody battle that killed at least two fighters and wounded eight people including civilians.

The Islamic Courts fighters withdrew only to return during the evening, when a second round of fighting over control of the checkpoint erupted and al Shabaab guerrillas withdrew.

"Gunmen shot directly at a vehicle transporting al Shabaab last night," said a witness in Bal’ad who did not want his name in print, saying most businesses were closed due to the violence.