U.N. Troops and Somali Gunmen in New Clashes

Machine-gun battles between U.N. troops and Somali gunmen broke out here early today, several hours after Pakistani troops reportedly killed two Somalis in clashes.

The after-midnight exchanges lasted about 30 minutes. It was the first such fighting in the city since Saturday, when clashes killed at least 23 Pakistani peacekeeping troops.

Five Pakistani soldiers were released to the United Nations on Monday after being captured by Somalis during Saturday’s fighting. Looking battered and bloody, they said they lay pinned down by both enemy and friendly fire for hours before being taken by Somali civilians to a local hospital.

A sixth Pakistani apparently died at the hospital, and his body was turned over to the United Nations on Monday. With his death, the official death toll from the Pakistani government rose to 23, although U.N. officials said unconfirmed reports indicated the toll could be as high as 33.

It was the deadliest toll involving U.N. forces since 1961 in the Congo, when 44 personnel were killed.

On Monday, snipers also fired at the Pakistani military headquarters, and two Somalis were killed when soldiers returned fire, said the Pakistani military commander, Brig. Gen. Ikram ul-Hassan. However, Army Maj. David Stockwell, the U.N. military spokesman, said he could not confirm the casualties.

The incident was not portrayed as an orchestrated assault on the headquarters, but it underscored the volatile situation in the capital.

Mogadishu hospitals reported a total of 15 to 23 deaths and more than 100 injuries among Somalis from Saturday’s fighting.