9 soldiers killed as insurgents take over Somali town

Mogadishu: Islamic insurgents briefly took control of a southern Somali town over the weekend in a battle that left nine government soldiers dead, police said on Monday.

The heavily armed insurgents took over a government base on the outskirts of the town of Dinsor on Sunday then occupied the city for three hours before retreating into the bush, said Mohammad Ahmadey, a police officer who witnessed the attack.

Eight other government soldiers were wounded, Ahmadey said.

A spokesman for the insurgents, Shaikh Muktar Ali Robow, said his men moved into the town to chase away "bandits" disguising themselves as "Somalia's honourable army."

He said, "We defeated them, burned three of their military vehicles, and seized two others."