Second day of clashes in Somalia

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Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops have clashed with Islamists for a second day in western Somalia, officials and witnesses say.

The fighting took place in villages about 80km (50 miles) south-west of the government base in Baidoa, they say.

Witnesses have reported artillery exchanges, but so far there have been no confirmed reports of casualties.

The clashes come just days after the UN approved plans to send peacekeepers to Somalia - a move the Islamists reject.

<a href="/1/hi/world/africa/6218674.stm" class="">Peacekeeping conundrum</a>

Officials from Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) said the forces of Somalia's transitional government had launched a counter-attack after being pushed back by Islamists on Friday.

This was contradicted by Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi, who said the Islamists had attacked government positions, according to the Associated Press news agency.

All-out war fears

Somali's government and Ethiopia have consistently denied that Ethiopian troops are in Somalia, but their presence has been widely reported by residents and officials from the UIC.

Addis Ababa, however, admits to having hundreds of military trainers in Baidoa, the only town the government controls.

If the Ethiopian involvement is confirmed, it would be the first time that Islamist and Ethiopian troops have come into direct contact.

BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says the clashes could be the opening shots of the long-anticipated war for control of Somalia.

The UIC has taken control of most of southern Somalia since taking the capital Mogadishu in June.

Last week, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said African nations who would contribute to the proposed force should persuade the UIC that it would not be an "invasion force".

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council, said the government represented "the only route to achieving peace and stability" in Somalia, which has been without effective central government since 1991.