Sixteen killed in renewed Somalia militia battle

MOGADISHU, June 2 (Reuters) Fresh gun battles between Somali militias killed 16 people and triggered vows of revenge today from fighters who lost territory in the latest clashes between strict Islamists and secular warlords.

Militia fought overnight in remote village 15 km north of Mogadishu, witnesses said.

''At least 16 have died from both sides and several others wounded'' Ibrahim Moallim, a member of a so-called anti-terrorism warlord coalition, told Reuters.

''I saw one of our dead militia.'' Sources said the fighting had subsided by noon today but the acrimony from the clashes sparked fears of more violence.

Some 350 people have been killed in three bouts of heavy fighting since the start of the year between fighters allied to Islamic courts and a self-styled anti-terrorism coalition of warlords many believe are backed by the United States.

Moallim Hashi Mohamed, who is allied with the Islamic court militias and whose fighters clashed with rivals backed by warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow, vowed to retaliate and reclaim properties and the areas he had lost.

''Muse Sudi's militia attacked my station without any reason,'' Hashi told Reuters in Mogadishu. ''We will revenge as soon as possible.'' Although also fuelled by commercial and political motives, such fights in and around Mogadishu are seen by many Somalis as a proxy war between Islamists and the United States.

The US government has long viewed Somalia, without a central government since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre as a haven for terrorists.

REUTERS DKS RAI1921