Blasts shake Somali capital Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Mar 2 (Reuters) At least six explosions rocked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, today, witnesses said, a day after Ugandan peacekeepers started arriving in the lawless Horn of Africa country.

Witnesses said they heard mortar bombs being fired in the direction of the coastal city's port, in a reminder of the tough task awaiting the African Union (AU) mission designed to help Somalia's interim government pacify the anarchic country.

The assault happened a day after gunmen shot dead three people at the house of the director of Mogadishu's port, the latest in a series of guerrilla attacks in the capital.

The insurgents are suspected to be a mix of Islamist guerrillas and clan militia fighting for control of the capital, which, like the rest of Somalia, has been deprived of effective central government since dictator Muhammad Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

A cargo plane dropped off 35 uniformed Ugandan officers in Somalia yeserday, as part of a proposed 8,000-strong AU force.

REUTERS SP BD1549