50 rebels killed in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU - About 50 Islamist rebels have been killed and scores of others injured in fierce gun battles with the government troops in Mogadishu, reports Xinhua.

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said Saturday that about 50 fighters of the Al Shabaab group were killed in fighting in the past few days.

The prime minister said this during his visit to the troops in northern Mogadishu. The government said it took control of several rebel positions after the fight.

Mohamed, whose new government was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Somali lawmakers last month, has made fighting the rebels a top priority.

The government has vowed to retake control of the areas held by the rebel forces in Mogadishu.

Some 8,000-strong African Union peacekeepers control parts of the restive capital.