The Associated Press

Fri, May 9, 2008 (5:54 a.m.)

Police fortified their headquarters Friday in fear of another attack after Islamist fighters raided the station in the heart of the government's Mogadishu stronghold.

The insurgents have tried many times to attack the heavily guarded K4 district but Thursday's raid was their first major success.

"We are fortifying our defensive positions to be ready for other attacks," Hassan told The Associated Press outside the station, where the burned out hulks of two vehicles set ablaze in the fighting remained.

Police officer Dalmar Mohamed Hassan said two officers and five insurgents died in the attack Thursday when Islamist fighters fired rocket-propelled grenades and heavy submachine guns. Three other insurgents were captured, he said.

However, Islamist spokesman Abdirahim Issa Adow said fighters killed eight police and one Islamist fighter died and two were wounded.

The raid on the police headquarters came a day after insurgents attacked Ethiopian military convoys in two rural areas, and the soldiers responded by opening fire on civilians in both towns. Witnesses said at least 17 villagers were killed.

It was not known how many Ethiopians died in that fighting. Ethiopia, which sent troops into Somalia last year to back up soldiers fighting Islamic insurgents, does not make troop fatalities public, though insurgents said one of their regional commanders was killed.

The increase in violence comes the week after U.S. fighter jets bombed the house of the alleged al-Qaida leader in Somalia, killing him and 24 others, mostly civilians. Islamist fighters have vowed to avenge the death of Hashi Aden Ayro, commander of the powerful al-Shabab militia that is leading the Islamist insurgency.

___

Associated Press writer Mohamed Sheikh Nor contributed to this report.