Scores were injured in the clashes, which broke out in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital [Reuters]

According to witnesses, clashes broke out on Thursday after fighters launched mortar bombs at the city's international airport, as Sharif Ahmed, the country's president, flew out of the country.

Ali Muse, head of Mogadishu's ambulance services, told the AFP news agency it was "the worst such incident recently" in the city.

"Heavy shelling was hitting civilian populated areas, including Bakara market, Holwadag and Hodan," he said.

Peacekeepers from the African Union mission in Somalia are reported to have fired back in response to the attack.

Sharif, who was heading to Uganda for an African Union summit, was not hurt in the clashes, sources told news agencies.

Fighting in Somalia has killed 19,000 civilians since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.5 million from their homes.

Al-Shabab, a powerful group of fighters with suspected links to al-Qaeda, and a political group called Hezb al-Islam are now fighting to overthrow the fragile UN-backed government.

The groups control much of southern and central Somalia, and want to impose their version of sharia (Islamic law) in the country.

Somalia has seen more than 15 transitional governments come and go since civil war broke out in 1992.

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