10 peacekeepers killed in Somalia battle

The African force protecting Somalia's government acknowledged on Friday at least 10 of its troops had been killed in battle in Mogadishu and said the true toll could still climb, after rebels showed dozens of bodies. East African officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the deteriorating situation in Somalia, five days after troops from Kenya poured across the border in pursuit of kidnappers it says are linked to Somalia's al-Shabaab rebels.
The Kenyan military said its forces had taken two towns, but a spokesman for a militia allied with the government in Mogadishu said the advance had been stalled by heavy rain. Somalia's Western-backed government has claimed victories this year in the capital against al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked rebel movement fighting to impose a strict form of Islamic law.
But Shabaab fighters still hold some districts of the capital. Thursday saw a heavy battle in the capital's Daynile district. Al Shabaab displayed dozens of bodies in army fatigues to journalists late on Thursday, saying they were AU soldiers killed in the latest fighting in the capital. Reuters television filmed militants tossing some bodies out of a truck. A Reuters photographer counted 76 bodies, some of whom had helmets and flak jackets laid out nearby.
The African Union peace force, made up mainly of 9,000 troops from Burundi and Uganda that defend the Mogadishu government, initially called the claims that large numbers of its troops were killed "propaganda". However, it acknowledged on Friday taking casualties.
"As was to be expected, given Daynile's significance, the operation has encountered heavy resistance but steady progress is being made," AU force commander Major General Fred Mugisha said in a statement. The statement said at least 10 of the force's soldiers had been killed and two were missing, adding: "As the operation is ongoing, the mision has been unable to provide final casualty figures at this stage."
Burundi said at least six of its soldiers in the peacekeeping force had been killed. A Somali military official said more than 10 Somali government soldiers were missing. A senior Burundian military official said 11 Burundi peacekeepers were missing. Both officials asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the operation.