Ethiopian and Somali forces killed three civilians and wounded five others after a failed hand grenade attack, and police killed two civilians after two police officers were shot dead, witnesses said.

Meanwhile an Islamist website posted pictures of a man who allegedly carried out the suicide attack on the prime minister.

The grenade attack was the second failed strike Monday on Ethiopian-Somali troops in the northern district of Huriwa.

"Immediately after the grenade was thrown at the Ethiopian-Somali convoy, they opened heavy fire in the direction it came from," witness Ahmed Ismail told AFP.

It was unclear who carried out the attack but many civilians had been standing at a nearby bus stop and small roadside market, he said.

"The three died immediately after the troops opened fire and their bodies have been collected by local elders," said witness Abdullahi Daud.

Ethiopian and Somali forces were not immediately available for comment.

In southern Mogadishu, a gunman shot dead two policemen during an operation to disarm civilians in the Bakara market area, and police shot dead two civilians after the attack, witnesses said.

"A policeman was shot dead by a man who was armed with a pistol and minutes later another policemen tried to arrest the man and he killed him too," said witness Ahmed Nur Ali.

Police reinforcements arrived shortly after the attack and opened fire, killing two civilians, he said.

"I have seen the bodies of the two civilians carried on a wheelbarrow," said Bashir Mohamed, another witness.

Police sealed off the area and the attacker escaped, he added.

Government and United Nations officials, African Union peacekeeping troops and Ethiopian soldiers have been targeted in a growing number of Iraq-style homemade bomb and suicide attacks, mainly in the seaside capital.

An Islamist website on Monday posted a picture of a man who they claimed carried out the suicide car bomb attack on the prime minister's Mogadishu compound the previous day, killing six security guards.

The Al-Mujahid website, used in the past by fighters from the ousted Islamic Courts Union (ICU), said it would later provide further information and a video of the attack.

Prime Minister Gedi, whose interim government is struggling to control the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, blamed the attack on Al-Qaeda.

"The terrorists are still hiding in the country, particularly in Mogadishu, to carry out violent actions like this. We will crack down on them and we will no longer give them a chance to hide in the community," Gedi told journalists at his compound on Monday.

The attacks followed a deadly weekend assault in northeastern Somalia by security forces and a US warship against Islamist extremists with suspected links to Al-Qaeda.

Ethiopian troops helped Somali forces drive out the ICU at the start of the year and in March and April fought heavy battles with Islamist sympathisers and clan fighters on the streets of Mogadishu.

Somalia plunged into lawlessness with the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and more than a dozen attempts to restore central authority have since failed.

Source: AFP, June 04, 2007

sahalsiidi @ 6/5/2007 11:08 AM EST  Adamjama, you can have your account and twist it any way you want it. I don't believe the UIC had achieved anything tangible, except short time Flogging and beating of the public and kicking the ass of the warlords that they had war with, killing many civilians in Mogadishu and creating new IDP, my accounts on them is how I anaylized their short sightedness of the situations they have put on themselves. Bro you can give your opinion without being a bigot, just be a man.

Aaisha1 @ 6/4/2007 8:49 PM EST  Allah is Preparing us for Victory

adamjama @ 6/4/2007 8:08 PM EST  WARYAA ILEEN BEEN IYO MUNAAFAQNIMO LAGAMA GABOOBO: Markaan qoraalka iga hooseeya akhriyey waxaa soo xasuustay Idaacadii wareegeysan jirtay ee Qurmis uu ina Yeey ka soo baahin jiray Adis Abeba(1978-1986). Waxyaabaha ay ku hadli jireen nimankaas iyo naagahaas, dadkii oo dhan baa intuu ka yaq-yaqsaday ayaa loo bixiyey Qurmis. Iyadoo ah idaacad meel ku taal oo Mengistu siiyey si ay tashwiish ugu furaan qaranka Soomaaliyeed ayey dhihi jireen Idaacadeena kulmis way wareegeeysataa oo maalin walba gobol Soomaliya ku yaal ayaan ka soo hadleynaa. Waxay dhihi jireen waxaan miig ku soo degney Caabud-waaq, waxaan dhawaan qabsaneynaa gobolada Mudug iyo bari. Markii danbe Mengistu laftiisii ayaa naga aamusiiyey intuu ina yeey xiray sanadii 1986. Addunka oo dhan(UN, AU, Arab league, even Global coalition against pirates) ayaa isku raacay in maxkamadihii islaamiga ay xasiliyeen nabadii xamar laga waayey 16 sano, sababta kaliya ay arrintaas ugu guuleysteena waxay ahay iyagoo fahmay inta hal war lord xamar joogo inayan dageynin. Zenawi ayaa xitaa qirtay inay xamar dejiyeen laakiin ay khatar ku ahaayeen dalkiisa. Waxa aakhirka fhashilin doona TFG ma aha Islamists, waa war lordskii ay dhabarkooda ku soo ceshadeen ileen weey isleeyihiin oo waa isku xulufo ilaa yowmu diin. Waxaan aad ugu faraxsanay in dadka taariikhda qoraa ayan dhegeeysan idaacada wareegeysata ee qurmis ee ay xaqiiqada ka hadlaan iyagoon u aaba yeeleynin cidii ka naxeysa iyo cidii ku farxeysa.....

sahalsiidi @ 6/4/2007 5:20 PM EST  Lixdii bilood ee Maxkamadaha maxaa ka dhigay in Muqdishu ay noqoto mid degen: 1) ayagoo ku mashquulsanaa dilida iyo gawraca dadka laga badan yahay, oo ayna aragagixiyeen Xamar 2) ayagoo ku mashquulsanaa garaacida haweenka, dadka muqaadaradka ku jira iyo wixii tabar lahayn 3) " " tababarada ay ka helaayeen aragagixisada addunka oo keneen Xamar 4) " " ku duulida iyo qabsashada meelo nabdoon, kana boodeen tolkooda meeshu joogay. 5) " " qafaalshada caruurta oo iskuulda dhigta iyo tababaridooda sidii ay isu midaamin lahayeen 6) " " geynta caruurtaas frontline ka, ayago qaarna ayba dagaalka gelin, laakiin siray caruurtaas kumankakun ah 7) " " hanjabaada deriskeena iyo addun weynaha 8) " " ku soo dhoweeynta araggixisada adduunka, gogolna u fidiyey kooxahaas baas 9) " " furida iyo dardar gelinta Dekedii weyneed iyo Airpoorkii, lacagihii canshuurahaasna ay jeebkooda gashteen, oo adeegyo ugu sameen shacabka xaqa u lahaa. 10) " " iclaaminta dagaal ay si doqonimo ah u abaabuleen, isla markaana ku dhawaaqay JIHAAAD ayagoon furinta joogin, oo ay na aadeen Baydhabo ayago caruurtii iska hormariyay, taasna waxay ahayd godkii ay gacmahooda ay ku qoteen, kuna dhaceen. This is the tale of the six months, what they have achieved.

anti-traitors @ 6/4/2007 4:59 PM EST  TheCleverOne arenot most Somali islamists or islam? What is the difinition of islamists?