UN troops kill two in Somali shoot-out

military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu was attacked today.

Witnesses said no Pakistanis were killed in a heavy exchange of fire

which took place hours after the Security Council demanded its

peacekeeping troops in Somalia track down gunmen who shot dead at least

23 Pakistanis in weekend ambushes.

Tonight heavy gunfire erupted in central Mogadishu.

Residents said that a gun battle broke out near the K4 roundabout at

the city centre, which is near the headquarters of UN operations in

Somalia.

The gunfire lasted for up to 15 minutes but it was not clear what the

targets were or which forces were involved.

Earlier, television cameraman Mohamed Shaffi said US reinforcements

were sent to the Pakistani military compound and took up sniper

positions on top of nearby buildings.

''Somalis in a pick-up vehicle drove towards the barracks and suddenly

started firing. The Pakistanis returned fire and the vehicle careered

off the road,'' he said. ''Two Somalis lay dead on the road.''

Survivors, including women, took cover in nearby bushes and continued

to fire at the Pakistani troops, he added.

Mohamed Farah Aideed, the Mogadishu warlord blamed by most analysts

for the weekend violence, said he was disappointed by the Security

Council's unanimous vote to bring the perpetrators to justice.

''We are very disappointed the Security Council did not listen to our

side, only to that of Unosom (UN Operation in Somalia),'' he said.

Aideed called for a neutral investigation to be conducted by a

''neutral'' organisation.

The weekend death toll has risen to 23 after one of five Pakistani

soldiers captured in the fighting but released today later died of

gunshot wounds.

Earlier, helicopter gunships hovered low over Mogadishu where foreign

aid workers said UN troops were gearing up to go after Somali

militiamen, widely believed to come from Aideed's wing of the United

Somali Congress (USC).

The UN says Saturday's attack, one of the bloodiest in the history of

peacekeeping operations, was ''preconceived and pre-planned''.

Pakistani Brigadier General Ikram ul-Hassan, commander of Pakistani

troops in Somalia, said in an interview that the attack on his men was

''a well-conceived action''.

He declined to say what response United Nations forces in Mogadishu

would take, but confirmed that the multi-national force was building up

its military hardware.

The UN's special envoy for Somalia condemned the ''savage and

unprovoked'' attack against his men.

''A full investigation will be made into the affair and appropriate

steps will be taken against those responsible,'' said retired Admiral

Jonathan Howe in a radio broadcast.--Reuter.