Mogadishu - An African Union peacekeeper died and two others were injured Monday after a roadside bomb exploded in South Mogadishu, a spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said.

"An AMISOM convoy of Ugandan soldiers come under attack - one of our soldiers died and two were wounded," Major Barieye Bahuko told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

However, local resident Ahmed Mohamed told dpa that he saw the bodies of five peacekeepers on the ground.

Mogadishu  - Outspoken Somali lawmaker Mohamed Osman Maye was shot dead outside a mosque near the seat of Somalia's parliament in the town of Baidoa by unidentified armed men late Tuesday, witnesses said.

"Maye was shot dead by several bullets to the head as he was coming out of the mosque" witness Dahir Ali Muse told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "He died on the spot in front of the mosque."

Maye was an associate of President Abdullahi Yusuf. He was also a member of an association of Somali minority clans in Banadir and lower Shabelle region.

Nairobi, Mogadishu  - The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah on Saturday condemned the killing of civilians, as Islamic insurgents seized a major town after a bloody battle.

Over 50 died, hundreds were injured and thousands forced to flee as Islamic insurgent group al-Shabaab seized control of the strategic port of Kismayo, which lies around
500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab took over the city on Friday after three days of bloody battles with local clan militia that saw businesses shut down and bodies littering the street.

"The Islamic Courts and al-Shabaab control Kismayo," clan elder Abdi Bashi told Mogadishu-based Radio Garowe.

Nairobi/Mogadishu - Over 50 people have died and thousands have fled after three days of heavy fighting in the Somali port town of Kismayo, reports said Friday.

According to the online portal of Somali radio station Garowe, fighting broke out on Wednesday after a landmine targeted local clan militia travelling in a truck.

Islamic insurgent group al-Shabaab is believed to be attempting to seize the strategic port from the local clan that controls the town, which lies around 500 kilometres south of Mogadishu.

Garowe said that bodies were lying in the streets and that businesses remained closed as fighting raging throughout the town.

Nairobi, Mogadishu - Somali pirates have hijacked a Japanese tanker and an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden just two days after a Malaysian ship was seized, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said Thursday.

The BBC quoted IMB head Noel Choong as telling reporters in Kuala Lumpar that the ships were seized on Thursday morning.

There are believed to be around 20 crew onboard the Japanese ship while the number onboard the Iranian vessel is unknown.

Nairobi/Mogadishu - Pirates have hijacked a Malaysian tanker with over 20 crew members on board in the Gulf of Aden, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre said Wednesday.

The body said that the ship, which is carrying crude palm oil, is thought to be heading into Somali coast waters.

A ransom demand is expected to be issued soon.

Piracy off Somalia's lawless coast has surged in the last three months. Prior to the latest attack, the IMB said that eight vessels had been attacked in the region and issued a fresh warning for the Gulf of Aden.

A general cargo ship was hijacked on August 12, and is currently being held for ransom along with its 28 crew, the IMB said.