At least 15 people were killed Thursday in fighting between rival clans in central Somalia, officials and residents said.
"There were brutal killings between two clan militias" in Deefow, 35 kilometres south west of Baladwayne, the capital of Hiiraan province, senior government official Abdi Ali told the DPA.
More than 20 fighters and civilians were injured. Several houses were set on fire, while hundreds of people fled the area, officials and witnesses said.
"It is all based on land disputes, with each clan claiming ownership of disputed land and farms," local elder Ahmed Jama told dpa by telephone.
Government troops that had been present in the area tried to stop the clashes. More troops will be sent to the area, Ali said.
The Somalian population is divided into clans and sub-clans that often engage in territorial disputes.