By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN and SALAD DUHUL – 3 hours ago

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Fighting between Somali government troops and Islamic insurgents killed 53 people in one day in Mogadishu, a human rights group said Saturday. Residents reported that the operation had failed to dislodge the insurgents.

Ali Sheik Yasi, the deputy chairman of Elman Human Rights Organization, said 181 people were wounded during Friday's government offensive in Mogadishu. Elman collates casualty figures based on interviews with health officials, morgues and witnesses.

More than 150 people have been killed since the latest round of fighting began two weeks ago.

Hassan Mahdi, a spokesman for the insurgent alliance known as the Islamic Party, said government soldiers tried to push the insurgents away from neighborhoods they had recently gained but the Islamists retained their positions.

Resident Abdi Haji said there was no fighting on Saturday but the insurgents appeared to be still in control.

The government was not immeadiately available for comment.

The latest violence in Somalia began two weeks ago when the insurgents captured several strategic locations in Mogadishu. The two main Islamist insurgent groups, the Islamic Party and al-Shabab, formed an alliance a month ago. Although the two groups have differing aims they agreed to work together to overthrow Somalia's new government, headed by their former ally President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed.

They consider Ahmed a traitor for signing a peace deal with the previous administration which paved the way for him to become president.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a socialist dictator then turned on each other.

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