Fighting erupts in northern Somalia

Reported fighting in Puntland. Could this be the beginning of the long-anticipated war? Also, protesters in the streets of Baidoa to protest last-minute attempts at negotiations with the Islamists.

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Islamic forces said their fighters clashed Monday with government militia backed by Ethiopian troops in northern Somalia, one of the few areas still outside their control.

Puntland officials denied any fighting took place, and Ethiopian officials repeated earlier denials that they have troops inside Somalia.

If confirmed, the clashes would mark the first fighting since peace talks collapsed amid fears that Somalia is on the brink of a war that could engulf the Horn of Africa region.

Meanwhile, demonstrators took to the streets in the southern Somali town of Baidoa — the base of the transitional government led by President Abdullahi Yusuf and virtually the only town it controls — to protest the decision by the country‘s most powerful lawmaker to negotiate with the courts.

Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden is considered sympathetic to the Islamic courts, which the United States accuses of having ties to al-Qaida. His decision to hold talks without the cooperation of the prime minister and president is a direct challenge to their authority. The trip comes days after the government‘s peace talks with the Islamists collapsed in Khartoum, Sudan.

By MOHAMED SHEIK NOR, Associated Press Writer