'AU firing' kills dozens of Somalis

Somali officials say at least 18 people died after African Union troops opened fire in response to a roadside bomb targeting their convoy in southern Mogadishu.

However, the peacekeeping force's spokesman denied the charge.

Yusuf Dhumal, a police commander, said the troops killed the civilians when they opened fired in response to the blast.

"I counted 18 dead civilians who were killed by them after spraying fire on the buses," he told the AFP news agency.

Abdifatah Shaweye, deputy mayor of Mogadishu, said more than 20 civilians were killed in the shooting.

"The African Union forces committed mass killings today after an explosion hit their convoy. The number of innocent civilians they killed after the explosion exceeded 20," he said.

Major Bahuko Baridgye, a spokesman for the AU forces, denied the charges and said that three civilians died in the explosion that also wounded four others.

"The information we got indicates that three civilians died in the explosion and one of our soldiers was lightly injured. The vehicle was also slightly damaged," Bridgye told AFP.

"Our forces did not open fire on people."