Mogadishu - At least 18 people were killed and 23 wounded on Tuesday by interclan fighting in the Elbur district of central Somalia, elders contacted by radio said.

The fighting engaged the Murursade sub-clan against the Duduble, both from the major Hawiye clan, according to one of the elders.

Militia commanders and elders in the Somali capital also confirmed the fighting, which was instigated by a land dispute.

"The Murursade and Duduble fighters used battlewagons, heavy and small machineguns and rocket propelled grenades for the battle," Mohamed Musa, a radio communication centre owner told AFP.

He added that half of the victims were civilians.
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