Fourteen dead as peacekeepers battle militants in Somali capital

Residents transport a man wounded in crossfire during fighting between Somali government forces, backed by African Union troops, and Islamist militants in Madina District of Somalia's capital Mogadishu August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - African peacekeepers and Somali troops battled militants in a suburb of Mogadishu on Friday, launching a joint offensive that killed at least 14 people, police said.

The attack was part of an armed campaign by government forces and African Union peacekeepers in response to a recent surge in gun and bomb attacks in Mogadishu by militias, primarily the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group.