Tanks pound Somali rebels

Ethiopian tanks and artillery shelled an insurgent stronghold in north Mogadishu today, as ceasefire talks floundered and rumours spread that a top Islamic rebel had arrived in the capital.

The heavy weapons fire was in support of Somali government troops attempting to clear insurgents from a neighbourhood known for housing Islamic radicals. A missile slammed through the roof of a nearby children's hospital packed with wounded civilians late yesterday.