AU troops patrol Mogadishu

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African Union peacekeeping troops have patrolled Mogadishu for the first time since they arrived in the Somali capital in March.

Their deployment onto the city's streets on Tuesday came after the government said it had defeated armed rebels in several weeks of heavy fighting that killed at least 1,300 people and sparked a massive refugee exodus.

Ugandan troops in a convoy of 30 armoured vehicles and trucks rolled through the clash-hit areas of northern Mogadishu in what they described as an effort to boost local confidence in them.

The AU troops are supposed to take over security from Ethiopian troops now backing the interim government.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FEB8BCDE-EF9F-4458-B335-81FB1B6D639B.htm