MOGADISHU, Somalia, October 17, SPA -- At least eight civilians and one policeman died in the Somali capital during an hour-longbattle between insurgents and policemen, saidresidents and the police on Wednesday, adding it was theheaviest fighting in weeks in this violence-wracked city. The civilians killed during the late Tuesday battle diedwhen mortars crashed into their houses during fighting thatbegan when 100 insurgents blasted a police station in thesouth of Mogadishu with heavy machine-guns and rocketpropelled grenades, residents were quoted as saying by the Associated Press. Gen. Yusuf Osman Hussein, director of police operations inMogadishu, denied the insurgents seized the station, sayingpolicemen repelled «elements of peace-haters» and lostone of their colleagues during the fighting.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/491009