Witnesses in Somalia's capital say at least 10 people are dead following a clash between Islamist insurgents and Ugandan peacekeepers late Monday.

Residents say insurgents attacked the peacekeepers' base in Mogadishu's KM4 area, setting off heavy exchanges of gunfire and mortar rounds.

Witnesses say at least eight civilians died in the crossfire. Barigye Bahouku, a spokesman for the peacekeepers says the troops killed two of the attackers.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ugandan troops make up the bulk of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The force of 2,000 has had little effect on the fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian troops backing the Somali interim government.

The fighting has killed thousands of Somalis over the past 18 months and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

A recent U.N.-organized conference meant to reconcile the government and Islamist opposition leaders based in Eritrea ended with no breakthrough.

The insurgency has frustrated the government's attempts to assert control over Somalia, which has not had a stable central government since 1991.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.