Witnesses in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, say at least three people have died in a pair of attacks on government forces.

Wounded civilian gestures as he is brought to the local hospital in Mogadishu, 04 Oct 2007

The witnesses say two civilians died Thursday when unknown attackers threw a hand grenade at government troops patrolling the Bakara market. They say the troops opened fire after the blast. At least three people were wounded.

In a separate incident, a Somali soldier was killed when assailants hurled grenades at a joint Somali-Ethiopian patrol in south Mogadishu.

The huge Bakara market has often been the scene of clashes between insurgents and Somali government forces.

Mogadishu has been plagued by almost-daily violence since January, shortly after the government and its Ethiopian backers ousted a rival Islamist movement from power in the capital.

The clashes have killed hundreds of people and hampered efforts by the transitional government to assert its authority.

Somalia has not had a stable central government since warlords ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

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