Helicopters dropped several bombs Thursday near an insurgentstronghold in Somalia'scapital, just hours after a gunbattle killed at least six people, witnessessaid.

"Two helicopters flew over us. One was making a surveillance and theother one was dropping several bombs," said Qoje Omar Gesey, a resident ofthe capital. He said the bombs fell near a former market in northern Mogadishu.

Earlier Thursday, at least six people were killed in a fresh skirmishesbetween Ethiopian troops supporting the fragile Somali government andinsurgents, residents said. The dead were believed to be civilians.

The UN estimates that 40,000 people have fled Mogadishu since February.