Abdullahi Yusuf, the interim Somali president, has moved to Mogadishu, a day afterparliament voted to relocate the government from Baidoa to the capital.  

The president immediately left the airport on Tuesday afterflying in, the base for 1,200 African Union troops that have just arrived from Uganda, and thetarget of recent mortar attacks. 

Salad Jelle, the deputy defence minister, said on Tuesday:"The president's office will be fully operational in Mogadishu from today and all other ministersand government officials will follow suit.

"Every minister will set up his offices in thecapital," he said. 

"From what you see on the ground, Ethiopian and Somalitroops are at every junction, so the president can safely get toVilla Somalia [the presidential residence]," Jelle said.

The Somali interim government overwhelmingly voted on Mondayto relocate from the provincial town of Baidoato Mogadishu,where fighters have stepped up guerrilla-style attacks in recent weeks, killingdozens of civilians.

But the move is pegged on the government's ability torestore stability there.

So far, attacks have continued, with Mogadishu residents onMonday reporting at least one dead and five injured after a gun battle sparkedby an attack on Ethiopian forces.

The incident was the latest in a string of attacks sinceJanuary when joint Ethiopian-Somali forces ousted the powerful Union ofIslamic Courts movement from the country's southern and central regions. 

The six-month AU mission aims to deploy about 8,000 troopsto enable Ethiopian forces to leave and Somali forces to take over security.