( CNN ) -- Clashes between Somalia 's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia left 103 people dead and 420 others wounded , Somali officials said Friday . The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days . The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days , said Farhan Ali Mohamud , information minister of the Somali government . Human rights groups deplored the high number of casualties , urging both sides to comply with international law in respect to the civilian population . Thousands of families have fled the capital , Mogadishu , seeking a safer environment in camps south of the city . `` The people of Somalia have once again been subjected to unbearable violence , '' said Pascal Mauchle , head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Somalia . `` The daily struggle for survival is exhausting their capacity to cope . '' Humanitarian groups expressed concern , too , that Somalis will not have access to medical care . The international medical agency Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to close an outpatient clinic in Mogadishu to ensure safety for its staff . `` With so few medical facilities available in Somalia , it is crucial that people are able to access those that are still functioning , '' said Alfonso Laguna , head of the agency in the region . The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia law , or Islamic law , the spokesman said . Somalia 's new President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has recently approved implementing sharia law , but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form . A spokesman for the rebel group said it has recruited many fighters for the battle against the government . `` It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government . There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us , '' said Sheikh Hassan Ya'qub , a spokesman for al-Shabaab . Abdiraman Abdi Shakur Warsame , minister of international cooperation for Somalia 's transitional government , issued a stern warning to the rebels in an address to a young audience celebrating Somali youth day at the capital . `` The government is determined to defend itself from these religious gangs who are covering in the name of Islam and I assure you that in the course of coming days , we will eliminate these elements and some of them will be forced out of the country , '' Warsame said . The U.S. Embassy in Kenya released a statement about the fighting . `` The extremists who are instigating these attacks have no regard for the well-being of Somalis and are undermining the peaceful efforts of the legitimate government to further national reconciliation , '' the statement said . `` The United States is particularly disturbed at reports that foreign fighters and those who rejected dialogue in 2006 are participating in this effort to forcibly remove a legitimate Somali government from power . '' Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report .
Government forces are fighting a rebel group in Mogadishu 's capital , Somalia . Muslim officials say hundreds people have been killed , 103 more wounded . Rebel fighters want a stricter form of sharia law introduced in Somalia . Fighting started in early May , rebels say they 're recruiting more supporters .