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At least 16 civilians have been killed and more than 70 others wounded in mortar attacks in the Somali capital city of Mogadishu, officials say.

Several bombs struck the city's northern Suqa Holaha on Monday.

"At least 16 people died and 71 others were wounded in four districts of Mogadishu," Ali Yasin Gedi, the vice chairman of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization, told Reuters.

Clashes have killed at least 21,000 people in Somalia since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.5 million from their homes.

The local fighters have stepped up attacks against Somalia's UN-backed transitional government and African Union peacekeepers in order to topple the embattled government.

Somalia's main opposition fighters, al-Shabab, are the military off-shoot of the Council of Islamic Courts. They have been fighting the Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers in and around Mogadishu.

The Council of Islamic Courts came to power in 2006 after defeating Somali warlords. It was, however, forced out of power in 2007 through an Ethiopian invasion aided by the United States.