3 Americans Injured in Somali Clash

MOGADISHU, Somalia —  Two missiles slammed into one of Mogadishu’s main hospitals Monday and three U.S. soldiers were hurt in fresh clashes between U.N. peacekeepers and Somali gunmen.

A U.N. spokesman, however, denied reports that U.S. peacekeepers had died in the fighting.

“No U.N. or U.S. soldiers have been killed,” Maj. David Stockwell said. “We had three U.S. soldiers wounded and all three are in stable condition in our hospital.”

Somali scouts working for Western news organizations had reported earlier that four U.S. soldiers had died in a dawn gun battle.

Supporters of fugitive warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid said 65 Somalis were killed in the shootout.

But foreign journalists who visited Benadir hospital, where a missile destroyed what was left of the operating theater, said they saw only one dead Somali.

Fighting appeared to have broken out during a weapons search by U.N. troops.

The United Nations denied that the Benadir hospital was hit by missiles fired by U.S. helicopters.