* 381 killed in 4 days of Somalia battles *

[sinemm]

Four days of fierce fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents has killed 381 people in Mogadishu, a local human rights organization said Monday, as the government warned residents to abandon their homes ahead of a new military offensive.

During a lull in the violence, civilians were told to leave insurgent-held areas in Mogadishu as Somalia's transitional government said it planned new attacks with Ethiopian troops, tanks and helicopters to crush insurgents, backed by the remnants of an Islamic group driven from power in December.

On foot, using donkey carts, cars and trucks they poured out of the ruined coastal city, joining the exodus of 47,000 people