Clashes broke out Saturday between the federal army of the Comoros Islands and followers of Anjouan leader Mohamed Bacar, with two troops wounded, a federal source said.
   
"The target of the operation was the Domoni police station in Anjouan so as to free political prisoners," said the source.
   
Bacar rebelled against President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi and the African Union after they had ordered him not to hold local presidential elections last year, in which he was proclaimed winner.
   
Violence came to a head Saturday after AU troops launched an offensive on the rebel isle of Anjouan.
   
One soldier suffered an arm injury and another had a minor foot injury, according to the same source.
   
Bacar has been governing Anjouan since March 2002, but his re-election in July 2007 was not recognised by the Comoros Union, led by Sambi, or the AU.
   
Each of the three islands comprising the federal Union of Comoros -- Grand Comore, Anjouan and Moheli -- has its own government. However, they have been shaken by a total of 19 coups or attempted coups since independence in 1975.
   
On Friday, a fishing boat with around 50 soldiers left Moheli for Anjouan. The situation in Moheli was still tense on Saturday with young people pouring into the streets to celebrate the "end of Mohamed Bacar".