Six Dead, Dozen Wounded in Attacks
ONLF Forces
At least 6 people, among them fighters, were killed and more than 10 others wounded late on Friday when the ASWJ forces fought with the Ethiopian rebel group Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in Lasanod village of central Somalia, ASWJ officials said on Saturday.
The clashes started on Thursday when a group of armed ONLF fighters came face-to-face with ASWJ troops. The fighting went on for almost an hour, officials said.
“Any time they cross the border they carry out brutal attacks and torture the residents accusing them of spying for ASWJ and Ethiopia government," Sheikh Abdihakim Lugey, an officials with the ASWJ in Balanbale town told Somalia Report.
Residents said the rebels have recently been terrorizing Somali locals living near the border with Ethiopia.
“Although there are so many challenges that we are facing from both TFG and al-Shabaab in the region, we are happy that our brave forces killed 4 ONLF militia and we will continue hunting down the ONLF rebel group," he added.
ASWJ officials warned the people living in the villages near the border with Ethiopia to be wary of the intruders.
It is not the first time that the ASWJ and ONLF militia have engaged in fighting in central Somalia. Over the recent past, the Ethiopian rebel group has been crossing the border into Somalia eliciting reprisal attacks from the ASWJ forces.
