Ethiopan army in Somalia
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:57 am
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Witnesses say hundreds of Ethiopian troops have crossed the border and seized control of a central Somali town from Islamist insurgents.
Saturday morning's incursion into the strategically important town of Belet Weyne is the first time Ethiopian troops have seized territory in war-ravaged Somalia since leaving the country as part of a peace deal in January. The Islamist insurgency had used the presence of Ethiopian Christian troops on Somali soil as a propaganda tool to recruit fighters.
Local resident Abdinur Ahmed Maow said the Islamist forces left without a fight.
The Somali government military commander in the region denied the Ethiopians were present. General Muqtar Hassan Afrah said only Somali troops were in the town.
Saturday morning's incursion into the strategically important town of Belet Weyne is the first time Ethiopian troops have seized territory in war-ravaged Somalia since leaving the country as part of a peace deal in January. The Islamist insurgency had used the presence of Ethiopian Christian troops on Somali soil as a propaganda tool to recruit fighters.
Local resident Abdinur Ahmed Maow said the Islamist forces left without a fight.
The Somali government military commander in the region denied the Ethiopians were present. General Muqtar Hassan Afrah said only Somali troops were in the town.