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Ethiopian and Somaliland forces attack ONLF forces in Awdal

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RuralMan08
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Ethiopian and Somaliland forces attack ONLF forces in Awdal

Postby RuralMan08 » Tue Sep 14, 2010 12:49 pm

BORAMA (Somalilandpress) — According to local eyewitnesses a heavy war erupted between the Ethiopian troops and ONLF rebels near the Somaliland border on Tuesday and has displaced many in near by towns and villages.

An eyewitness told Somalilandpress that the clashes began midday in the Mar-mar mountains in Awdal region close to the Ethiopian border after the militants were surrounded.

They added the Somaliland army have also arrived in the region and is backing the Ethiopian army – each army is said to be shelling the militants from its side of the border.

No casualties have been reported but Ethiopia and Somaliland have vowed to eliminate the group from their regions.

According to the Interior Minister, Dr. Mohamed Abdi Gabose two boats carrying an estimated 240-300 fighters arrived in the ancient coastal town of Zeila last Friday. The men were then smuggled across Somaliland by three lorries pretending to be carrying food products. He added the Somaliland police captured five men who separated from the group and seized weapons, Eritrean money, communication equipment and training manuals that were in Somali and Amharic.

Dr Gabose added the men, who belong to the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) received their training in Eritrea and were on their way to the Somali region of Ethiopia to battle the Ethiopian military.

Ethiopia has since moved heavily armed battalions near the Somaliland border and the two sides are exchanging information of where about the the militants are.

The militants have since separated into three different groups and one is already been trapped with heavy artillery from the Ethiopian forces. Eyewitnesses say, local people have also fled to the Somaliland side and are making their way to near by towns.

It’s unclear how long the war will last but Somaliland’s commander of the armed forces said the conflict will be concluded within two-three days.

This embarrassment for Somaliland comes weeks after Ethiopia expressed concern about a number of cabinet ministers whom Ethiopia suspects are linked to Somalia’s hard-line al-Shabab. This latest hick-up will further strain relations between Addis Ababa and the new administration in Hargeisa.

People in Somaliland can not understand how such a large force could easily land inside Somaliland’s territory. This is now a major security blow for the regime.

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Re: Ethiopian and Somaliland forces attack ONLF forces in Aw

Postby EEGA9 » Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:44 pm

This is nonsense ONLF is not in Awdal.Its becoming quite ridiculous.
Somaliland Interior Minister Dr Mohamed Abdi Gabose told reporters Monday that the ONLF ethnic Somali rebels who are fighting against Ethiopia's government were being searched for by Somaliland security forces in Awdal region, at a mountain range where the international borders of Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti intersect.


Somaliland officials claim that the group of ONLF fighters, who reportedly number between 200 and 700 men according to conflicting reports, landed secretly at Zeila coast in Awdal region of northwestern Somalia (present-day Somaliland).

Dr Gabose, the Somaliland government's interior minister, alleged that the suspected ONLF rebels were "trained in Eritrea."

But a senior member of ONLF who identified himself as the rebel group's deputy commander told Mogadishu-based radio stations that "no ONLF fighters are trained in Eritrea." He also denied that any ONLF fighters landed in Somaliland.

Some Somaliland-based media agencies have reported that fighting broke out in the mountain area, but these reports have not been independently verified. Inside sources say the reports of fighting could be an attempt to "save face" for the performance of Somaliland security forces.
Ethiopian troops arrive

Somaliland-based Jamhuuriya newspaper has reported that a force of 1,000-strong Ethiopian troops has entered parts of Awdal region in northwestern Somalia (Somaliland) to conduct military search operations in the mountain range.

There are reports saying that the group of suspected ONLF fighters have "already crossed into Ethiopia," where the ONLF has waged an insurgency since 1984 and is seeking self-determination for the Somali-inhabited Ogaden region of southeastern Ethiopia.


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