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Mogadishu besieged
Ethiopian-backed troops advanced on the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, but a Somali government envoy said they would not attack the Islamist stronghold. Ambassador Abdikarin Farah said the joint force of Ethiopian soldiers and government fighters would besiege Mogadishu until the Islamists laid down their arms. "We are not going to fight for Mogadishu to avoid civilian casualties. Our troops will surround Mogadishu until they surrender," Farah told reporters in Addis Ababa. Earlier, pro-government forces seized Jowhar, a key southern town from their Islamist rivals in the closest battle yet to the religious movement's base. Many residents left their houses to cheer the victors, backed by Ethiopian tanks, who pursued the Islamists as sporadic gunfire echoed in the air. Farah said pro-government troops then took Balad, just 30 km (18 miles) north of Mogadishu on the road from Jowhar. The rapid offensive came hours after Ethiopia, defending the Somali interim government, said it was halfway to crushing the Islamists, heightening fears its next step would be to use air strikes and ground troops to seize the capital. Posted by: Fred 2006-12-27 |
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