Hundreds of Ethiopian troops backing Somali government forces drove out hardline Islamist fighters from a town in central Somalia, officials and witnesses said late on Saturday.The al-Shabab rebels took control of parts of Beledweyn, a town near the Ethiopian border, on August 20 in retaliation for an offensive by pro-government fighters on their strongholds.
" It's true that our forces advanced on the other part of the town with the backing of several hundred Ethiopian armed forces "Gedi Mohamed, a Somali army commander |
Ethiopian troops in heavily armored vehicles had crossed into central Somalia early on Saturday, witnesses said, taking control of Baladwayne town and advancing on Islamist insurgent positions in the area.
The strategic town is a stronghold of the militant group al-Shabaab, which the United States--Ethiopia's ally in the Horn of Africa--accuses of being al-Qaeda's proxy in the country.
Battles have been raging across central and southern Somalia in recent weeks as pro-government militias try to seize territory back from Shabaab and another rebel group, Hizbul Islam.
Residents said gunfire broke out in Baladwayne on Saturday as Ethiopian troops arrived alongside Somali government forces.
"At about dawn, hundreds of Ethiopian troops entered the town from different directions and we heard sporadic gunshots," resident Hassan Farah told Reuters by telephone.
Officials in Addis Ababa routinely deny that Ethiopian soldiers are on Somali soil, although they say they are providing security advice and training for Somalia's forces.
Ethiopia invaded its Horn of Africa neighbor with tacit U.S. support at the end of 2006 to oust an Islamist movement that was running the capital Mogadishu and much of the south.
The Ethiopian military officially withdrew in January, and Somali government leaders declined to comment on reports of their return. Local residents in Baladwayne said Ethiopian forces had been camped a few kilometers (miles) away for months.