Just 24 hours ago the Ethiopian government denied the presence of its troops in Somalia as such......
"It is absolutely not true, there are absolutely no troops in Somalia,"
said Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti. "People are simply speculating."
24 hours later..............
November 20th, 2011
Somalia's defense minister has confirmed Ethiopian troops are in Somalia to fight against Islamist al-Shabab militants.
Hussein Arab Issa told VOA Sunday the government welcomes anyone who will help fight against the al-Qaida-linked group. He said the Ethiopians will share intelligence and work alongside Somali government forces.
Residents in central Somalia told journalists they saw Ethiopian military convoys moving into the country on Saturday and Sunday.
Ethiopia has denied sending its forces across the border.
Last month, Kenya also sent troops into Somalia to fight against al-Shabab. Kenya has accused al-Shabab militants of crossing into Kenyan territory from Somalia and kidnapping several foreigners.
Al-Shabab has been fighting since 2008 to topple the weak central government. The group recently left the capital, Mogadishu, but still controls large sections of southern and central Somalia.
Ethiopian troops last entered Somalia in 2006 to defeat the Islamic Courts Union an administration of Islamist courts that rivaled the nascent Transitional Federal Government. That intervention was widely unpopular.
By AFP
Posted Saturday, November 19 2011 at 17:07
Several hundred Ethiopian troops crossed on Saturday into southern and central Somalia, local elders said, but Addis Ababa dismissed the reports as "absolutely not true."
"There are several hundred Ethiopian troops here in lorries and some armoured vehicles too," said elder Abdi Ibrahim Warsame, speaking by telephone from Gurel town, in Somalia's central Galgudud region.
Ethiopian forces were also reported in the Hiran region at the town of Beletweyne, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) into Somalia, an area contested by Islamist Shebab rebels and pro-government militia.
"They are here, the Ethiopian soldiers in trucks have reached Beletweyne
with many forces," said elder Ahmed Liban. "The Shebab in the area are pulling back, away from them."
But Ethiopia dismissed the reports outright.
"It is absolutely not true, there are absolutely no troops in Somalia,"
said Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti. "People are simply speculating."
Small numbers of Ethiopian forces have been reported operating in Somali border regions in the recent past, but witnesses said the scale of troop movements was this time far larger.
If confirmed, it would be Addis Ababa's first large scale incursion since it invaded Somalia in 2006 with US backing.
Ethiopia pulled out three years later after failing to restore order in its lawless neighbour, which has lacked a functioning government for two decades.
The Galgudud area is largely under the control of an anti-Shebab militia called Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa, factions of which have close ties with Ethiopia.
Ethiopian soldiers were reported to be up to 50 kilometres (30 miles) inside Somalia in that area.
No comments:
Post a Comment