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Somalia: As Ethiopian Troops Expand Into New Regions, Islamists Retake Town
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Garowe Online (Garowe)
11 April 2008
Posted to the web 14 April 2008
Garowe
Ethiopian armed forced deployed in southern and central Somalia have expanded into new regions after a series of towns fell under the control of the country's Islamist rebels.
On Friday, an Ethiopian army contingent reached the town of 'Adado, in the central Galgadud region. Locals said it was the first time Ethiopian troops came to the area since the December 2006 invasion.
The Ethiopian troops in 'Adado town were dispatched from bases along the Somali-Ethiopian border in response to a deadly takeover of 'Adado by Islamist insurgents last week, security sources said.
More than 15 Somali government soldiers were killed during the Islamist raid on 'Adado, with the guerrillas confiscating many valuable items including armored trucks before withdrawing voluntarily.
The commanding officers held talks with 'Adado district officials and local clan elders, where the troop commanders stated that their sole aim is to find insurgent hideouts.
Similarly in southern Somalia, Ethiopian troops backed by tens of armored vehicles reached the town of Jowhar, the provincial capital of Middle Shabelle region located 90km from the national capital Mogadishu.
The troops were dispatched from bases in Mogadishu and from the town of Bulo Burte, which is located northwest of Jowhar in the central region of Hiran. Ethiopian soldiers have been in Bulo Burte since last week, when Islamist fighters took over the town.
According to sources in Jowhar, the Ethiopian contingent set up base at a small airstrip located 10km north of the town.
Locals in the towns of 'Adado and Jowhar said the Ethiopian soldiers did not meet any armed resistance during the separate military operations.
But an independent journalist in Bulo Burte town told Garowe Online that heavily-armed Islamist gunmen retook control of the town hours after the Ethiopian troops withdrew towards Jowhar.
Journalist Abdirahman Mohamed Maalin said the Islamists' guerrilla commanders spoke to the people of Bulo Burte publicly, advising locals to "stay calm."
Tens of families have fled Bulo Burte after the town exchanged handed several times between Islamists and the government in recent weeks, according to the journalist.
In related news, Islamist rebels shot and killed six militiamen manning illegal checkpoints in the outskirts of Jowhar.
Somalia's rebels have waged a relentless insurgency against Somali and Ethiopian government troops for the past 15 months.
Most of the violence has been concentrated in Mogadishu, where thousands were killed and over half a million civilians displaced by the ongoing conflict.
But in recent weeks, the Islamist guerrillas have adapted a new phase of attacks centered primarily in regions outside Mogadishu.
They have successfully captured at least eight towns, including the capital cities of three regions.
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The Somali Transitional Federal Government lacks the military capacity to respond to these crises, so Ethiopian troops are deployed to face-off against rebels in the countryside while actively protecting the weak government in Mogadishu.
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