tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711557.post115345878649228964..comments2024-03-24T20:40:46.666-04:00Comments on Pan-African News Wire: Somali Leaders Demand Withdrawl of Ethiopian Troops From BaidoaPan-African News Wirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958190577776906688noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711557.post-1153610565725261632006-07-22T19:22:00.000-04:002006-07-22T19:22:00.000-04:00Ethiopia 'seizes new Somali town' The Islamists ...Ethiopia 'seizes new Somali town' <BR/><BR/>The Islamists control much of southern Somalia <BR/><BR/>Ethiopian troops have reportedly moved into another town in south-western Somalia, two days after entering the country to protect the weak government. <BR/><BR/>Eyewitnesses say about 200 Ethiopian soldiers took control of the airstrip outside Waajid early on Saturday. <BR/><BR/>There is no confirmation from either the Ethiopian or the Somali government. <BR/><BR/>The Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), a militia which controls the capital and much of the south, has vowed to drive out Ethiopian troops. <BR/><BR/>The Ethiopians moved into Somalia on Thursday and have been seen in Baidoa, where the beleaguered interim government is based. <BR/><BR/>'Holy war' <BR/><BR/>Eyewitnesses quoted by the Associated Press news agency say Ethiopian soldiers seized the airport at Waajid, about 70km (43 miles) to the north, before dawn on Saturday. <BR/><BR/>The town had been controlled by a local militia. It is unclear whether there was any fighting. <BR/><BR/>Other residents told Somali media that they had seen Ethiopian soldiers in the town centre. <BR/><BR/>The UIC has pledged to wage a "holy war" to drive out Ethiopian troops. <BR/><BR/>The Islamic militia drove the warlords from the capital, Mogadishu in June, saying they wanted to restore law and order. <BR/><BR/>The UIC has since consolidated its power over many parts of southern Somalia. <BR/><BR/>But Ethiopia is strongly opposed to the militia and has repeatedly warned that it will send its army into Somalia if the government is attacked. <BR/><BR/>Ethiopia has been a long-term ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf. <BR/><BR/>UIC leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has accused him of being "a servant of Ethiopia". <BR/><BR/>A UN report earlier this year said that Mr Aweys had been getting significant military aid from Ethiopia's rival, Eritrea - a claim Eritrea has denied. <BR/><BR/>Mr Aweys has denied US accusations that he and the UIC have links to al-Qaeda. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Ethiopia warns Somali Islamists <BR/><BR/>Friday 21 July 2006 7:54 AM GMT <BR/> <BR/>Islamists oppose the Ethiopian-backed Somali government <BR/><BR/>Ethiopia says it will "crush" the Somali Islamic courts group, a day after it threatened a holy war against Addis Ababa, which it accused of sending troops to protect Somalia's weak interim government. <BR/><BR/>Saturday's warning came as witnesses reported an incursion of Ethiopian troops into a second Somali town close to Baidoa, the seat of the country's UN-backed but toothless government, ostensibly to protect it from any advance by the Islamists. <BR/><BR/>Residents in the town of Wajid, some 100km south of the Somali-Ethiopian border, said about 250 heavily-armed Ethiopian soldiers arrived early in the day. <BR/><BR/>But a district official in Wajid denied the presence of the troops. <BR/><BR/>Ethiopia and the Somali government have denied any incursion by Addis Ababa's troops. <BR/><BR/>A Somali government spokesman said: "This is absolute propaganda from the Islamists. There are no Ethiopian troops in Baidoa. Anybody with the evidence should come forward." <BR/><BR/>Addis Ababa vowed to "crush" the Islamic militia if they dared cross into its territory. <BR/><BR/>"Ethiopia has made it clear on several occasions that there is a border line they don't have to cross, if they do they will be crushed," a senior government official said on condition of anonymity. <BR/><BR/>Call to arms <BR/><BR/>On Friday, the leader of Somalia's Islamist movement had urged his countrymen to wage a "holy war" against Ethiopia. <BR/><BR/>The call from Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of the consultative Union of Islamic Courts' Shura, came a day after Ethiopian troops moved into Baidoa. <BR/><BR/>Aweys said Ethiopia deployed troops "to protect a [Somali] government which they set up to advance their interests". <BR/><BR/>He said Abdullahi Yusuf, the Somali president and his longtime rival, has "been a servant of Ethiopia for a long time". <BR/><BR/>Residents of Baidoa reported the arrival of nine large Ethiopian military vehicles carrying supplies, but no troops, early on Friday. <BR/><BR/>Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, chairman of the executive committee of the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia, said: "Somalia is under attack and Somalis must defend their country. <BR/><BR/>"Anybody who sides with Ethiopia will be considered a traitor." <BR/><BR/>He was speaking from Mogadishu, the Somali capital, which the Islamists seized from a US-backed alliance of militia commanders last month. <BR/><BR/>"We are urging Ethiopia to immediately and without delay withdraw its troops and stop interfering in Somali affairs," Sheikh Sharif said. <BR/><BR/>A convoy of more than 100 trucks with several hundred Ethiopian soldiers rolled into Baidoa and surrounding areas on Thursday, after Islamist militia advanced on a nearby town. <BR/><BR/>The Islamists pulled back on Thursday, but the Somali prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, accused them of plotting to attack his government in violation of a truce and mutual recognition deal. <BR/><BR/>Agencies <BR/>You can find this article at: <BR/>http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B2046DFA-DDB2-43D0-846E-E4D8757E1E8F.htm <BR/>----------------------------------------------------------------------Pan-African News Wirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958190577776906688noreply@blogger.com