Ethiopian troops capture central Somali town

Ethiopian troops back in Somalia? I must of missed something while I was gone or this report is false. Xinhuanet

MOGADISHU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Ethiopian troops on Saturday took control of a main central Somali town from an Islamist rebel group, residents said.

Residents woke up to the presence of Ethiopian troops who crossed over the border into the central Somali town of Beledweyn, provincial capital of Hiran, 300 km north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The rebels from the hard line Islamist group of Al Shabaab reportedly fled the town without fighting as the troops closed in to the western part of the city where the rebels were mainly based, residents in the town said.

Pussies.

This would be the first time that Ethiopian troops fully captured territory in Somalia following their withdrawal from the war-torn East African country in January this year after two-year presence.

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Ethopian troops back in Somalia?

This report is from a Somalian "official" so take with a grain of salt. Voice of America

A local official in Somalia says Ethiopian troops are now staying at a military base near a town in the central part of the country. The reported sighting of Ethiopian troops in central Somalia is just one of several from around the country.

In an interview with local reporters, the district commissioner of Balanbale town in the central Galgadud region says several truck loads of Ethiopian troops are staying at the military base set up on the outskirts of the town.

District Commissioner Hareere Hassan Barre did not say how many Ethiopian troops were in Balanbale, located about 28 kilometers from the Ethiopian border, but his comments appear to back up other eyewitness reports.

Barre said the soldiers began arriving there on Friday and have set up a military camp in the western part of town.

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Ethiopians troops pouring into Somalia

One last attempt to break the back of the jihadists in Somalia before Ethopian troops withdraw. AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Ethiopian troops are pouring into neighboring Somalia to fight radical Islamists who have taken over much of the country, raising fears of more violence in a country fighting a deadly insurgency and piracy, witnesses and the Somali government said Tuesday.

The Ethiopians' advance comes just weeks before they are scheduled to withdraw after an unpopular, two-year presence here. The Ethiopians are integral to protecting the Western-backed government, and their planned withdrawal at the end of the month will likely herald the administration's collapse.

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Somali foes sign ceasefire deal in Djibouti

Expect violence to increase in Somalia once the Ethopian troops withdraw. Reuters

NAIROBI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Somalia's government signed a ceasefire agreement with some opposition figures on Sunday, meeting a key demand by giving a date for the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces backing the interim administration.

More then 10,000 people have been killed and a million displaced in fighting since early last year, pitting President Abdullahi Yusuf's government and allied Ethiopian forces against Islamist rebels -- mainly the al Shabaab militia, listed by Washington as a terrorist group.[...]

"Effective 26 October 2008, ceasefire observance has been announced. It will become effective 5 November 2008 ... starting 21 November 2008 the Ethiopian troops will relocate from areas of the cities of Beledweyn and Mogadishu," the agreement said.

"The second phase of the troop withdrawal shall be completed within 120 days," said the deal, signed in Djibouti by the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) opposition.

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