MOGADISHU, Somalia June 8, 2007 (Garowe Online) – Somali government troops have began withdrawing from the interior of Beletwein town near the Ethiopian border, military officials said on Friday.

Col. Ahmed Mohamed Hubeyr, the commander of government troops in Hiran region, said some 400 soldiers will be redeployed to El Gal military camp, 15km north of Beletwein.

Police officers will remain in the city manning key checkpoints and at local stations. Hundreds of heavily armed Ethiopian troops had entered the city in recent days to reinforce the police, Beletwein residents said.

The Somali ambassador to both the African Union and Ethiopia, Abdikarim Lakanyo, is on a working visit to Beletwein to convince locals to cooperate with the regional government and their Ethiopian military allies. [ Full story]

Regional officials and military commanders said the decision to remove Somali soldiers from the city came after increasing reports of robbery and violent attacks carried out by men in military fatigues.

Somalia’s transitional government, formed in 2004, lacks the funding to properly attire and equip its security forces, which has given common criminals an opportunity to take advantage.

This same problem has been reported repeatedly in other major cities, including the capital Mogadishu. On Tuesday, the country’s deputy defense minister announced that thousands of soldiers were sent back to regional military bases for further training.