Source: Xinhua

At least three Ethiopian [Woyanne] soldiers and seven Somalis were killed and an unknown number were wounded when a [Woyanne] military truck was hit by a roadside bomb as the convoy was passing a street in the north of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, witnesses said.

“Seven people were killed, including two of my brothers, when angry Ethiopian soldiers indiscriminately opened fire after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb,” Mohamoud Aden, a resident, told Xinhua.

The [Woyanne] troops and Somali government forces cordoned off the area and prevented residents and journalists from going in or out of the area. The troops also arrested a number of passers-by whom they suspected of planting the bomb.

“I was standing not very far from where the bomb went off and I saw the dead bodies of three Ethiopian troops,” said a resident who asked for anonymity. “I could also see some wounded soldiers then the Ethiopians started shooting at people.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack but Somali government officials and Ethiopian forces accuse insurgent groups of being behind the resent upsurge of attacks targeting Somali government officials and foreign forces in the country.

Hussien Mohamed Mohamoud, the presidential spokesman, escaped an attempt on his life by unknown gunmen Monday after he was shot twice as he was driving in a street in Mogadishu. He was rushed to a hospital run by African Union (AU) forces and was in stable condition.