By Salaad Iidow Hasan, Hiiraan Online

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA — Ethiopian Woyanne troops have killed more than 40 people this afternoon in an area near the town of Afgoye known as Arbiska. The people were civilians traveling in passenger vehicles.

The victims were in two passenger vehicles. The killing of these civilians appears to be intentional as del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops continued to fire on the passengers until there was no movement (perhaps to make sure everyone in the vehicles is dead).

This brutal killing of civilians riding in passenger vehicles seems the worst atrocity aimed at passengers, although in the past del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops killed unarmed civilians in several occasions and at several places.

The number of civilians del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops killed in the last 24 hours exceeds 50 when we include other civilians del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops killed this morning in an area near former military camp located off the main road that links Mogadishu and Afgoye and others who were killed near Makka Al-Mukarrama street.

The killings of these civilians by del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops comes at a time when this morning del datetime=”2008-08-15T21:58:49+00:00″>Ethiopian Woyanne troops were targeted with explosions in the area between Mogadishu and Afgoye as well as four attacks they faced several days ago when they were traveling on the main road that links Mogadishu and Baidoa.