Somalia: Heavy losses as Ethiopia deploys military tanks


MOGADISHU, Dec 21, 2006 (AFP) - Somalia's Ethiopia-backed forces and Islamic fighters Thursday stepped up clashes near the seat of government in a deadly escalation hours after the religious movement said it was at war with Addis Ababa, witnesses and commanders said.

As residents witnessed Ethiopia tanks rushing the frontlines, east and south of Baidoa, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of the capital, commanders said the battlefields were soaked with blood.

"I saw 10 Ethiopian tanks inside (Baidoa) town and they were heading to Daynunay area," a flashpoint garrison town, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) to the east, Mohamed Sahal, a resident of Baidoa, told AFP.

Commanders said rival forces were reinforcing Daynunay and a second outpost Adale, 60 kilometres (38 miles) south of Baidoa.

"The fighting in Idale area is intensifying time by time. There are a lot of reinforcements from both sides," government commander Ibrahim Batari told AFP.

"There are a lot of bodies littered on the battle ground ... No one can confirm the casualities at the moment because the fighting is very heavy," he added.

Islamic commaders said they would use all the weapons in their possession to tackle their rivals.

"I tell you that there are great losses in this fighting," said Islamic commander Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal.

"We are enforcing our side and they are renforcing theirs too. we are getting information that Ethiopians have brought a lot of tanks into Baidoa for reinforcement," he added.

"We are not going to spare anything, we will use all the weapons that we have," Bilal told AFP.

The government said Wednesday it had killed "hundreds" of rival fighters and wounded hundreds while the Islamists said they had killed at least 70 enemy combatants in the deadly assaults.

Both sides acknowledged heavy casualities, but there was no independent confirmation on the figures.

Earlier, Islamist chief Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys rallied Somalis to join the war against Ethiopian forces, two days after a deadline the Islamist gave Ethiopian troops to pull out or face major attacks expired.

"All Somalis should join the war against Ethiopia," Aweys said, a day after calling the conflict "a small incident."

The fighting erupted early Wednesday after the deadline expired at both sides have been shelling each other with rockets, morters and machinegun fire.

Somalia has lacked an effective administration since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and the two-year-old government has failed to exert control across the impoverished nation of 10 million people.

We killed 203 & wounded 200 Ethiopia troops- UIC

21 December 2006
shabelle.net

In a press conference they held today in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, somali forces of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) said they killed 203 Ethiopia (Woyané) soldiers and wounded more than 200 in the fighting between them and the Ethiopia-backed government forces.

Sheik Ibarahim Shukri Abu Zainab, the Islamic Courts spokesperson for Jubba provinces, southern Somalia, said they also seized four pickup trucks mounted with antiaircraft guns.
“We lost 20 of our men to the jihad and fifty-five were woundedâ€Â

By SALAD DUHUL, Associated Press Writer
Last Updated: December 21, 2006, 01:25:26 PM PST

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somalia is in "a state of war," the country's Islamic leader said Thursday, as bodies lay in the streets of strategic villages where U.N.-backed government troops fought advancing Islamic forces.

The clashes threaten to spiral into a major conflict in this volatile region, sucking in Ethiopia and its bitter rival Eritrea, which is accused of supporting the Islamic group. Analysts believe Ethiopia may soon raise the stakes by deploying attack helicopters in support of the government.

An Associated Press photographer saw 19 bodies of Islamic fighters in Moode Moode, a town nine miles from the government garrison town of Baidoa, where fighting had taken place Wednesday.

Three Islamic fighters were captured. One, 25-year-old Aweys Hassan Ma'alim, said he had been forced to fight by the Islamic movement. Another, Adan Abdullahi Mohammed, said he wanted to fight Ethiopians and "die for the sake of Allah in jihad."

Meanwhile Sheikh Ibrahim Shukri Abuu-Zeynab, a spokesman for the Islamic courts, said they had now captured the town of Idale, 37 miles southwest of Baidoa, and killed 200 Ethiopian troops. The claim could not be verified.

"All Somalis should take part in this struggle against Ethiopia," Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, an Islamic leader, told The Associated Press.

Three days of clashes between the Islamic fighters and government forces, newly trained by Ethiopian troops, have left more than 100 people dead.

Ethiopia denies its forces are fighting, but says it has deployed several hundred military trainers in support of the transitional government.

On Wednesday, Aweys told an EU envoy that he was willing to return to peace talks with the U.N.-backed Somali government, but on Thursday, he said "the country is in a state of war."

In Ethiopia, the government said Wednesday that the Islamic group was warmongering and not interested in peace. "Ethiopia has exerted efforts as it will do so for the peaceful resolution of the problem in Somalia," the statement said.

EU envoy Louis Michel, in response to a question about Eritrea and Ethiopia's involvement, said, "Somalia is suffering because some are using Somalia as a battlefield for other issues." Both countries fought an unresolved border war in 1998.

Somalia's deputy defense minister Salad Ali Jelle told reporters that 71 Islamic fighters had been killed and 221 injured so far during clashes near Baidoa.

Three government troops were killed and seven injured, Jelle said.

Separately, witnesses in the town of Bur Haqaba, which is controlled by the Islamic movement, reported hearing mortars, anti-aircraft missiles and rocket-propelled grenades being fired Thursday.

After returning from Somalia late Wednesday, Michel said skirmishes were likely to continue, but said both sides had broadly agreed to ease tensions and hold new talks in Sudan.

The interim government holds only a small area around the central town of Baidoa. The Islamic militiamen control the capital, Mogadishu, but have also fanned out across most of southern Somalia.

Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991.

---
Associated Press writers Mohamed Olad Hassan and Mohamed Sheik Nor contributed to this report.

TPLF military to build or to destroy

A military under a democratic system protect the constitution of a country not the desire and will of a dictator.The war with somalia is not to protect the border of the country nor the unity of the nation we have seen that with Eritria.TPLF troops and cadres are involved in Somalia to kill and destrroy and keep their leaders in power.

How many life will be lost and how much money dose it cost that we do not know.But we know this Melese and TPLF will pocket some of the money.

History and time showed us TPLF/EPLF/OLF are no good we have to turn for the better.Let start to build a government chosen by the people and accountable to the people who chose them.Let not deceive our self by leaning only on tribe,ethnicity,religion,language and loyality to dictators.See what happen with TPLF/EPLF/OLF for the last 15 yrs.

Let democratic principle be our guide let start learing more about government by the people for the people.Whether we like it or not that day is coming let us prepare our slef.In so doing we make history.

All those praying for ICU win on TFG.

1. I give you a link to the ICU supporter website for pictures as to where TFG soldiers are. This website is like ER against the ethiopian government.
TFG troops in Moode Moode


2. Are you educated enough to look at a map and see where the news is and the white lie coming from people who call themselves shiek.

If TFG troops are in Moode Moode then you think about it. I know military positionings and movements are terra incognita for CUDergists.


When the ICU starts body count while losing strategic towns, that is typical Isayas who kills and counts thousands of ethiopians at the skyline trenches while he has lost a third of his country and his front is not barentu, but agordat.

Three captured fighters by TFG in Moode Moode where the associated press reporter saw the 19 bodies from ICU as they retreated.

These are an EPPPPF, OLF and Isayas fighters left to right.lol (TFG did not say yet whom they are, but yesterday TFG showed one OLF captured)

Now is the time to read and quote ICU and pro ICU websites.

TPLF is at war with his own people, Eritrea and the islamic molitia. So why u are debating this much by taking unknown photo from some where since the out come is known.

TFG didn't say what the names of those three captured are, but if the one from right is Shaebia, his name maybe gebrekirstos weldemariam habtegiorgis and his rank mujahid.
The one on the left if he is EPPPFF, you can guess his name.

Somalewyn is a known website by pro ICUs just like ER is for CUD.