DHUSAMAREB – An Ethiopian Woyanne army convoy came under attack Monday in central Somalia after they were ambushed by suspected rebels, sources said.

The attack sparked with an initial roadside explosion targeting the army convoy as it drove somewhere near the border dividing Hiran and Galgadud regions, according to local sources.

The Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers then engaged in armed combat with the rebels, leading to two deaths on the Ethiopian Woyanne side.

Somali government officials in Mataban, a district in southern Galgadud, said the Ethiopian Woyanne army unit eventually chased away the rebels, but killed two civilians in the crossfire.

The dead civilians, including a young male student, were shot as they ran for cover, witnesses said.

Mataban officials said Ethiopian Woyanne reinforcements were rushing to the area to crackdown on the attackers.

A coalition of Somali rebels have waged near daily attacks targeting government and allied Ethiopian Woyanne security forces since the beginning of this year when the Ethiopian Woyanne army rolled into the capital, Mogadishu.

Most attacks have occurred in Mogadishu, but rebels launched organized guerilla attacks over the past 24 hours in different cities, including Baidoa and Beletwein.

Source: Garowe Online