[wvns] Ethiopian troops seize central Somalia town from Islamists

Ethiopian troops seize central Somalia town from Islamists
2009-08-29

MOGADISHU, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Ethiopian troops on Saturday took control of a main central Somali town from an Islamist rebel group, residents said.

Residents woke up to the presence of Ethiopian troops who crossed over the border into the central Somali town of Beledweyn, provincial capital of Hiran, 300 km north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The rebels from the hard line Islamist group of Al Shabaab reportedly fled the town without fighting as the troops closed in to the western part of the city where the rebels were mainly based, residents in the town said.

"The Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces took up positions around the main buildings in Beledweyn," said Salah Mohamed, a local resident in the town, "They were heavily armed".

Somali government security officials remained tight-lipped about the presence of the Ethiopian troop in the town which fell to the rebels just a week ago following fierce battles.

This would be the first time that Ethiopian troops fully captured territory in Somalia following their withdrawal from the war-torn East African country in January this year after two-year presence.

Islamist rebels control most of south and central Somalia while Somali government forces backed by peacekeepers from the African Union run parts of the Somali capital and central Somalia.

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