Ethiopia denies reports on clashes with Somali Islamists

Dec 8, 2006 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia has dismissed reports about fighting with the Somali Islamist militia, describing this “rumours” as baseless reports disseminated by “the extremist” Somali leaders to mislead international community.

“There have not been clashes. It is an attempt to mislead the international community. If the time comes when Ethiopian troops will engage the Islamic courts, it will not be in secret,” a foreign ministry statement on Friday said.

According to the state television, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this evening that “rumours” by the extremist leaders of the Islamists in Somalia that their forces were engaged in fierce fighting with Ethiopian government army today were baseless.

According to the ministry, Ethiopia had no fighting force in Somalia. The truth being this, the ministry said, leaders of the extremist Islamists were as usual disseminating deceptive and baseless rumours that fierce fighting had taken place.

The ministry said Ethiopian troops had not entered Somalia and taken part in any fighting there, adding that if the day came for Ethiopia to fight; it would be carried out in a manner that its results were made clear to everybody.

The fighting around Dinsoor exploded after Somali Islamists and forces loyal to the pro-government administration in the northeastern enclave of Puntland traded heavy artillery fire on Friday. Dinsoor, a small trading post, is located at 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Baidoa.

A businessman told Reuters “It was about 80 percent government troops,” when asked if Ethiopian soldiers were in the original fighting force.

Ethiopia has constantly denied it has any soldiers, besides a few hundred military trainers, in Somalia. But security experts estimate there are between 5,000 and 10,000 inside Somalia, along with heavy weapons and armoured vehicles.

(ST)