9 civilians killed in Somalia by Ethiopian troops

July 25, 2008 ( MOGADISHU) — Ethiopian forces on Thursday killed nine civilians in central Somalia after coming under attack from insurgents, witnesses said.

The troops, who had been attacked as they were entering their camp in Beledweyne town, 350 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu, responded by opening fire on civilians, they said.

“We collected nine dead civilians killed by shooting and shelling,” said Mohamed Moalim Adbullahi, an elder. Beledweyne resident Musa Sheikh Haji confirmed the fatalities that occurred after the insurgents fled the township.

Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia in late 2006 to help dislodge Islamists who had taken control of much of south and central Somalia and continues to back the country’s weak transitional government.

The insurgents have vowed to fight on until Ethiopian forces pull out of the troubled Horn of Africa nation that has been wracked by lawlessness since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

(AFP)