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Ethiopia launches attack on Somalia
Ethiopian aircraft have dropped bombs and fired missiles on several towns in Somalia in what a government spokesman described as a "counter-attack" against the Islamic Courts Union.
Somali government forces have been fighting the Islamic Courts for six days, but this is the first time Ethiopia has admitted to becoming involved.
Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, said on Sunday he was waging war against the Islamic Courts to protect his country's sovereignty.
Ethiopian officials said the Islamic Courts is a terrorist group backed by Ethiopia's enemy, Eritrea.
"Ethiopian defence forces were forced to enter into war to the protect the sovereignty of the nation and to blunt repeated attacks by Islamic Courts terrorists and anti-Ethiopian elements they are supporting," Meles said in a televised address.
"Our defence forces will leave as soon as they end their mission."
Berhan Hailu, the Ethiopia's information minister, said earlier his country's forces had targeted several fronts including Dinsoor, Bandiradley, Belet Weyne and the town of Buur Hakaba - close to the interim government's encircled base Baidoa.
'Full-blown war'
Abdikarin Farah, Somalia's ambassador to Ethiopia, said that government forces had killed 500 Islamic Courts fighters, most of them Eritreans, in the last two days. He said that 280 others had been taken prisoner, some of them from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan.
More
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/38E32490-D560-4D20-A9A2-249D64FF65B3.htm
Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, said on Sunday he was waging war against the Islamic Courts to protect his country's sovereignty.
Ethiopian officials said the Islamic Courts is a terrorist group backed by Ethiopia's enemy, Eritrea.
"Ethiopian defence forces were forced to enter into war to the protect the sovereignty of the nation and to blunt repeated attacks by Islamic Courts terrorists and anti-Ethiopian elements they are supporting," Meles said in a televised address.
"Our defence forces will leave as soon as they end their mission."
Berhan Hailu, the Ethiopia's information minister, said earlier his country's forces had targeted several fronts including Dinsoor, Bandiradley, Belet Weyne and the town of Buur Hakaba - close to the interim government's encircled base Baidoa.
'Full-blown war'
Abdikarin Farah, Somalia's ambassador to Ethiopia, said that government forces had killed 500 Islamic Courts fighters, most of them Eritreans, in the last two days. He said that 280 others had been taken prisoner, some of them from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan.
More
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/38E32490-D560-4D20-A9A2-249D64FF65B3.htm
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"The airport has been hit. A MiG jet dropped something," Abdirahim Adan, Managing Director of Mogadishu International Airport, told Reuters.
"We are still trying to assess the damage, but one person has been injured."
Ethiopian aircraft also bombed out the runway of Baledogle airport, 90 kilometers to the northwest of the capital.
The Ethiopian-backed interim government blessed the bombardment.
"Anywhere terrorists use to bring in arms and ammunition deserves to be hit," government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said.
Ethiopian troops drove the Islamic Courts of Somalia (SICS) fighters out of a flashpoint close to the border.
"We have taken control of Beledweyne and our forces are chasing the terrorists," Yusuf Dabo Geed, an interim government said.
Residents of Baladwayne, 700 kilometers from the capital, said Ethiopian troops had taken control on Monday after aerial bombing raids on the northern town and other frontier outposts.
"We have killed more than 60 Islamists, wounded others and captured some as prisoners of war," said the official.
The interim government also decided to close all land, air and sea borders.
"After a cabinet session, we have decided to close borders for security reasons," Dinari said.
The bombings came one day after Ethiopia admitted for the first time its troops were fighting in Somalia and began attacking the SICS fighters across a400 km front line along the border.
Home to about 10 million largely impoverished people, Somalia has lacked almost all the trappings of a functional state, such as national systems of education, healthcare and justice, for the past 15 years.
Shocking
The powerful SICS, now in control of Mogadishu and much of southern and central Somalia, condemned the air strikes.
"We call on the international community to act soon about this violation," said Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, a top SICS commander.
The SICS accused Ethiopia of targeting civilians.
"The airport is used mainly by civilian flights," said Abdi Kafi, a senior SICS official.
"This latest attack has come at time when so many people are traveling to attend hajj. It is a shocking attack."
The SICS, which has been steadily gaining more grounds and power since seizing Mogadishu from US-backed warlords in June, had re-opened Mogadishu's port and airport, where a "Let us build Somalia together" sign hangs high.
Both had been closed for over a decade.
Since the SICS started issuing visas, flights to and from Kenya and Dubai have been full of curious investors and returning refugees.
More
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1165994203784&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout