Somalia

[Schneemann]

Ethiopian troops capture Beledweyne from Somalia militants

Ethiopian forces have captured the central Somali town of Beledweyne from al-Shabab Islamist militants. Al-Shabab said its forces were surrounding the town after making what it called a planned withdrawal. Eyewitnesses said armoured vehicles and heavy artillery were used in the attack, which Ethiopia said was made at the request of the Somali government.

Somalia's prime minister meanwhile announced an operation "to liberate the tyranny of... al-Shabab from Somalia". "Early this morning, the Somali National Army recaptured some al-Shabab-occupied territories engaging the enemies in Hiiraan and other regions of the country," said Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, head of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG). [...]

Al-Shabab fighters withdrew from Beledweyne after a fierce hours-long battle in which local residents had joined "the Mujahideen" to fight against more than 3,000 Ethiopian troops...

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Schneemann.