Tigrai Online
March 26, 2012
MOGADISHU — Ethiopian forces on Monday seized the main base of the Al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents in central Somalia, the latest stronghold the extremists have lost in recent months, witnesses said.
Ethiopian troops and fighters from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa seized El Bur town, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of the Ethiopian border, after a brief firefight.
"Ethiopian troops have taken positions inside and outside the town, but most of the residents fled before they arrived," said Abdukadir Sahal, a resident.
The loss of the town tightens the net on the hardline Shebab, who are facing attacks on multiple fronts by regional armies.
"There was brief exchange of gunfire on the outskirts of town but Al-Shebab fled... there are Ethiopian troops with armoured trucks, pulling heavy artillery weapons," Sahal added.
"There was no fighting inside El Bur, but Al-Shebab fighters are not far away," said Ahmednur Fodade, another resident.
Ethiopian soldiers in battle trucks began the advance on El Bur at the weekend, bolstering allied fighters from Ahlu Sunna at the central Somali town of Dhusamareb, before pushing on some 100 kilometres (60 miles) south.
El Bur is the fourth Shebab stronghold to be seized by the Ethiopian forces, who deployed into lawless Somalia in November, after Kenya also sent troops into southern Somalia to battle the ruthless militia.
Source AFP
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