Four killed in anti-Ethiopian attack in Mogadishu

Jan 8, 2007, 15:48 GMT

Mogadishu/Nairobi - At least four persons were killed in renewed attacks against Ethiopian soldiers in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses reported Monday.

Among the victims was a 15-year-old girl in the attack started when a mortar grenade struck an Ethiopian convoy near the city's airport late Sunday evening.

A clash between Ethiopian soldiers and Somalia militias was also reported in another section of the capital.

Meanwhile, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf entered Mogadishu under heavy security. The Somali government plans to move from its current seat in Baidoa to the capital in order not to leave a power vacuum when its ally Ethiopia withdraws.

The transitional government, formed two years ago in Kenya, had not settled in the capital for security reasons. The city was under the control of warlords until it fell into the hands of Islamic militiamen in June.

The interim government took control of Mogadishu on December 25, 2006 with the help of Ethiopian troops.

In Dobley, near the Kenyan border, heavy fighting was reported between Ethiopian troops and Islamic militiamen. No reports were available as to the number of casualties.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer on Sunday ended her tour of the region, calling for the Somali transitional government to enter into dialogue with all concerned parties, including the Islamists.

She said the situation needed urgently to be stabilized in order for the transitional government to take hold in Mogadishu. She expressed confidence that an African 'stabilization force' would be deployed soon, saying Uganda had already agreed to send 1,500 troops.