Ethopian troops seize strategic town in Somalia
Ethiopian troops arrived in a strategic town in Somalia alongside government fighters today, residents and Islamic militia said.
The move into Bur Hakaba followed deployment by Ethiopian troops in support of Somalia’s weak. but internationally recognised government, which has been increasingly challenged by the hard-line Islamic fighters. Bur Hakaba is 35 miles east of Baidoa, the only town the government controls.
“Our militia has retreated from the town as the Ethiopians moved in,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Bilial, whose militiamen are loyal to the Islamic forces.
Several hundred Ethiopian troops alongside government militia rode into the town this morning without a shot being fired, witnesses said.
The town is perched along six hill tops, allowing forces there to control the only road from the Somali capital Mogadishu, which the Islamic movement controls, and Baidoa, 150 miles away.
