Posted on 02/19/2007 8:20:41 PM PST by RDTF
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Monday February 19, 2007 10:28 pm
Somalia's government has formed an anti-terror unit trained by Ethiopian troops to quell growing unrest in the capital and a senior defense official said it went into operation on Monday. Two Ethiopian military bases in Somalia came under mortar attack late Monday, local residents said.
The troops returned fire, hitting a residential area in southern Mogadishu and killing three people, said clan elder Mohamed Abdi Farah. Six others, including a teenage girl, were wounded in the attack, said Farah and Shamsa Abdi Ahmed, whose daughter was among the injured.
A rocket also was fired at a military vehicle but missed, injuring one person, said witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The paramilitary force began operations on Monday after being trained by the Ethiopian troops, Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle said.
"It is a government plan to fight terrorists and bring them to justice," Jelle told The Associated Press.
He refused to provide more details about the unit. But another government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said it numbered around 700 soldiers.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.wjla.com ...
ping
Sounds good.
"Somalia's government has formed an anti-terror unit trained by Ethiopian troops..."
with a bit of help from US Special Forces, I'm sure...
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