Helicopters attack Somali rebels, 11 said killed

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Helicopters attack Somali rebels, 11 said killed
Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:22AM EDT

By Sahal Abdulle

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Helicopters pounded rebel positions and tanks
rumbled through Mogadishu on Thursday as allied Ethiopian and Somali
government troops launched a major push against insurgents, with 11
civilians reported killed.

Ethiopian helicopter gunships fired rockets, residents said, in the first use
of aerial power in the capital during the increasingly vicious fighting of
recent months.

-snip-

Breaking a rocky ceasefire in place since the weekend, the soldiers launched
attacks from early morning on insurgents' strongholds in the Ramadan area of
north Mogadishu and around the main soccer stadium.

-snip-

The local Shabelle broadcaster said at least 11 people, mainly civilians, had
been killed by stray bullets on Thursday. It also reported two tanks had been
destroyed.

-snip-


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2951353220070329

[maddezmom]

1. how long did ceasefire last?

what a mess :(

[winter999]

2. What ceasefire really means to Islamic militants is

regroup, rearm, re-attack. Show me ONE ceasefire that's held.

[maddezmom]

4. I don't think it's just Islamic militants

[Eugene]

3. Dozens killed in battles with Somali rebels

Source: Reuters

Dozens killed in battles with Somali rebels
Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:55AM EDT

By Sahal Abdulle

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Ethiopian and Somali troops used tanks and helicopters
to launch a major offensive against insurgents in Mogadishu on Thursday,
triggering battles that killed more than two dozen people.

With scenes of carnage shocking even by Somali standards, residents said the
final death toll from the worst day of fighting since a war over the New Year
could be much higher.

-snip-

"I saw the remains of 17 Ethiopian soldiers there," he said.

Mobs tied ropes to some of the dead soldiers and dragged them through the
streets.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2951353220070329

[Eugene]

5. (Friday) Battles rage in Mogadishu, helicopter hit

Source: Reuters

Battles rage in Mogadishu, helicopter hit

By Sahal Abdulle
43 minutes ago

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Shells rained down on Mogadishu and a
helicopter was hit in a second day of battles on Friday as Ethiopian and
Somali troops sought to flush out militant Islamist insurgents in the
worst fighting for months.

After around 30 people died on Thursday, terrified residents said there
was no let-up in the fighting across the bullet-scarred city on the
Indian Ocean coast.

-snip-

Analysts said Ethiopia appeared bent on an all-out push against the
insurgents, who have been emboldened by recent strikes including the
downing of an airplane serving an African peacekeeping mission, and the
killing of various soldiers.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070330/wl_nm/somalia_conflict_dc

[Eugene]

6. Helicopter shot down as Mogadishu battle rages

Source: Reuters

Helicopter shot down as Mogadishu battle rages
30 Mar 2007 10:55:48 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Recasts with helicopter shot down)

By Sahal Abdulle

MOGADISHU, March 30 (Reuters) - Insurgents shot down an Ethiopian helicopter
gunship in Mogadishu on Friday during a second day of fighting after Ethiopian
and Somali forces launched a major attack on Islamists and clan militia.

As shells rained down on the city and deafening tank fire shattered homes,
witnesses saw two Ethiopian helicopters firing on an insurgent stronghold before
one of them was struck by a missile or rocket-propelled grenade.

"Smoke billowed from the cabin and it turned towards the ocean," said Swiss
journalist Eugen Sorg, who watched from a nearby roof. "It crashed at the south
end of airport runway."

Witnesses said black smoke poured into the air and several explosions were heard
booming from the crash site.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30125954.htm