Somalis, Ethiopians Engage IslamistsSomali Troops, Ethiopian Soldiers Fight 600 Islamic Militiamen in South;
Kenya Closes BorderBy MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN
MOGADISHU, Somalia Jan 4, 2007 (AP)— Government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers
were fighting about 600 Islamic militiamen in the southern tip of Somalia, an official
spokesman said Thursday.
In the past 10 days, Ethiopian-backed government forces have driven out the Islamic
movement that had controlled Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia for more than six
months. The Islamic movement retreated to the southern tip of Somalia and vowed to keep
fighting, raising the specter of an Iraq-style guerrilla war.
The Somali forces have surrounded the Islamic militiamen "from every direction" in the
southwestern district of Badade, near the Kenyan border, government spokesman Abdirahman
Dinari told The Associated Press. "The fighting is going on," Dinari said. "We hope they
will either surrender or be killed by our troops."
Kenya sent extra troops to the Somali frontier and closed its border, fearing an exodus
of refugees and foreign fighters.
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