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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian troops in Somali town | Ethiopian troops in Somali town |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Ethiopian troops have been seen driving through the Somali town of Baidoa, where the fragile government is based, towards the Islamist-held capital. | |
| A BBC correspondent saw a convoy of military trucks with about 200 troops. | |
| Ethiopia has previously denied sending its troops into Somalia but does support the government against the increasingly powerful Islamist group. | Ethiopia has previously denied sending its troops into Somalia but does support the government against the increasingly powerful Islamist group. |
| The Islamists say the Ethiopians have seized a town on the road to Mogadishu, raising fears of a regional conflict. | |
| This is the first time that pro-government forces have gained territory since June, when the Union of Islamic Courts took control of Mogadishu and then went on to seize most of southern Somalia, except for a small area around Baidoa. | |
| Government forces may also be preparing a second front. | |
| The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Baidoa says troops loyal to the ousted leader of Kismayo, Defence Minister Barre Hiraale are preparing to try and retake the city, which the UIC seized last month. | |
| 'Grave consequences' | 'Grave consequences' |
| Residents of the town of Buur Hakaba, 60km from Baidoa on the main road to Mogadishu, say government fighters backed up by Ethiopians, have taken the town. | |
| "Our militia has retreated from the town as the Ethiopians moved in," said Mohamed Ibrahim Bilial, whose forces are loyal to the Islamists. | |
| "We will recapture the town," he told The Associated Press. | |
| The government has not yet commented on the claims. | |
| One of the Islamist leaders warned the Ethiopians to leave Somalia. | One of the Islamist leaders warned the Ethiopians to leave Somalia. |
| "Otherwise, the consequences will be grave and the pain of war will spread all over the region," said Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed after meeting Italy's envoy to Somalia, Mario Rafielli, in Mogadishu. | "Otherwise, the consequences will be grave and the pain of war will spread all over the region," said Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed after meeting Italy's envoy to Somalia, Mario Rafielli, in Mogadishu. |
| "If Ethiopia wants to shift violence inside Somalia, we will respond with violence and it will be difficult to put the peace process back on track." | "If Ethiopia wants to shift violence inside Somalia, we will respond with violence and it will be difficult to put the peace process back on track." |
| Talks between the UIC and Somalia's internationally recognised government are due to resume later this month, reports the AFP news agency. | |
| But the BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Baidoa says relations between the government and the UIC are deteriorating. | But the BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Baidoa says relations between the government and the UIC are deteriorating. |
| Ethiopia, the US and the Somali government all accuse the UIC of having links to al-Qaeda - which it strongly denies. | Ethiopia, the US and the Somali government all accuse the UIC of having links to al-Qaeda - which it strongly denies. |
| The UIC controls most of southern Somalia - Over the weekend, they set up a new administration in the port city of Kismayo, which they seized last month. | |