Peter Murphy
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Clashes erupted 15km from the government garrison town of Baidoa where an EU envoy was meeting senior leaders to press for peace talks.
The fighting took place just a day after an ultimatum by the Islamic group for Ethiopian troops backing the transitional government to leave or face a major attack.
As the clashes started, several dozen Ethiopian troops aboard 13 military trucks with artillery support were deployed to strengthen government forces on the eastern side of the town, a government official said.
The government holds only a small area around Baidoa. The Islamic Courts militia control the capital, Mogadishu, but have also fanned out across most of southern Somalia.
European envoy Louis Michel was meeting Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi and President Abdullahi Yusuf in Baidoa when the attacks began in two villages on the outskirts of town.
Fighters used artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks in what appeared to be probing attacks rather than a full-scale advance.
Somali government officials insisted Baidoa was not under threat and Michel flew out later for talks with the Islamic group in Mogadishu.
Source: Reuters, Dec 21, 2006