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A Somali government soldier photographed in Mogadishu on Tuesday. AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh/PA Images
Somalia
Ethiopian troops spotted in Somalia: report
Has Ethiopia followed Kenya in sending its troops to tackle Somali insurgents?
ETHIOPIAN AUTHORITIES have denied reports that their troops have crossed the border into Somalia today.
The BBC reports that witnesses claim to have seen hundreds of Ethiopian troops inside Somalia.
Ethiopia supported Somalia’s government in its fight against Islamist insurgents including al-Shabab in 2006 and some Ethiopian forces controversially remained in the country until being withdrawn two years ago.
Reuters reports that while the Ethiopian government would not respond to today’s reports of troop movement, another official said that the country was likely to support Kenya in its push against al-Shabab.
Neighbouring Kenya has been sending its troops into Somalia for several weeks as part of its efforts to track down al-Shabab militants it has blamed for a number of kidnappings of Western tourists and aid workers over the past few months, as well as attacks including a nightclub bombing in Nairobi in late October in which 14 people were killed.
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