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| Africa Horn |
| Islamic jungle hideout near capture |
| 2007-01-08 |
| KISMAYO, Somalia — A jungle hideout used by Islamic militants that is believed to be an al-Qaida base is on the verge of falling to Ethiopian and Somali troops, the defense minister said Monday. While a lawmaker had earlier told The Associated Press that the base was captured, Somalia's Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire said troops had yet to enter it and that limited skirmishes were still ongoing, though troops were poised to take the base. Ethiopian soldiers, tanks and warplanes were involved in the two-day attack, a government military commander told the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Shire said there had been heavy fighting with high numbers of casualties. "There are a lot of casualties from both sides," he said, declining to give details. Residents in the coastal seaport of Kismayo, some 90 miles northeast of Ras Kamboni, said they saw wounded Ethiopian soldiers being loaded onto military helicopters for evacuation. "I have seen about 50 injured Ethiopian troops being loaded onto a military chopper," said Farhiya Yusuf. She said 12 Ethiopian helicopters were stationed at the Kismayo airport. Somali officials said the Islamic movement's main force is bottled up at Ras Kamboni, the southernmost tip of the country, cut off from escape at sea by patrolling U.S. warships and across the Kenyan border by the Kenyan military. On Sunday, gunmen attacked Ethiopian troops, witnesses said, sparking a firefight in the second straight day of violence in the capital, Mogadishu. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Reprint from afore Naw Yars - okay to read again. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-01-08 21:15 |
| #10 Hell yeah Excalibur! Like Hessian Mercs! |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-01-08 17:51 |
| #9 Theis sounds like a job for... The Phantom! |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-01-08 15:06 |
| #8 There's jungle in Somalia? I thought it was all sand. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2007-01-08 13:47 |
| #7 Maybe we should hire out the ethopians for Iraq :). And London. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-01-08 12:46 |
| #6 Venture to say it was an MI-8 which can carry 24 Borscht eatin' Sovs, so yeah about 50 Efee'opians! |
| Posted by: Janos Hunyadi 2007-01-08 11:57 |
| #5 "Boy, those Ethiopian choppers must be big!" Or those Ethiopians are really small. I know they used to be skinny enough to fit two to a seat. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-01-08 10:19 |
| #4 Maybe we should hire out the ethopians for Iraq :). |
| Posted by: Ol Dirty American 2007-01-08 10:08 |
| #3 Indeed these choppers must be large. As always, it is difficult to sort out what actually happens and what the press says happens. Somali troops, backed by powerful Ethiopian soldiers and weapons, drove out a radical Islamic group last week that had been in control for six months. It doubtful the Somalians and Ethiopians are limited by PC rules of engagement or a hostile press--the clean up seems to be working. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-01-08 09:48 |
| #2 Get every last one of 'em. Remember -- bin laden was emboldened by the Blackhawk Down incident in Mogadishu, so he thought Somalia would be a good al qaeda base. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2007-01-08 09:47 |
| #1 50 injured Ethiopians loaded onto a single Chopper? Boy, those Ethiopian choppers must be big! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-08 09:22 |