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| Africa Horn |
| Ethiopia leaves key Somali town |
| 2007-12-29 |
| Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from a key town in central Somalia. Islamist insurgents say they now control Guriel, where Ethiopia had a big military base to secure the road linking the two countries. A BBC correspondent in Somalia says it is not clear why the Ethiopian troops withdrew without any fighting. Guriel was a stronghold of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which lost power to Ethiopian-backed government troops a year ago this week. The BBC's Ayanleh Hussein in Guriel says residents have been cheering the Ethiopians' departure. During the occupation the local hospital was out of use as it was used as the Ethiopians' military base, he says. |
| Posted by:Steve White |