... as opposed to the more usual light or sporadic fighting...
between Ethiopian troops along with fighters from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa and Al shabab fighters in central Somalia, witnesses said on Thursday.
Local residents told Shabelle Media that the combat erupted after the Al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
Islamic fascisti in centralSomaliain battle trucks have overnight attacked El Bur town, some 150 kilometers south of the Ethiopian border, killing 6 combatants from both warring sides.
Neither Al shabab nor Ahlu Sunna Walma'a has made any comments about the attack si far, but the town is said to be still under the control of Ethiopian troops and fighters from the pro-government militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa.
El Bur town in Galgadud region, centralSomaliawas the fourth Al-Shabaab stronghold to be seized by the Ethiopian forces, which deployed into lawlessSomaliain November, afterKenyaalso sent troops into southernSomaliato battle the ruthless militia.
Ethiopia's latest incursion is the second in five years. They toppled an Islamist movement after deploying in 2006, but they withdrew in 2009 after the group's hardline fighters -- the Al-Shabaab -- mounted a bruising guerrilla war.