According to eyewitnesses, the soldiers, whose number could not be independently ascertained, crossed over from Æthiopia's Somali region to Somalia through Dolow town in the troubled Gedo region within the Jubaland state of the federal republic of Somalia.
The soldiers, donning Æthiopian army garments, are believed to be pursuing al-Shabaab
...... the personification of Somali state failure...snuffies within the vicinity of the border according to multiple sources. The move comes a few days after the Æthiopian troops flushed al-Shabaab snuffies from strategic towns in the Somali region.
Devastating was the al-Shabaab raid in Æthiopia that the Somali regional forces had to ask for reinforcement from the national army. Æthiopia's senior army officers confirmed that over 200 al-Shabaab snuffies were killed in Æthiopia after they crossed over.
Some sources also confirmed that to neutralize al-Shabaab, the national army of Æthiopia installed a buffer zone deep into Somalia, a move which could explain the latest movement of troops along the Æthiopia-Somalia border. It's not clear if Somalia is aware of the incident.
Insiders in Æthiopia's army said the move was aimed at degrading al-Shabaab, with fears that the snuffies have trained many Æthiopians to cause instability in the country. Æthiopia is also facing challenges in the Tigray region and there are concerns that al-Shabaab could take advantage.
This comes a day after Somalia president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and PM Abiy Ahmed agreed to a "united front against al-Shabaab, their common enemy". President Hassan Sheikh has been categorical that his administration will ensure the snuffies are completely deflated.
Æthiopia is also a major security stakeholder in Somalia having deployed over 4,000 soldiers who are serving in the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Transition Mission in Somalia. The soldiers have been helping to defeat the snuffies mainly in the Southwest and Jubaland states of Somalia.