Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday ambushed an Ethiopian military convoy south of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, sparking a heavy gun battle, wounding at least nine, witnesses said.
”An Ethiopian military convoy that was leaving the airport has been ambushed by gunmen. They used machine guns and RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades],” said Ali Hassan Nur, a resident.
An Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said seven Ethiopian military trucks left the airport and were heading towards the city centre when they came under heavy fire near a notoriously dangerously intersection in southern Mogadishu.
”Nine people were wounded during the exchange of fire,” Ahmed Moalim Mohamed, a witness of the clashes, told AFP.
He said the shooting started after an Ethiopian vehicle ran over a landmine, and that the Ethiopian troops responded to the attack with heavy fire.
”The Ethiopians suffered some casualties, but we do not know how many. The shoot-out was extremely heavy and we thought this would lead to all-out war,” said resident Mohamed Ismail.
”Some of the wounded are in a serious situation and have been rushed to Banadir hospital,” Ismail added.
The Ethiopian troops, who helped Somali forces drive out an Islamist movement from the Somali capital at the start of the year, have been withdrawing from the war-torn nation as African Union troops begin to deploy there.
About 1 200 Ugandan troops, part of an expected 8 000-strong AU force, arrived in Mogadishu last week. — AFP
