Civilians die in Somalia attack

2008-05-12 19:08

Mogadishu - At least three civilians were killed on Monday when Islamist insurgents attacked an Ethiopian military convoy south of Mogadishu, witnesses said.

"Heavily armed insurgents ambushed an Ethiopian military convoy that left Afgoye and the attack occurred between Lego and Jameo," local resident Hussein Abdullahi told AFP by telephone.

Lego is a small town around 110 kilometres south of the capital.

"The Ethiopian forces killed three civilians after the attack and their dead bodies were brought here in Yakbiriweyne," Abdullahi said.

"We heard an intense gunbattle that lasted for about 35 minutes just after the Ethiopian military convoy passed through our village," said Madkarin Moalim Nur, another resident.

"There were casualties (among the fighters) but we could not confirm a figure except the three civilians that the Ethiopians killed in a nearby village after the attack," he explained.

Sheikh Abdirahim Ali Ise, a spokesperson for the Islamist insurgents, claimed responsibility for the ambush and said Ethiopian troops were killed.

"Our forces ambushed a military convoy of Ethiopian invaders near Lego. We destroyed three of the trucks and killed many of them," he said. No separate confirmation of this claim was available.

Thousands of civilians have died in the fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces and Islamist insurgents over the past year.

- AFP