Over 100 killed in clashes

2006-12-24 14:16

Idale, Somalia - Ethiopian-backed Somali troops on Sunday recaptured the southern Somali town of Idale from Islamists in clashes that claimed at least 100 lives, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.

Defence Minister Barre Shire Hirale confirmed that the government seized control of the township, about 60 kilometres south of the government seat of Baidoa.

"We have recaptured the town," Hirale said. The Islamists seized Idale after deadly clashes on Saturday.

The correspondent saw more than 100 bodies in the township, which was the first frontline when war erupted on Wednesday, hours after an Islamist ultimatum for Ethiopian troops to pull out or face major attacks expired.

Residents said the Islamists fled down south towards Dinsoor, about 120 kilometres south of the capital.

The seizure comes as a joint Ethiopia-Somali government ground assault began on Beledweyne and Bandiradley early on Sunday, widening the conflict that has threatened to engulf the entire Horn of Africa region.

The Addis Ababa government on Sunday acknowledged its troops have launched a counterattack against Islamist forces in Somalia, saying its "patience has been exhausted" and "Ethiopia has started to use its rights for self defence".

"The Ethiopian defence forces have started counterattacking today, so basically the counterattack is taking place on the ground," a government spokesperson told AFP.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday the fighting around Baidoa, the seat of the government, had left "dozens" dead.

The government claims its Ethiopian-backed forces have killed more than 500 Islamist fighters since Wednesday, while Islamists speak of killing at least 70 enemy combatants in the same region.

- AFP