Gabbal Posted January 27, 2007 Ethiopia to withdraw third of Somalia troops ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A third of Ethiopia's troops in Somalia are expected to have withdrawn by Sunday, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said. "We are reducing troop numbers by about a third ... that process should be completed today or tomorrow," Meles told Reuters in an interview on Saturday. He refused to say how many troops had been in the country during a war to oust Islamists who ruled southern Somalia for six months. Security experts estimated before the lightning two-week Christmas war that Ethiopia had sent between 5,000 and 10,000 troops into Somalia to back forces of the weak transitional government. Meles said he hoped to withdraw the rest of Ethiopia's troops "within weeks". Asked if he was confident that could be done, Meles said "Yes, because ... as far as our own mission is concerned it has been completed as far as supporting the transitional government." He said Ethiopian troops would continue backing the government "as long as we can sustain it but we cannot sustain it indefinitely, obviously, and therefore we can only assist to the extent of our capabilities". Meles spoke before an African Union summit on Monday and Tuesday which is expected to discuss the deployment of almost 8,000 African peacekeeping troops in Somalia to avoid a vacuum after Ethiopia withdraws. Without a strong military force, many residents and analysts fear the Horn of Africa country will slide back into the anarchy it suffered for nearly 16 years. Meles said the AU was suggesting deploying its troops by early March, but added: "We see no reason why the first African Union troops could not be deployed significantly earlier, let's say by mid-February." Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi have so far promised soldiers for Somalia and others are mulling, though Rwanda and South Africa have ruled it out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigibAc Posted January 27, 2007 ^^^ Just like the left bula xawa and luuq? Who are they fooling! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fanisha Posted January 27, 2007 Sabti, January 27, 2007(HOL): 8 Nin oo rayid ah ayaa xalay laga kaxeystay guri ay deganaayeen oo ku yaala nawaaxiga Isgoyska KM4 ee Magaalada Muqdisho, iyadoo ay kaxeysteen Ciidamo Itoobiyaan ah, sida uu caddeeyay Guddoomiyaha Hay’adda Nabadda iyo Xuquuqda Aadanaha Elman Inj. Sudaan Cali Axmed web page Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted January 28, 2007 Originally posted by DigiTalbAct3ria: ^^^ Just like the left bula xawa and luuq? Who are they fooling! But they are not in Beled-Xaawo and Luuq. Beled-Xaawo and Dollow are border cities and the Ethiopian bases are not that far from the cities, but they are in "Ethiopia" and not on our side of the internationally recognized border. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedSea Posted January 28, 2007 ^Do you serioulsy believe they will simply just leave? Even if few thousand AU forces show up,they still will be operating within Somalia.The only time they will leave is when they are forced,zipped in body bag and shipped into their OWN country. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigibAc Posted January 28, 2007 ^^Horn I don't know where they are today... If they're in their bases outside the city or in the city, but I know very well what they did in that region. They come and go as they please... Just because they are not there today doesn't mean their "gone". The point I want to make is that just because the Xabasha say they are withdrawing their troops does not mean they will leave. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted January 28, 2007 Red Sea- I just posted the article. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabbal Posted January 28, 2007 Red Sea- I just posted the article. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
