ETHIOPIAN TROOPS TO BEGIN LEAVING MOGADISHU

[Fabregas]

Update: 21 April 2007, The Ethiopian army is still in Muqdisho, but the people are fleeing. Weren't they meant to stay for a week?

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

those terrorist are also in Mogadishu.

[Fabregas]

You mean the Ethiopians who are indiscriminately killing innoncent civilians or you mean Osama bin Laden?

[Jacaylbaro]

Both the Al-Shabaab and Ethiopians are in Mogadishu ,,,,,,,

 

Ethiopians wanted to show some actions of leaving the country but some ppl from the other side want them to stay so that they can continue fighting ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

 

It is a proxy stuff sxb ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Fabregas]

The Americans want Ethiopia to "finsh the job" They don't have much faith in their Somali counterparts.

[Fabregas]

29 May 2007

 

Quote:Ethiopian foreign minister, Seum Mesfin, revealed that the thousands of Ethiopian military forces backing the tenuous Somali transitional government would not be withdrawn immediately, saying they rescued the Somali population from Islamic hardliners.

 

Quote:"We need to be certain that such Islamic elements will not disturb either the Somali government or the Somalia population," he said.

[Fabregas]

quote;ADDIS ABABA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A third of the Ethiopian troops who led a war to crush Islamist forces in Somalia late last month are expected to have withdrawn by Sunday, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.

 

Update:July 17th 2007, Ethiopian soldiers got lost on their way to Muqdisho Airport, yes one third of them!

[Jacaylbaro]

where is that ??

[Fabregas]

Update:More red cimaamads were spotted in Somalia, so more Ethiopians are coming.

[Fabregas]

Addis Ababa, December 26, 2006

 

Meles Zenawi : Meles said, so far Ethiopian troops have not entered any town, and it is only the TFG forces that have gone into towns. "Liberating towns is not Ethiopia?s agenda. Our army has avoided even the small towns that have been liberated so far.?

 

He added, ?There are no specific towns that we target to liberate. We have no specific agenda of targeting Mogadishu or any other specific town. We are not after towns, we are after the terrorist groups.?

 

? Only senior commanders of our army have entered into these liberated towns, and they did so solely for the purpose of talking to traditional leaders in these towns," Meles said.

We have done more than half of our mission already. As soon as we complete the other half, and I hope it won?t take us long, we will be out of there," Meles said.

 

Asked what exactly is Ethiopia's mission, Meles said, ?The mission of our defense forces is to protect Ethiopia from the threat posed by the so-called Mujahidin, the Shabab, and their backers - the Eritrean army."

 

?They pose a very serious threat to us - ?A clear and present danger? as our parliament described it. Our mission is to stop that by degrading their military capability to hurt us. Once we have done that, we have completed our mission.?

 

?So far the Somali people in the areas that our troops and those of the TFG have crossed have been very welcoming to our troops. We have not faced resistance of any kind from the Somalian population ? none whatsoever,? he said.

 

"Much of the UIC militia is out of the game now. They have gone to their clan bases. We have no plan to pursue those. The rank and file of the Islamic Courts militia is not a threat to Ethiopia. It is not the enemy; and we are not pursuing them at all."

 

Then Premier said, the limited operation of the Ethiopian Air force in Mogadishu was a very carefully carried out operation.

 

?The Air force limited its activities to the air base at "Balo Dogleey", where there are no civilians. It is an air base where the leadership of the international terrorists have their headquarters," Meles said.

 

"There was one air raid on Mogadishu International Airport. But it was a very limited one and caused very limited damage, because the intention was not to cause damage, but to warn off civilian planes that are being chartered to ferry Eritrean troops and ammunition into Mogadishu," Meles said.

 

"The only forces we are pursuing are the remnants of the Eritrean army which have been stationed there, and international terrorists who call themselves Mujahidin," Meles said.

 

Asked about the extent of the involvement of the Eritrean troops, Meles said, ?They are in it up to their neck. They are in it in every form they can. They have their manpower there. They provide leadership. They provide logistics. They provide the conduit for other forces to provide assistance. Those who do not wish to provide assistance directly, do it through the Eritrean government.?

 

Meles described as "myth" the theory of regional conflagration between Ethiopia and Eritrea. If the Eritrean government had been eager to start a regional war with us, it would not have had to go thousands of kilometers up to Somalia.

 

Meles said he do not see any reason why this war should be protracted. "I would be very surprised if this thing were not to be wound up over the next days, at most a week or so,? he said.

 

Asked how Ethiopia would face a guerilla warfare which the terrorists are threatening to launch, Meles said, "Ethiopia will not be there for them to wage a guerilla war.?

 

?Our hope is that the dialogue between the TFG and the UIC will be revitalized. Our hope is that those foreigners who have been messing around in Somalia would be required to leave, and the Somalis will be left alone to deal with their matter through negotiation," Meles said.

 

?If our military operation has created an environment which is good for such dialogue, we would be absolutely thrilled,? he added.

 

Meles said Ethiopia welcomes all peace initiatives being carried out by the international community and that it would fully cooperate to the fruition of such initiatives. "But," he said, "Ethiopia?s intention is not to circumvent the peace talks."

 

?Our intention is to protect ourselves from the threat that these people posed on us as Ethiopians. Once we do that, we hope the Somalis can do their homework without interference from any body, including Ethiopia.?

 

Asked about worries of the humanitarian implications of the war, Meles said, he do not think that is a valid worry. "We have not stopped any humanitarian work, and do not have plan to stop any humanitarian work."

[Fabregas]

27 November, 2007 05:28:00

 

Ethiopia bogged down in Somalia

 

 

Having done the main work, we had the belief and expectations that a situation would be created for us to be able to withdraw," Mr Meles told MPs

 

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has acknowledged that his troops cannot withdraw from the conflict in Somalia.

Mr Meles said he had expected to withdraw his soldiers earlier in the year, after Islamists had been driven out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

 

But he said divisions within the Somali government had left it unable to replace the Ethiopians, while not enough peacekeepers had arrived.

 

Some 60% of Mogadishu residents have fled clashes in the city, the UN says.

 

The Ethiopians intervened a year ago to oust the Union of Islamic Courts, which had taken control of much of southern Somalia.

 

Their presence is unpopular in Mogadishu and earlier this month, insurgents dragged the bodies of Ethiopian troops through the city.

 

"Having done the main work, we had the belief and expectations that a situation would be created for us to be able to withdraw," Mr Meles told MPs.

 

"However, this belief and expectations could not be met according to our plan."

 

Talks

 

He has always said the Ethiopians would pull out when a peacekeeping force was deployed.

 

But only 1,600 Ugandans have arrived, from a planned 8,000-strong African Union force.

 

The UN is divided on plans for it take over the mission.

 

UN chief Ban Ki-moon says it is too dangerous to send troops to Mogadishu.

 

The UN refugee agency says one million people have fled their homes in Somalia, including 200,000 this month, following the latest clashes between insurgents and the Ethiopian-backed government.

 

Last week, new Somali Prime Minister Nur Adde said he wanted to hold talks with the opposition.

 

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991

[Fabregas]

Latest news: Ethiopians troops are still packing their bags!