ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia-Ethiopian troops fighting al-Qaida-linked militants in
neighboring Somalia will soon return home, Ethiopia's prime minister said
Tuesday.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said regions of Somalia currently controlled by
Ethiopian forces will be handed over to troops from Burundi, Kenya, Djibouti
and Rwanda. The first three countries have troops in Somalia as part of the
African Union peacekeeping force. Rwanda does not currently have troops in
Somalia.
Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia at the beginning of the year. Meles said
the mission has accomplished "very good results" in fighting al-Shabab
militants.
He did not provide a timeline for such a withdrawal and handover.
"The aim of our involvement was to aide the (Somali) transitional government
and help weaken Shabab insurgents. And it has been successful," Meles told
the country's parliament.
Meles said Ethiopian forces have met little military resistance in Somalia,
although al-Shabab has claimed to have carried out several deadly attacks
against the Ethiopian troops.
He also told parliament that Ethiopia would not become involved in a war
with archrival Eritrea. Last month Ethiopian troops moved into neighboring
Eritrea and attacked three military camps in response to militant attacks on
tourists inside Ethiopia.
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Received on Tue Apr 17 2012 - 22:34:13 EDT
