The Qaranka online
Press TV
22 July 08

- Fri, 11 Jul 2008 At least 11 Ethiopian troops have been killed as their military base came under heavy mortar fire from local fighters in the Hiiran region.

Some 19 mortar rounds landed in the Janta Kundishe base situated on the outskirts of the town of Beledweyne which is the provincial capital of the Hiiran region in central Somalia.

In addition to the 11 dead Ethiopians, another 12 were injured a Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday.

Subsequently, close-quarter gun battles broke out between Ethiopian troops and local fighters.

A host of Hiiran locals, fearing more widespread violence fled the area for Jowhar, located 90 km (50 miles) north of Mogadishu.

Jowhar is already stretched to capacity by previous influxes of war refugees and is wrestling with food and water scarcity.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was removed from power in 1991.

Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of hundred of thousands of people.

Source: Press TV

Qaranka online