Ethiopian Troops Enter Somalia to Help Out

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Ethiopia decided to lend a neighbor a hand but many in Somalia do not appreciate the help. From Al Jazeera:

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Hundreds of troops reportedly entered the strategically important town of Beledweyne on Saturday.

Abdinur Ahmed Maow, a local resident, told The Associated Press news agency that the armed opposition fighters had left "without a single shot".

Abdulahi Faramiliq, another resident of Beledweyne, said that the troops were cordoning off residential areas and going fromย house to house searching for weapons.

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Ethiopian forces withdrew from Somalia in January as part of a peace deal, more than two years afterย moving in to help the UN-backed interim government battle the Islamic Courts' Union, which had seized control of much of the south and centre of the country.

Their presence was unpopular with the majority of Somalis and was used by localย Islamist groups as a recruiting tool.Rashid Abdi, a Kenya-based Somalia analyst with the International Crisis Group, said that itย is unlikely that Ethiopia is planning to send a larger force across the border.

"It's a strategic town for them," he said, referring to theย Beledweyne'sย location near the border.

"They want a buffer zone and they won't allow it to be in hostile hands."There have been several reports of Ethiopian troops crossing the border in recent months, but the Somali government has not confirmed their presence.

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