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MOGADISHU, January 7 (Xinhuanet) -- As
the fear increases in
Somalia that the United States might be setting
up its plans to
strike Somalia sometime soon as a part of its war
against the
international terrorism, the government of Ethiopia is
also
increasing its military presence in the Horn of African
nation.
The last of such activity is the arrival on Sunday
night of a
few hundred well-armed Ethiopian military men into the town
of
Garoweh, the capital of the semi-autonomous administration of
Puntland.
According to eyewitnesses in Garoweh
town, the Ethiopian forces
have reached the town shortly after Sunday's
mid night.
One of the eyewitnesses, a businessman who
asked not to be
named, said he could not figure out the exact number
of the
Ethiopian troops who reached Garoweh town Sunday night.
But the man said he has seen 12 big trucks transporting
uniformed infantry troops, more than 4 battle wagons together
with
two more lorries apparently carrying with them the fuel,
ammunition and spare parts.
The new military movement
of Ethiopia seems to be concentrated
in Puntland and in Bay region.
Similar number of Ethiopian troops
is currently in Baidoa
town.
Officials of the Ethiopian-backed Somali
Reconciliation and
Restoration Council (SRRC) have admitted the
Ethiopian military
presence in Bay region.
But in
Garoweh town, the ousted president Colonel Abdullahi
Yussuf keeps
denying that there are Ethiopian troops there.
There is
also no official confirmation of Ethiopian military
presence in
Somalia from the Ethiopian side so far.
According to
reports reaching here, the Ethiopian troops who
earlier opened a
training camp for the SRRC militias have again
opened one more camp in
Daynunay, just outside the town.
With the hearsay
that America is going to strike Somalia, many
people believe that
Ethiopia is planning itself to lead what could
be the "northern
alliance of Somalia" by training Somali militias
opposing to the
current Transitional National Government.
However,
Somali Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah has denied
rumors, saying
that America is paying 200 U.S. dollars for each
militiamen to be
trained by the Ethiopians in Bay region.
"The U.S. has
been with us in Nairobi for the reconciliation
between our government
and some of the factions opposing to us,"
he said.
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