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Category: Diaspora News

Written by AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MOGADISHU - Fighter jets killed three civilians Tuesday in strikes on rebel-held areas of southern Somalia as regional armies pushed forward against the Islamist Shebab insurgents, witnesses said.

"Two military jets bombed Yaqle village, which lies between El Wak and Dhamase, three civilians were killed and several others injured," said Moalim Abdulahi Mumin, an elder in El Wak, a town on the Kenya-Somalia border.

"The aircraft fired several bombs, and two of them hit near a shallow well where nomads were drawing water for their livestock.... Most of the casualties are civilians," Mumin told AFP by telephone.

Adan Ahmed, a local resident, said he heard several heavy explosions soon after seeing low flying military jets in the area.

"The explosions were very heavy, I heard about six explosions near Yaqle village, the military jets were flying over the area this morning for several minutes before firing the missiles," he said.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mohamed, regional commander of the extremist Shebab insurgents, confirmed the airstrikes.

"We are hearing the enemy military planes fired missiles at civilians, but I have no details at the moment," he said.

Kenya sent troops and tanks into southern Somalia last month after accusing the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents of attacks and kidnappings on its territory, and earlier this week said its fighter jets had hit militia bases.

Hardline Shebab insurgents control much of southern Somalia, but are also battling the Western-backed government in Mogadishu, while convoys of Ethiopian troops crossed into central and southern regions over the weekend.

Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir was not immediately available for comment, but messages posted to his Twitter account Tuesday boasted that Kenya was confident of defeating the extremist militia.

"Victory is on the horizon," the Chirchir message read. "The outfit (the Shebab) won't exist as a force. We will diminish its effectiveness and pass them to history."

At the weekend, Somali villagers reported seeing Ethiopian troops cross into the war-torn country. Addis Ababa has however denied that it deployed forces to the neighbouring state.

Ethiopia pulled out its soldiers from Somalia in 2009 after a three-year invasion that defeated an Islamist movement, but the group's military wing, the Shebab, regrouped to battle the troops and have waged a bloody war since.

Somalia's neighbours have recently renewed efforts to restore stability there after two decades of chaos, with Nairobi last week saying it was willing to deploy troops for the African Union force protecting the Somali government.

Ugandan and Burundian soldiers making up the 9,700-strong AU force have been battling the Shebab in the capital Mogadishu since deploying in 2007.

Ethiopia on Monday said the decision on whether it will send troops to Somalia will be taken Friday at a heads of state meeting in Addis Ababa of the regional body, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/strikes+kill+three+southern+Somalia/5749129/story.html#ixzz1eRseate5