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Number of forces desert from the Somali government.
Monday Dec. 11, 2006
11:00 AM
By
Sh.M.Network
At least 70 government forces, who hail from Gedo province in southern Somalia, defected from the government military camp dubbed Manas on the edge of Baidoa, a temporary seat for the transitional government.
The soldiers claimed they left their military barracks because of difficulties in life, and lack of salary.
Ibrahim Isak, a resident in Qansahdhere in Bai province, told Shabelle by telephone that five battlewagons accompanying the defected soldiers were forcefully taken away by Qansahdhere armed militias who ambushed the soldiers while passing through the district.
Nearly 600 forces defected from the weak government in Baidoa in this year as most of defected joined either the Union of Islamic Courts or their tribal militias back where they are from.
Tension is still high in central and southern Somalia where Ethiopian and Islamist forces are facing off in less than 20 km of each other in both areas.
The deserted soldiers were part of the Ethiopian backed government forces that fought with Islamic Courts fighters in Dinsor on Friday. More than 20 persons were killed and dozens more wounded in that fight.
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