Ethiopian troops cross deeper into Somalia: residents

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Heavily-armed Ethiopian soldiers crossed into central Somalia on Friday and entered a town controlled by a pro-government militia nearly 30 kms (19 miles) from the border, residents said."They came with battle wagons and trucks all full of soldiers and guns," said Hassan Abdi, a resident in the town of Balanbale in Galgadud region. "Everybody is very worried."Residents said the Ethiopian troops were setting up positions in the center of the town. Central Somalia has been the scene of heavy fighting between hardline Islamist insurgents and the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca."We are ready to fight the Ethiopians if they come close to our forces, we will give them a lesson," Hassan Maalin Takow, an al Shabaab commander told Reuters...more..http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE55B5OQ20090612