update on.. Ethiopian PM Ato Meles Zenawi hints of re-sending troops to Somalia (CNN) -- Ethiopian forces entered Somalia on Friday, accompanied by forces from Somalia's transitional government, to challenge militants trying to take control of the nation's capital, local media sources reported.
A journalist in central Somalia told CNN that the Somali forces accompanying the Ethiopians exchanged fire with Al-Shabaab militants, who control the central part of the country and who are trying to take Mogadishu.
The Somali forces got as far as Kalaber junction in Hiiran region in central Somalia, according to local reports.The Ethiopian troops have since returned back to Fer Fer, a border town in the Ethiopian side of the border, according to those reports.The Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in the broder town of Dolo, according to Ethiopian newspaper Addis Neger.But a high-ranking Somali official in Dolo denied the presence of any Ethiopian troops, calling the reports "mere rumors.""I can confirm you that no Ethiopian soldier has come to this town of Dolo," said Abdifatah Gesey, Somali governor of the Bay region in the nation's southwest.Somali government officials warned Friday that Islamist Al-Shabaab rebels may intensify attacks against civilians and security forces to mark the 17th day of Ramadan on Saturday.Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group, warned Mogadishu hotels on Friday not to accommodate members of the Somali government"[A]void accommodating in your hotels members of the parliament and other government officials because these people are not good ones," said Shiekh Ali Mohamud Rage, Al-Shabaab's spokesman."If you don't heed this warning, then you are responsible for what happens," he said.Most of Somalia's 450 parliament members stay in hotels in the city.Four members of Somalia's parliament were killed and five more were injured in in a bomb attack on Tuesday.At least 33 people died in the attack, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.Two men stormed the Muna Hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and detonated explosives, officials reported.The 17th day of Ramadan stems from a historical day in 624 A.D. denoting the Battle of Badr when the Prophet Mohammed won a key battle, said Abdirahman Omar Osman, the government's minister of information."Al-Shabaab thinks that this is the best day for them to win against us," he said. "We are here. We are committed. We are determined to win against Shabaab."Osman said government and African Union forces are prepared for any assaults. He urged residents to be vigilant and remain indoors."The best weapon we have against attack is public alertness," he said. "Stay in your homes as much as you can. Keep your children safe. We recognize the importance of Ramadan to our people. Let us not allow Al-Shabab to ruin it."Al-Shabaab rebels have killed at least 70 civilians and wounded 200 others this week, he said.In return, government forces have killed 25 fighters since Monday. Seventy more rebels have been injured, according to Osman.Norway, the United States, the African Union Mission in Somalia, the European Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States and the United Nations Political Office for Somalia released a joint statement condemning the violence.Along with condemning the attacks in the "strongest possible terms," the group had a message for the people of Somalia."Our condolences go out to those who are suffering across the country and to the families and friends of the victims murdered across Mogadishu," the statement said.The United States considers Al-Shabaab, which is al Qaeda's proxy in the country, a terrorist organization.Al-Shabaab is waging a war against Somalia's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law known as sharia.Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991, and fighting between the rebels and government troops has escalated the humanitarian crisis in the famine-ravaged country.
Mohamed Amiin Adow and CNN's Les Neuhaus contributed to this report
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