24 Woyanne troops killed in Somalia

(Press TV) — At least 24 Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers have been killed in heavy clashes with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) fighters in southern Somalia.

The remaining Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers started to flee the Jiro Kulow district, which lies between the Lower Shabelle and Bay Region in southern Somalia, Press TV correspondent in the country reported.

A military vehicle which belonged to Ethiopian Woyanne soldiers was further destroyed in a land mine explosion, our correspondent added.

The Somali transitional federal government has plunged into a new round of conflict over the dismissal of the mayor of Mogadishu.

Mohamed Omar Habeeb Dheere was sacked by Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein for ‘Dheere’s failing to bring peace and stability to the capital and lack of competence in administration’.

However, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed has reportedly reinstated Dheere, who controls a large contingent of militia that has been fighting alongside the US-backed Ethiopian troops against the UIC fighters.

Dheere joined the government after US-backed Ethiopian Woyanne troops invaded Somalia in 2006 and overthrew the UIC.

Thousands of civilians have been killed and at least one million people have been displaced since the ouster of UIC out of Mogadishu.