Hiiraan Online

Monday, January 26, 2009

It was not clear if there were any casualties on the warring sides but four civilians have been killed and six others wounded in the chaos that preceded the takeover.

Ethiopian troops have fully withdrawn from Baidoa, 245 km southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu, and the last base of the Ethiopian troops who crossed over to the war-wrecked horn of African country two years ago to prop up the transitional Somali government.

The town has been the seat of the Somali interim parliament for the past three years. Nearly all the lawmakers have left Baidoa for Djibouti.

Spokesman for the Al-Shabaab movement, Sheik Muqtar Robow Abu Mansuur, who was leading the insurgent fighters, said that his forces have taken over much of the town of Baidoa including the interim parliament building in the south of the town.

Earlier Abu Mansuur said following the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops, that his fighters, who control now most of the villages and towns around Baidoa will "peacefully take over the town" which is guarded by small number of local militia and Somali government forces.

Mohamed Ibrahim Habsade, a senior Somali cabinet minister told Xinhua in Baidoa that government forces as well as local militias are fighting to defend the town from Al-Shabaab forces who he said now "took parts of the town".

Habsade is one of a number of senior Somali government officials including several parliamentarians from the town trying to protect Baidoa.

Local residents remained indoors since the start of the fight for control of Baidoa as government forces and local militias took up positions around the north of the town where widespread looting of government properties including the presidential residence and parliament house took place prior to the insurgent's entry into it.