«The Islamic Courts Union will never capture the Somali government's base», the so call "prime minister" has said in an interview given shortly before Ethiopian jets bombed the main airport in the capital.
Mogadishu international airport's managing director said after the attack on Monday: "The airport has been hit. A russian MiG jet dropped something.
Ali Mohamed Gedi, speaking late on Sunday from his base in Baidoa, said: "My confidence is very high. We have enough military forces to defeat any invasion, any attack by the terrorists of the Islamic courts."
Gedi said that his puppet "government", backed by the Ethiopian occupants, "would be victorious".
Earlier ethiopian aircraft have dropped bombs and fired missiles on several towns in Somalia in what a Ethiopian government spokesman described as a "counter-attack" against the Islamic Courts Union.
Ethiopian occupation forces have been fighting the Islamic Courts for six days, but this is the first time Ethiopia has admitted to becoming involved.
"After too much patience, the Ethiopian government has taken a self-defensive measure and has begun counterattacking the aggressive extremist forces of the [Islamic council] and foreign terrorist groups," Solomon Abebe, Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesman, said.
Berhan Hailu, the Ethiopia's information minister, said his country's forces had targeted several fronts including Dinsoor, Bandiradley, Belet Weyne and the town of Buur Hakaba - close to the puppet "interim government's" encircled base Baidoa.
The Islamic Courts say they have killed hundreds of puppet "government" bandits and many occupation solders
Ethiopia has previously denied that its forces were fighting in Somalia, saying it had sent only military advisers.
Sheikh Mahmud Ibrahim Suley, an Islamic Courts leader, said the Ethiopians had used MiG warplanes and helicopters against their positions.
"Today the war is being fought by land and air," he said, adding that the group's fighters had destroyed five Ethiopian tanks.
Witnesses said that the Ethiopian combat aircraft bombed towns in central Somalia.
"I saw five military aircraft flying over Belet Weyne," said Ahmed Atto, a freelance reporter in the area.
One source from the town of Belet Weyne said: "The planes hit an Islamic centre where Islamic officials in the region have been enrolling volunteers who wanted to join the war."
Another witness said strikes were attacking the roads and defences of the Islamic force.
"Now there is a full-blown war," said one fighter close to the semi-autonomous Puntland region, north of Baidoa.
Somalia is seen as a potential proxy battleground for Ethiopia, which has one of the largest armies in the region, and its rival Eritrea, which backs the Islamic courts.
The Islamic Courts Union has vowed to drive out Ethiopian troops that are providing military support to puppet US-backed "government".
Meanwhile KC source reported:
Battles are still raging on the 5th day of conflict as the Islamic courts and the ethiopian forces battle near the entrance of western Baidoa, locals and reporters confirmed the Islamic courts are concentrated in Idaale few miles away from the Manaas military camp with heavy fighting reported through out the morning reporters and witness viewed the bodies of up to 20 ethiopian troops in Idaale.
In the Jubba regions witnesses saw a heavy deployment of Islamic troops heading towards the bay (Baidoa) region counting around 70 battle wagons and troops as the Islamic courts promised a massive offensive on the coming days.
In the North of Baidoa, Islamic forces (north) passed the Tiyaglow town after being welcomed by the locals in the town, there was a heavy movement of Islamic troops towards the town of Hudur the provisional capital of the Bakool region. massive confrontations is expected in the north of Baidoa in the coming days.
In Mogadishu the head of security of the Islamic court called on all Muslims to come to the country to take on the enemy battle all the way to Addis Ababa (ethiopian capital) the foreign minister of the Islamic Courts Sheikh Ibrahim Addou also said that the puppet "government" is no longer relevant as all the battles are with ethiopian forces.
KC and agencies
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