Ethiopian warplanes bomb Lego, an Islamic force base

Two Ethiopian fighter jets have air bombed Lego, the current Islamic force defensive town, which is 140 km (88 miles) away from the capital Mogadishu. Witnesses said four civilians have been wounded in the air raid.

The Ethiopian fighter jets dropped bombs on Mogadishu's international airport and Baledogle, 100 km away from the capital yesterday.

Islamic force abandoned most of Bai province, southern Somalia and made their defensive line in Lego town after retreating from Bur Hakaba, which is 6o km south of Lego.

Ethiopian occupation troops reportedly occupied all key towns and tiny villages abandoned by the ICU fighters.

Islamic Courts solders and the Ethiopian occupants are facing off settlements dubbed Fidow and Bur Weyn, with the Ethiopian troops advancing towards Jawhar, the main town of Middle Shabelle province, 90 km south of the capital Mogadishu.

Meanwhile Islamic Courts Union has alleged its fighters have shot down an Ethiopian helicopter in Bandiredley, about 630 km (400 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu.

Sheik Abdiqani Qorane Mohammed, an Islamic Courts officer, said they downed an Ethiopian gunship helicopter, indicating they have also killed numbers of Ethiopian foot soldiers.

"The fighting is going on between Galinsor and Bandiradley", he said.

Islamic authority has admitted they deserted some of the areas forcefully occupied by the Ethiopian military forces.

Sheik ASbdrahman Jiunikow, ICU spokesman, said they have retreated from Baledweyn where about eight Ethiopian warplanes struck Sunday.

Islamic authority vowed they would continue the war with the Ethiopian troops until all Ethiopian leave the country.

Meanwhile in a press conference held in the capital Mogadishu, Islamic Courts chairman Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed told reporters that the war between the Somalia and the Ethiopian occupation troops will be long and unending.

Ahmed said, "There was a meeting in Emirates between us and the Ethiopian government. They put forward conditions that we should cut our relations with countries like Eritrea, Sudan and other world countries and that we should give up Ethiopian rebels whom they said are in Somalia".