Somali/Ethiopian troops battle 600 Islamists

From AP at Yahoo

Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers battled about 600 Islamic militiamen Thursday on the southern tip of this Horn of Africa nation, and U.S. Navy forces prevented the militants from fleeing by sea, authorities said.

The battle between the estimated 600 militiamen and the Ethiopian and Somali troops took place far to the southwest near the border with Kenya.

Kenya has closed its border, fearing militants would slip across the frontier.

Some militants were trying to escape by sea but that U.S. Navy forces were deployed to stop them.

Thursday was Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi's deadline for residents to give up their arms voluntarily, but only a handful were seen doing so.

But Gedi said the disarmament program was working, and that his forces will seize large arms caches around Mogadishu this week. He said a house-by-house search would follow.

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