Somalia: Baidoa airport comes under mortar attack

Reports said dozens mortars fired on bases manned by the Ethiopian forces at the airport, causing an unconfirmed loss. Witnesses told Keydmedia Somali by telephone from Baidoa those forces guarding the airport to have retaliated heavy bombardments that could be heard overnight across the town.

Hospital sources said the there are civilian casualties in the bombardment at the airport in Baidoa, a town which is just 250 Km away southwestern Mogadishu and former Al-shabab stronghold before allied troops captured it in last February.

The Islamists who fled last year from Mogadishu after an offensive by AU and Somalia troops have threatened to wage a guerrilla war against the transitional government and Ethiopian troops.

Al-Shabaab still appears to be trying to hold onto areas in Bay and Bakol regions. These are areas from which Al-Shabaab has been able to extract considerable amounts of tax, as well as military training camps. They have been able to control farming and trading in these areas and in the past have had some local clan support though indications are that this is now falling.

Keydmedia.net - Baidoa, Somalia