Ethiopean troops begin Somalia withdrawal

Ethiopean commanders say they are starting to pull their troops out of Somalia after helping interim government forces there oust Islamist militants. The announcement was made at a ceremony in Mogadishu during which former warlords and faction leaders where handing over weapons to the newly-installed transitional government.

Ethiopean and Somalia government troops drove the Islamists out of the capital, and finally the south, after a two week war over the New Year period. Somalia’s Interior Minister says the Ethiopians will be replaced “within a week” by African Union peacekeepers. The AU has approved a nearly 8,000-strong force, but experts doubt its capacity to bring lasting stability to the African nation.

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