Ethiopian tanks roll to Somali battlefront (Reuters)

[Eugene]

Ethiopian tanks roll to Somali battlefront

By Hassan Yare
25 minutes ago

BAIDOA, Somalia (Reuters) - Ethiopian tanks rolled to the battlefront on Friday
as Somali Islamists and pro-government troops pounded each other with artillery
and rockets in a fourth day of clashes edging closer to all-out war.

The Islamists said they would send ground troops to attack en masse on Saturday,
as opposed to fighting from a distance with heavy weapons as they have been doing
so far.

"Our troops have not started to attack. From tomorrow the attack will start,"
Islamist deputy spokesman Ibrahim Shukri told a news conference.

Witnesses near the fighting on two fronts near the government's encircled stronghold
of Baidoa said they heard the rumble of armor before dawn.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061222/wl_nm/somalia_conflict_dc

Also: Thousands Flee Fighting in Somalia - AP