MOGADISHU, Jan 30 (News Agencies) - An Ethiopian-backed Somali faction opposed to the transitional government in Mogadishu seized the southwestern town of Garbaharrey overnight from an armed group loyal to the new administration, an official said Tuesday.
At least one person was killed in the attack, according to Abdi Ali Hassan, a junior minister in the transitional government of President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan.
Three people were wounded in the fighting, according to a resident of village outside Garbaharey. The town is situated in the Gedo region.
"Ethiopian troops with military hardware were part of the attack which is spearheaded by non-patriot Somali personalities," Hassan said.
Hassan said the whereabouts of a government official Aden Bule Mohamud were unknown following the attack by the Ethiopian-backed splinter group of the Somali National Front (SNF) faction.
"The SNF faction led by Colonel Abdurazak Issak Bihi captured Garbaharrey, the Gedo regional capital," Hassan said.
"The visiting minister of transport Abdi Gouled escaped from Garbaharey and he is safe. The minister made a radio communication with us," Hassan added.
He said that Garbaharrey would not have fallen without Ethiopian forces backing the SNF fighters.
An official in the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi dismissed the claim that Ethiopian troops were involved as "unfounded lies aimed at discrediting Ethiopia's noble support peace in Somalia."
"This is part of a smear campaign against Ethiopia in order to cover up failure by TSG [transition Somali government]," the diplomat, Mengistu Ayalew, said.
He said Ethiopia, which was hosting many Somalia refugees, wanted peace in the neighboring country so that the asylum seekers could return.
"The TSG is unable to fully consolidate its authority inside Mogadishu. Ethiopia is not part of Somali interclan problems," Ayalew added.
Somali Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh alleged during a visit to Djibouti earlier this month that Ethiopia had twice attempted to infiltrate arms into Mogadishu and was equipping anti-government militias in preparation for armed attacks.
But Addis Ababa countered by saying that Somalia was seeking scapegoats for its internal problems.
According to several independent sources, Ethiopian troops have been present in border buffer zones in southwest Somalia since 1996.
