Ethiopian troops kill 3 people in the latest violence in Somalia

Mohamed Olad Hassan, Canadian Press
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Ethiopian troops supporting Somalia's fledgling government killed three civilians early Monday, while a top leader of Somalia's Islamic movement turned himself over to authorities in Kenya, a witness and official said.
The troops were firing at several gunmen who were trying to hide in a house in the Hurwa district, said Mustaf Hassan Ali, who witnessed the shooting. He said the victims were not the gunmen but civilians in the home.
"The Ethiopians fired at the civilians when unknown gunmen sought refuge in their house," Ali said.
Ethiopian troops have come under fire frequently in recent days in the Hurwa district, which is considered a hotbed of sympathizers for Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts. The radical group was driven out of the capital and much of southern Somalia last month with the help of powerful troops from neighbouring Ethiopia.
In neighbouring Kenya, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed crossed the Somali border and was flown immediately to Nairobi, a Kenyan security official said on condition of anonymity because the operation was supposed to be secret. Ahmed was under U.S. protection at a top hotel, a Somali official said, also asking for anonymity for the same reason.
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said she could not immediately comment.
Ahmed was apparently afraid for his life following his decision to leave Somalia, where his Council of Islamic Courts is being hunted by Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces.
U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has repeatedly said Ahmed is a moderate Islamic leader whom the U.S. thinks should be part of a national reconciliation process in Somalia. Ahmed was the chairman of the Executive Council of Islamic Courts and shared the leadership with Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was chairman of the court's legislative council.
On Saturday, gunmen fired machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades at an Ethiopian convoy in Hurwa district, but missed. The Ethiopians responded with heavy weapons, killing four bystanders, witnesses and medical officials said.
Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictator and turned on each other. The government was formed two years ago with the help of the United Nations, but was weakened by internal rifts.
The intervention of Ethiopia prompted a military advance that was a stunning turnaround for the administration, which is trying to assert control in this battle-scarred country. But the potential for violence remains great because of traditional clan rivalries and a threat of guerrilla war from remnants of the Islamic movement.
Many Somalis also resent the Ethiopians' presence. Somalia, a Muslim country, and Ethiopia, with its large Christian population, fought a brutal war in 1977.
On Sunday, Somalia's government spokesman said Kenya has handed over 34 Islamic militiamen, and that some of them may be senior leaders of the Islamic movement.
Kenyan border patrols arrested the men in the past few weeks, said Abdirahman Dinari, the government spokesman. He said the government is investigating the identities of the men and will soon make the details public.
The government has invited African peacekeepers to help provide security in Somalia, but they are unlikely to come if fighting continues. African Union officials approved an 8,000-peacekeeper mission on Friday.
© The Canadian Press 2007