BAIDOA, Somalia (AP) - Ethiopian troops alongside government forces entered a southern Somali town Sunday, residents said, in a move likely to further strain tensions with Islamic radicals who are tightening their grip on the war-ravaged country. Well-armed troops aboard seven trucks mounted with machine guns arrived in the agricultural town of Dinsor, witnesses said. The forces then left, residents told The Associated Press. "They were telling us that they were in control and not to worry," shopkeeper Mohamed Abdi Salam told the AP by telephone.Ethiopia on Sunday denied its troops had entered Dinsor. Sightings of Ethiopian troops in Somalia have been increasing since July, despite their repeated denials.
Last Monday, witnesses said hundreds of Ethiopian and government troops forced Islamic fighters to abandon Bur Haqaba, a strategic hilltop town. They said the forces later withdrew.