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Ethiopian soldier dies in Somalia Source: BBC

An Ethiopian soldier has been killed and another seriously wounded after unknown gunmen opened fire on troops at a market in Kismayo, southern Somalia.

Somali army commander Abdulrazak Afgudud told the BBC that several people had been arrested.

The Ethiopian soldiers were on board a pick-up truck when the gunmen shot at them and escaped.

Ethiopia has begun a phased withdrawal of its troops from Somalia after helping the government oust Islamists.

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Somalia says some of the soldiers were shopping at the time of the attack and were caught unawares.

"The gunmen used pistols and they have taken away AK-47 riffles from the Ethiopian soldiers," witness Abdullahi Hassan told the AP news agency.

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Business premises at the market have been shut down following the attack - the first since Ethiopians and government troops took control of Kismayo earlier this month.

Some Islamists have pledged to conduct a guerrilla war against government forces. More than 3,000 Islamist gunmen are believed to have gone into hiding.

Kismayo was the last major town held by the Union of Islamic Courts to be taken by Somali government and Ethiopian forces.

The African Union is putting together a peacekeeping force to replace the Ethiopians.

Uganda, Malawi and Nigeria have all pledged to send troops but it is not clear when they will start arriving.

Source: BBC

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