Somalis 'inside vital hill town’

Press, 25 November 1977, Page 5

Somalis 'inside vital hill town’

NZPA-Reuter Nairobi Somali attackers have penetrated the Ethiopian mountain city of Harar in a battle which could decide the four-month war for control of the Ogaden Desert, diplomatic sources have said. The sources in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa were in telephone contact with Harar.

Capture of Harar is vital to Somali forces trying to secure the Ogaden from Ethiopia. The drive for the city began on November 13. They already claim 95 per cent of the region, but will be vulnerable to counter-at-tack unless they win control of the Amhar Mountains around Harar. The Somali forces have said in Mogadishu that they have shot down an Ameri-can-made fighter flown by the Ethiopians near the strategic town of Dire Dawa, close to Harar. “Danab” said that the liberation front, said its forces had killed about 120

Ethiopian troops and wounded many others in fighting two days ago near the town. Dire Dawa, an air base, is on the main road and rail supply route for new Soviet weapons to the Ethiopian front line, W.S.L.F. sources said.

“Danabe”- said that the plane shot down was an F 5 Phantom fighter — part of large supplies of American equipment left behind in Ethiopia last spring when all Americans left the country. Diplomatic sources said both military and political pressures could prevent any other attempt to take Harar, which is the political capital of the region. The military pressure comes from the ever-increas-ing flow of Soviet arms. The W.S.L.F. secretarygeneral (Mr Abdullah Hasan Mohamed) said: “We shall see the Russians leave Ethiopia as the Americans left Vietnam, what ever arms they are sending in. The more weapons they pour in, the more we capture.”