Invading Israeli troops battle Hamas fighters in Gaza

by Sakher Abu El Oun and Mai Yaghi

GAZA CITY (AFP) – Invading Israeli ground forces fought fierce battles with Hamas in Gaza on Sunday after escalating an eight-day bombing blitz that killed hundreds of Palestinians and wreaked widespread destruction.

The thunder of Israeli tanks , artillery and missiles mixed with the clatter of small-arms throughout the night after troops crossed the border at around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Saturday in the biggest Israeli military operation since the 2006 Lebanon war.

Operational details were sketchy, but heavy fighting was reported in the north of the densely populated coastal strip around Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya.

Israel began its week-long air campaign two days after Christmas in a bid to halt rocket fire from Hamas, most of it coming from that part of Gaza.

An Israeli military spokesman said dozens of Hamas fighters were killed in the initial battles, while the Islamist group said nine Israeli soldiers had also been killed.

There was no independent confirmation of the claims, as ambulances were unable to reach casualties because of the fighting.

An army spokeswoman told AFP that 28 soldiers had been wounded, two of them seriously.

Gaza emergency services said five civilians had been killed, including one child.

France led criticism of the invasion as the UN Security Council met to discuss the crisis, which has caused critical shortages of food, water, fuel and electricity for Gaza's 1.5 million people.

Israel did not say how many men were involved in the attack, but around 9,000 reservists had been called up in advance of the assault and media reports said another 10,000 were being mobilized.

Israel has kept Gaza virtually sealed off since Hamas seized power there from forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in 2007.

An Israeli military official was quoted by the Ynet news website as saying, "We are facing several hubs of resistance, yet we are not dealing with massive resistance.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the army would capture sites used to fire rockets and vowed to deal a "hard blow" to the Islamists.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said "it will not be easy or short but we are determined."

The army had "dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to Hamas" he declared. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in southern part of Israel."

Hamas remained defiant, vowing the Israeli army would pay a "high price."

"Your incursion into Gaza will not be a walk in the park and Gaza will become your cemetery," spokesman Ismail Radwan said.

Militant rocket fire into Israel on Saturday slightly wounded three people, with six projectiles fired after the ground offensive began, Israeli police said.

Hours before the invasion, in one of the deadliest strikes of the campaign, an Israeli jet hit the Ibrahim al-Maqdana mosque in Jabaliya, killing at least 16 people among more than 200 people at prayer, medics and witnesses said.

Four children were among the dead and dozens of wounded were dragged from the rubble.

Two Hamas military commanders were also killed in air strikes on Saturday.

Israel has staged nearly 800 air raids against Hamas leaders and targets since "Operation Cast Lead" began on December 27.

Gaza medics said at least 463 Palestinians had been killed -- including 75 children -- and 2,310 wounded in the air campaign.

Four people have been killed in Israel by more than 500 rockets fired from Gaza over the same period.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged an immediate end to the offensive, and the Security Council met but failed to agree on a statement calling for a ceasefire, French ambassador and current president Jean-Maurice Ripert said.

US President George W. Bush called on Hamas "to turn away from terror" and rejected calls for a unilateral ceasefire that he said would allow the Islamists to continue hitting Israel with rockets.

US president-elect Barack Obama made no immediate comment, while many international leaders condemned the offensive.

Abbas said the onslaught will have "grave consequences" for the Middle East, senior aide Saeb Erakat reported.

"President Abbas vigorously condemns this aggression and calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to put an end to it," he told AFP.

Abbas is to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the West Bank on Monday before going to the Security Council to make a plea for a ceasefire. The French leader is also due to meet Olmert in Jerusalem.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the invasion a "dangerous military escalation" that would undermine attempts to broker a ceasefire.

"France condemns the Israeli ground offensive against Gaza just as it condemns the continuing firing of rockets," Kouchner said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with Olmert, "pressing hard for an immediate ceasefire," a statement from Brown's office said.

Demonstrations against the Israeli action were staged around the world.

Up to 100,000 Arab-Israelis attended a rally in northern Israel and tens of thousands joined demonstrations in London, Paris -- where police fought demonstrators -- and other European cities.

US blocks UN Security Council action on Gaza

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS – The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel and expressing concern at the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas.

U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States saw no prospect of Hamas abiding by last week's council call for an immediate end to the violence. Therefore, he said, a new statement at this time "would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, would not do credit to the council."

France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the current council president, announced that there was no agreement among members on a statement. But he said there were "strong convergences" among the 15 members to express serious concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the need for "an immediate, permanent and fully respected cease-fire."

Arab nations demanded that the council adopt a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire following Israel's launch of a ground offensive in Gaza earlier Saturday, a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Libya's U.N. Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi, the only Arab member of the council, said the United States objected to "any outcome" during the closed council discussions on the proposed statement.

He said efforts were made to compromise and agree on a weaker press statement but there was no consensus.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Arab nations demanded Saturday that the United Nations Security Council call for an immediate cease-fire following Israel's launch of a ground offensive in Gaza, a view echoed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Libya circulated a draft statement to council members before emergency council consultations began expressing "serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza" following Israel's ground assault and calling on Israel and Hamas "to stop immediately all military activities."

The 15-member council then met behind closed doors to discuss a proposed presidential statement that would also call for all parties to address the humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza, including by opening border crossings.

Council diplomats said the United States opposed the presidential statement because it was similar to a press statement issued by members after Israeli warplanes launched the offensive a week ago that was not heeded. Presidential statements become part of the council's official record but press statements are weaker and do not.

The five permanent council members — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — along with Libya, the only Arab nation on the council, then met privately to discuss possibly issuing another press statement.

"We need to have from the Security Council reaction tonight to bring this latest addition of aggression against our people in Gaza to an immediate halt," Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. observer told reporters.

The statement, if approved, would become part of the council's official record but would not have the weight of a Security Council resolution, which is legally binding.

Mansour said 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and injured since Israeli warplanes starting bombing Gaza a week ago. More than 480 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and four killed in Israel.

International criticism of the offensive has increased steadily, but Israel maintains the offensive is aimed at stopping the rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza that have traumatized southern Israel.

Before the council met Saturday night, Ban telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and said he was disappointed that Israel launched a ground offensive and "alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering" of Palestinian civilians, the U.N. spokesman's office said in a statement.

"He called for an immediate end to the ground operation, and asked that Israel do all possible to ensure the protection of civilians and that humanitarian assistance is able to reach those in need," the statement said.

Ban reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire and urged regional and international partners "to exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed and suffering," the statement said.

The secretary-general said the Israeli ground operation is complicating efforts by the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers — the U.N., the U.S., the European Union and Russia — to end the violence.

France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert echoed Ban.

"We think it's time for both parties to stop fighting and go back to the political track," said Ripert. He said he was speaking as French ambassador not as Security Council president, a job he took over on Jan. 1.

Several Arab foreign ministers are expected at U.N. headquarters on Monday to urge the Security Council to adopt a resolution ending the Israeli offensive. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delayed his arrival until Tuesday so he can meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the West Bank.

Israeli ground troops invade Gaza to halt rockets

By IBRAHIM BARZAK and JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writers

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Thousands of Israeli troops backed by columns of tanks and helicopter gunships launched a ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday night, with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight in the densely populated territory after eight days of punishing airstrikes failed to halt militant rocket attacks on Israel.

The incursion set off fierce clashes with Palestinian militants and Gaza's Hamas rulers vowed the coastal strip would be a "graveyard" for Israelis forces.

"This will not be easy and it will not be short," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on national television about two hours after ground troops moved in.

Army ambulances were seen bringing Israeli wounded to a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. The military said a total of 30 soldiers were injured in the opening hours of the offensive along with "dozens" of militants.

The night sky over Gaza was lit by the flash of bullets and balls of fire from tank shells. Sounds of explosions were heard across Gaza City, the territory's biggest city, and high-rise buildings shook from the bigger booms.

Troops with camouflage face paint marching single file. As the ground troops moved in, Israel kept pounding Gaza with airstrikes. F-16 warplanes hit three targets within a few minutes, including a main Hamas security compound.

Gaza residents said troops were seen before dawn Sunday in the town of Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza City, and the sound of intense fighting could be heard just east of the city, toward the border with Israel.

In the city itself, the Hamas-run Al Aqsa radio station was in flames from a missile strike. Staff had evacuated the building about a week earlier, at the start of the Israeli offensive, and continued broadcasting from another location.

"We have many, many targets," Israeli army spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich told CNN. "To my estimation, it will be a lengthy operation."

Israeli leaders said the operation, known as Cast Lead, was meant to quell militant rocket and mortar fire on southern Israel. They said it would not end quickly but that the objective was not to reoccupy Gaza or topple Hamas. The depth and intensity will depend in part on parallel diplomatic efforts that so far haven't yielded a truce proposal acceptable to Israel, the officials said.

In the airborne phase of Israel's onslaught, militants were not deterred from bombarding southern Israel with more than 400 rockets — including dozens that extended deeper into Israel than ever before. They fired six rockets into Israel in the first few hours after the ground push began, the military said.

One rocket scored a direct hit on a house in the southern city of Ashkelon earlier Saturday and another struck a bomb shelter there, leaving its above-ground entrance scarred by shrapnel and blasting a parked bus.

"I don't want to disillusion anybody and residents of the south will go through difficult days," Barak said. "We do not seek war but we will not abandon our citizens to the ongoing Hamas attacks."

Israel called up tens of thousands of reservists and the country's north was on high alert in the event Palestinian militants in the West Bank or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon decide to exploit the broad offensive in Gaza to launch attacks against Israel on other fronts. Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in the summer of 2006.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said U.S. officials have been in regular contact with the Israelis as well as officials from countries in the region and Europe.

"We continue to make clear to them our concerns for civilians, as well as the humanitarian situation," Johndroe said.

The U.N. Security Council held emergency consultations on the escalation in Gaza. But late Saturday, the United States blocked approval of a council statement demanded by Arab nations that calls for an immediate cease-fire.

U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States saw no prospect of Hamas abiding by last week's council call to end the violence. Therefore, he said, a new statement "would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, would not do credit to the council."

Israel's bruising air campaign against Gaza over the past eight days began days after a six-month truce expired. Gaza health officials say the air war has killed more than 480 Palestinians in an attempt to halt Hamas rocket attacks that were reaching farther into Israel than ever before. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets.

Israel is taking a risk by wading into intense urban warfare in densely populated Gaza that could exact a much higher toll on both sides and among civilians.

This sort of urban warfare has not gone well in past campaigns where Israel sent ground forces into Arab population centers in the Palestinian territories or in Lebanon wars in 1982 and 2006. Israeli forces have either gotten bogged down or sustained heavy casualties, without quelling violent groups or halting attacks for good.

The decision to expand the operation, while continuing to batter Gaza from the air and sea, was taken after Hamas refused to stop attacking Israel, government officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions leading up to wartime decisions are confidential.

Before the ground incursion began, heavy Israeli artillery fire hit east of Gaza City, in locations where the military said Hamas fighters were deployed. The artillery shells were apparently intended to detonate Hamas explosive devices and mines planted along the border area before troops marched in.

Hamas has long prepared for Israel's invasion, digging tunnels and rigging some areas with explosives. The group remained defiant as the ground war began.

"You entered like rats," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told Israeli soldiers in a statement on Hamas' Al Aqsa TV, broadcast shortly after the start of the invasion. "Your entry to Gaza won't be easy. Gaza will be a graveyard for you, God willing," he said.

"Gaza will not be paved with flowers for you. It will be paved with fire and hell," Hamas warned Israeli forces.

A text message sent by Hamas' military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, said "the Zionists started approaching the trap which our fighters prepared for them." Hamas said it also broadcast a Hebrew message on Israeli military radio frequencies promising to kill and kidnap the Israeli soldiers.

"Be prepared for a unique surprise, you will be either killed or kidnapped and will suffer mental illness from the horrors we will show you," the message said.

Hamas has also threatened to resume suicide attacks inside Israel.

Before the ground invasion, defense officials said about 10,000 Israeli soldiers had massed along the border in recent days.

Israel initially held off on a ground offensive, apparently in part because of concern about casualties among Israeli troops and because of fears of getting bogged down in Gaza.

An inner Cabinet of top ministers met with leading security officials for four hours Saturday before deciding to authorize the ground invasion.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the meeting that Israel's objective was to bring quiet to southern Israel but "we don't want to topple Hamas," a government official quoted the prime minister as saying. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to share the information.

The immediate aim of the ground operations was to take control of sites militants use as rocket-launching pads, the military said. It said large numbers of troops were taking part but did not give specifics.

Israeli airstrikes intensified just as the ground operation was getting under way, and 28 Palestinians were killed. Palestinian health officials said civilians were among the dead, including a woman, her son and her father who died after a shell hit their house.

One raid hit a mosque in Beit Lahiya, killing 13 people and wounding 33, according to a Palestinian health official. It was not immediately clear why the mosque was hit, but Israel has hit other mosques in its air campaign and said they were used for storing weapons.

Israeli artillery joined the battle for the first time earlier on Saturday. Artillery fire is less accurate than attacks from the air using precision-guided munitions, raising the possibility of a higher number of civilian casualties.

An artillery shell hit a house in Beit Lahiya, killing two people and wounding five, said members of the family living there. Ambulances could not immediately reach them because of a resulting fire, they said.

Resident Abed al-Ghoul said the Israeli army called by phone to tell them to leave the house within 15 minutes.

The ground operation sidelined intense international diplomacy to try to reach a truce. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was to visit the region next week, and President George W. Bush favors an internationally monitored truce.

Israel has already said it wants international monitors. It is unclear whether Hamas would agree to such supervision, which could limit its control of Gaza.

In Hamas' first reaction to the proposal for international monitors, government spokesman Taher Nunu said early Saturday that the group would not allow Israel or the international community to impose any arrangement, though he left the door open to a negotiated solution.

"Anyone who thinks that the change in the Palestinian arena can be achieved through jet fighters' bombs and tanks and without dialogue is mistaken," he said.

Hamas began to emerge as Gaza's main power broker when it won Palestinian parliamentary elections three years ago. It has ruled the impoverished territory of 1.4 million people since seizing control from the rival Fatah forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007.

Israel occupied Gaza for 38 years before pulling out thousands of soldiers in settlers in late 2005. Israel still controls Gaza border crossings.

Sudan: Nigeria Leads 12,000 Peacekeepers in Darfur

2 January 2009

The United Nations (UN) yesterday announced that 12,374 peacekeepers have so far been deployed to UN-AU hybrid force in Sudan's Darfur region.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the UN reports that the peacekeeping force, known as UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is expected to have 26,000 troops, police and civilian personnel at full deployment.

Nigeria has about 3,000 troops and police personnel in Darfur.

"The United Nations is pleased to confirm that 12,374 uniformed personnel have been deployed to UNAMID, representing 63 per cent of the mission's authorized military strength of 19,555 personnel," the UN said.

This was contained in a statement to mark one year of the hybrid force in Darfur.

It said that the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, applauded the efforts of the troop-contributing countries.

It said that "in reaching this target in the face of serious difficulties, including the volatile security situation in Darfur".

According to Ban, the cooperation of the Sudanese government in achieving this level of deployment, while also stressing the need for the continuation of the cooperation, however, stated that, "to ensure the mission continues to grow and reach full strength, troop-and-police-contributing countries will have to work together with the United Nations."

It said this was to "expedite the deployment of all outstanding capabilities".

It called on member states to step up efforts to provide the shortfall in troops, helicopters and other logistic support to enable the force to ensure peace and security in the war-torn region.

It also quoted the UN chief as calling on the international community to commit themselves to the volatile region, in order to counter the escalating threat to peace and security.

UNAMID was set up by the UN Security Council in 2007 to protect civilians in Darfur.

It is estimated that 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million displaced following hostilities between rebels, government forces and allied militiamen, known as the Janjaweed, in 2003.

Nigeria's Gen. Martin Agwai is the force commander and the Chairman of the Darfur Ceasefire Commission.

NAN recalls that Ban recently warned that clashes between the warring factions in Darfur was threatening the UN-AU peacekeeping mission.

He urged all parties to end hostilities and work towards a comprehensive political solution in the region.

Civilians take brunt of 7th day of Gaza offensive

* Civilian death toll climbs

* Palestinian official says Egypt begins truce initiative

* Hamas leader threatens to abduct more Israeli soldiers

* Palestinian death toll reaches 429

* Protests turn violent in West Bank, Jordan

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The civilian death toll climbed in Israel's air offensive against the Gaza Strip on Friday and Palestinian Islamists vowed revenge for the killing of a senior Hamas leader and his family.

There was no sign of a ceasefire on the seventh day of the conflict, in which at least 429 Palestinians have been killed and 2,000 wounded, but a Palestinian official told Reuters that Egypt had begun exploratory talks with Hamas to halt the bloodshed.

A United Nations agency said more than a quarter of those killed in Gaza were civilians. A leading Palestinian human rights group put it at 40 percent.

Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal urged Arabs in a televised speech from Damascus to step up aid to Gaza and to send medical teams. European and Arab countries had contacted Hamas to discuss ending the fighting, but he did not name them.

The senior Palestinian official, who declined to be named and who has been close to previous talks between Egypt and Hamas, said the aim of the talks included promoting ideas that would culminate in a new truce.

Four Israelis have been killed by Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza, which strike southern cities and towns at random and cause property damage and panic among the local population.

Meshaal warned Israel that Hamas would resist any Israeli ground invasion of the strip and might abduct soldiers. Militants said all options including suicide bombings were now open to "strike at Zionist interests everywhere".

"If you commit a foolish act by raiding Gaza, who knows, we may have a second or a third or a fourth Shalit," Meshaal said. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped more than two years ago.

Of 10 Palestinians reported killed on Friday in more than 30 Israeli air strikes, seven were civilians, including five children, local medics said.

One missile killed three Palestinian children aged between eight and 12 as they played on a street near the town of Khan Yunis in the south of the strip. One was decapitated.

Islamist fighters earlier fired rockets at Israel's ancient port of Ashkelon, one of which blew out windows in an apartment building. Another house took a direct hit from a long-range missile later in the day, and cars were set ablaze.

A FEW ESCAPE

Israel's armoured forces remained massed on the Gaza frontier in preparation for a possible ground invasion, despite international calls for a halt to the conflict. An Israeli naval vessel offshore fired at a greenhouse in southern Gaza.

Israeli leaders were in conference on Friday evening and media reports said they were discussing an "imminent" incursion.

The White House said on Friday that Israel must decide for itself whether to go into the Gaza Strip with ground forces, but it cautioned any actions should avoid civilian casualties and ensure the flow of humanitarian goods.

In Gaza City, a few hundred foreign passport holders boarded buses in the pre-dawn murk to quit the Strip, with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross, their governments and Israeli compliance.

"The situation is very bad. We are afraid for our children," said Ilona Hamdiya, a woman from Moldova married to a Palestinian. "We are very grateful to our embassy."

They left behind 1.5 million Palestinians unable to escape the conflict, a city facing another day of bombs, missiles, flickering electricity, queues for bread, taped-up windows and streets littered with broken glass and debris.

"We will not rest until we destroy the Zionist entity," said Hamas leader Fathi Hammad at the funeral of Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader who was killed along with four wives and 11 children in an air strike on Thursday.

The bearded Rayyan, who mentored suicide bombers and sent one of his sons on a "martyrdom" mission, was the highest ranking Hamas official to be killed in the current offensive. He had called loudly for bombings in Israeli cities.

Bracing for protests and retaliatory violence, Israel sealed off the occupied West Bank to deny entry to most Palestinians and beefed up security at checkpoints.

There were protests by Palestinians in West Bank cities. In Ramallah, Hamas supporters scuffled with the Fatah faction of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, taunting them as collaborators. Elsewhere, protesters stoned soldiers at checkpoints and some were wounded by rubber bullets.

In the Jordanian capital, Amman, riot police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters marching on the Israeli embassy, chanting: "No Jewish embassy on Arab land".

Ethiopia begins withdrawal from Somalia

By Ibrahim Mohamed

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Ethiopia has started pulling its troops out of Somalia, where they have been helping the Western-backed government fight an Islamist insurgency for the past two years, a senior official said on Friday.

A convoy of trucks laden with Ethiopian soldiers, mattresses and other equipment left Mogadishu earlier, although some troops remained in Somalia's capital, witnesses said.

The departure of an estimated 3,000 Ethiopian troops risks leaving a potentially dangerous power vacuum in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation unless more African peacekeepers are sent quickly to strengthen an existing force of 3,200 in Somalia.

Bereket Simon, special adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said Ethiopian, African Union (AU) and government force commanders had met in Addis Ababa and agreed on a plan for handing over security responsibilities.

"This process is now being conducted and the Ethiopian troop withdrawal movements have started," Simon told Reuters. "The withdrawal is not an event that can be completed within a day. It will be finalized as quickly as possible."

Residents saw a convoy of about 30 trucks with Ethiopian soldiers arriving in Afgoye, a town 30 kms (19 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, on Friday morning.

Residents also reported that Ethiopian troops were strengthening security along the road which leads from Mogadishu to Baidoa, the seat of parliament.

Somalia's parliament speaker and interim president, Sheikh Aden Madobe, appealed to the African Union during a visit to Kenya to strengthen its AMISOM force now.

"The agreement that we have with Ethiopia is that they will leave Somalia as soon as full AMISOM forces come to Somalia, but now it seems the Ethiopian government has decided to leave," Madobe told reporters in Nairobi. "We don't want a vacuum."

MORE ATTACKS

The international community has been racing to beef up peacekeeping operations in Somalia but the United Nations has ruled out any quick deployment.

African Union officials say some 2,500 soldiers from Uganda, Burundi and Nigeria are ready to deploy but financial and logistical obstacles have so hindered them.

Without central government since 1991, Somalia has become the epitome of a failed state and the chaos onshore has fueled rampant piracy in the busy shipping lanes off the coast.

More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in a two-year Islamist insurgency, a million people have fled their homes and a third of the population rely on emergency aid.

Diplomats say the Ethiopian departure may take the sting out of the insurgency, which has become a nationalist cause and holds sway in much of southern and central Somalia.

They also hope this week's resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf will be an opportunity to forge an inclusive government which can work for peace.

But some insurgents have vowed to fight the government even when its allies leave, and a hardline opposition group seen as key to lasting peace is snubbing the idea of power-sharing.

Without the Ethiopians, analysts say there is a risk the Islamists will seize the capital, where there are daily attacks.

Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu were targeted by a large blast earlier on Friday on the road to the airport. Witnesses said two soldiers and a number of civilians were killed.

The United Nations also denounced the killing of several prominent Somalis over the past week, including a well-known radio journalist and the deputy minister for reconciliation.

"The perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the U.N.'s special envoy to Somalia. "The focus should now be moving toward peace and stability and addressing impunity."

AirTran apologizes for removing Muslim passengers

WASHINGTON – AirTran Airways apologized Friday to nine Muslims kicked off a New Year's Day flight to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security. One of the passengers said the confusion started at Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., when he talked about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran said in a statement that it refunded the passengers' air fare and planned to reimburse them for replacement tickets they bought on US Airways. AirTran also offered to take the passengers back to Washington free of charge.

"We apologize to all of the passengers — to the nine who had to undergo extensive interviews from the authorities and to the 95 who ultimately made the flight," the statement said. "Nobody on Flight 175 reached their destination on time on New Year's Day, and we regret it."

AirTran said the incident was a misunderstanding, but the steps taken were necessary.

Two U.S. Muslim advocacy groups, however, were critical of the airline's actions. The Muslim Public Affairs Council called on federal officials Friday to open an investigation. And the Council for American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation, saying "It is incumbent on any airline to ensure that members of the traveling public are not singled out or mistreated based on their perceived race, religion or national origin."

Bill Adams, a DOT spokesperson, said the department thoroughly investigates discrimination complaints but would not comment further.

One of the Muslim passengers, Atif Irfan, said the family probably would not fly home with AirTran because members had already booked tickets on another airline, but appreciated the apology.

"It's definitely nice to hear," he said.

Irfan said when he boarded the flight Thursday, he mentioned something to his wife and sister-in-law about having to sit in the back. His sister-in-law replied that she believed the back of the airplane was the safest, but Irfan believed it was better to be by the wings.

"She said, 'Yes, I guess it makes sense not to be close to the engine in case something happens,'" Irfan recalled Friday. "It was a very benign conversation."

Shortly after taking their seats, members of the group were approached by federal air marshals and taken off the plane, Irfan said. They stood in the jet bridge connected to the airport and answered questions while other passengers exited and glared at them.

Irfan said he thought he and the others were profiled because of their appearance. The men had beards and the women wore headscarves, traditional Muslim attire.

"My wife and I are generally very careful about what we say when we step on the plane," he said, adding that they have received suspicious looks in the past. "We're used to this sort of thing — but obviously not to this extent."

Irfan, 29, is a lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Va. He was traveling to a religious retreat in Florida with his wife, along with his brother and his family, including three children, ages 7, 4 and 2. They were joined by his brother's sister-in-law and a family friend.

Federal officials ordered the rest of the passengers from the plane and re-screened them before allowing the flight to depart about two hours behind schedule. The family and friend eventually made it to their destination on a US Airways flight.

Family members were upset that AirTran didn't allow them to book another flight. The airline said in a news release Friday that one of the passengers became irate, made inappropriate comments and had to be escorted away from a gate podium by local law enforcement.

"We felt very disrespected," Irfan said. He said FBI agents had cleared their names and asked AirTran to put them on another flight, but to no avail.

Christopher White, a federal Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said the security concern on the plane was handled appropriately.

White said the pilot, after being informed of the remarks, requested that two federal air marshals on board remove the nine passengers. TSA then alerted authorities, including the FBI, which conducted an investigation.

"Our role, basically, is to determine whether (those) in question pose a threat," FBI spokesman Bill Carter said.

He and White said that once authorities determined there was no security threat, it was up to the airline on how to proceed.

"If the pilot is uncomfortable with someone flying on their plane, that's their decision," White said.

Discount carrier AirTran Airways is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc. Its hub is in Atlanta.