Ethiopia has declared war on Somalia's Islamists, saying it was defending itself from the group which controls much of the Horn of Africa country.
In a live speech aired on television and radio late Sunday night, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that parliament had passed a resolution that would allow the country to protect its sovereignty.
"To defend the attack from the Union of Islamic Courts, we are forced to go into war today," Zenawi said.
The announcement came the same day Ethiopia finally admitted to having combat troops in the country, which it had long denied, saying it only sent training officers to support the weak transitional government.
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In his address, Zenawi also said Ethiopia had tried to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict with the Islamists, but this proved futile.
He said Ethiopia would "withdraw immediately," once it completed its mission in the country to push back the Islamist advance.
The first clashes erupted last week in Idale, 60 kilometres south-west of the government's seat in Baidoa, a day before an EU envoy successfully pushed the warring sides to agree to attend peace talks.
Tuesday also marked a one-week deadline given to Ethiopia by the Islamists to remove its troops or face attacks. - Sapa-dpa
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