Ethiopian trucks packed with soldiers and light and heavy equipment are vacating Mogadishu, the first signs of the expected withdrawal.
Somali officials said that the thousands of Ethiopian troops who were scheduled to leave by the end of 2008 have started withdrawing but the pull out will be done in stages. It was not clear how many were leaving on Friday, but residents said a few hundred were on the move.
Press TV correspondent reporting from Mogadishu said Friday that Somalian opposition groups have started registering soldiers for restoring law and order in this war-waged country. He added that already 5,000 people have registered.
According to his source in the opposition group, he said that each soldier will be paid USD 150 per month.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, an opposition leader, who has vast support in Somalia, including the local elders and businessmen, is in Libya seeking military help, our correspondent said and added that, according to his source, help will arrive within 48 hours.
For two decades, Somalia has been beset by anarchy, violence and an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing.