Somalia: Ethiopian-Somali troops step up offensive on rebels

Ethiopian tanks supporting the Somali interim government pounded insurgent positions in Mogadishu on Thursday, intensifying an offensive that has emptied half the city of its people. "We are under heavy artillery and tank shelling. The Ethiopians are using whatever forces and material they have," said a fighter belonging to the capital's dominant Hawiye clan. "This is the heaviest attack we've seen since the war started."