MOGADISHU, Dec 28: Triumphant Somali government forces and their Ethiopian allies marched into Mogadishu on Thursday after religious extremists fled the war-scarred city they held for six months.

Their flight was a dramatic turnaround in the volatile Horn of Africa nation after they took Mogadishu in June and spread across the south, imposing Islamic rule. Terrified of violence, some Mogadishu residents greeted the arriving government troops, while others hid.

“People are cheering as they wave flowers to the troops,” claimed resident Abdikadar Abdulle, adding that scores of government military vehicles had passed the Somalia National University west of the city centre.

Parts of Mogadishu shook with the sound of gunfire and there were outbreaks of looting after leaders of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council fled its base early in the morning. Some fighters ditched their uniforms to avoid reprisals.—Reuters