Battle of Beledweyne ( 2008 ) The July 2008 Battle of Beledweyne began on July 1 , 2008 when Islamic militants from the Somali Islamic Courts attacked the town of Beledweyne which was defended by a garrison of Ethiopian troops . Background . At the beginning of June 2008 Islamist forces started taking whole districts across central parts of Somalia . In the Bay region , northwest of Mogadishu , Al Shabaab insurgents entered the district of Qansah - Dheere on June 7 , 2008 , and took control without facing any resistance . Residents said there were no government troops present when the insurgents arrived . On June 23 , 2008 , Islamist forces captured Bardale , entirely encircling Baidoa and cutting off the highway to Dolo . The next day Islamist forces establish control of Bardhere unopposed , signaling a definitive shift of Marehan clan affiliation solidly into the Islamist column . After that , on June 28 , 2008 , Islamist forces peacefully retook the strategic city of Beledweyne after the Ethiopian garrison withdraws from the area . Some looting of government facilities occurred , but Islamist commanders called on locals to return stolen property and uphold the peace . Some heavy fighting however did occur at the town of Guguriel , which is where the Ethiopians had withdrawn to after vacating Beledweyne . The battle . The fighting started July 1 , 2008 , when Somali opposition fighters ambushed an Ethiopian army convoy travelling from Guguriel in retreat toward the Ethiopian border . The fighting in the Mataban locality left 47 Ethiopian soldiers and 235 Islamist fighters dead . Three Ethiopian military vehicles were destroyed and two captured by the insurgents . 11 of the dead Ethiopians were senior and junior officers . Ethiopian troops withdrew to Ferfer across the border . As for the civilian casualties of the Mataban battle it was confirmed that a child was among those killed . On July 3 , 2008 , Ethiopian troops commenced a counter - attack over the border against the insurgents in an attempt to retake Beledweyne . An Ethiopian column supported by tanks and artillery drove southeast from Ferfer and engaged Islamic Courts forces in Elgal in the mountainous northwestern outskirts of Beledweyn . The Ethiopian force pounded Islamist positions heavily with ballistic missiles . Later in the day the Ethiopian force advanced to Jandkundisho , a suburb of Beledweyn , and continued to pound the hills surrounding Beledweyne , before digging into defensive positions outside Beledweyn . The battle resumed on July 5 , 2008 when the Islamist and Ethiopian forces clashed in Bur - Gabo , a village between Ferfer and Beledweyn . Sheikh Abdirahim Isse declared the Islamist forces to be victorious , having destroyed 4 Ethiopian military vehicles and " huge losses " of Ethiopian soldiers . On July 6 , 2008 , the residents of Beledweyn fled the town as the Ethiopian Army began building up their forces in Jandkundisho , conceivably in preparations for an attack on Beledweyn itself . On July 24 , 2008 , Ethiopian troops finally attacked the town . Seven civilians were killed and 12 others were wounded after artillery shells and bullets hit residential areas in Beledweyne as the troops moved in . Another seven civilians were shot dead near a bridge in the town by Ethiopian troops , who were returning fire after being attacked . Two more civilians were killed later in the day by shelling . By late that night most of the city had fallen into Ethiopian hands . However the Islamists were regrouping for a counter - attack . 16 civilians were dead by the end of the first day . The next morning on July 25 , 2008 , fighting was still raging , as Islamist rebels sought to push out Ethiopian troops . At least 12 people were killed , including three civilians who died when an artillery shell hit their home on the western side of Beledweyne . Among the dead were at least three Ethiopian soldiers and four insurgents . This brought the toll in two days of fighting to 28 dead . The street battles finally died down by the end of the day with Ethiopian troops in control of the town . The subsequent day saw Islamic Court Militants launch a massed counter - attack against Ethiopian positions in Beledweyne . Utilizing artillery support the UIC succeeded in recapturing a key bridge in the central part of the town . During this renewed fighting much of the Beledweyne civilian population fled from their homes . Aftermath . After the Ethiopians recaptured the northern part of the city fighting continued for months , with insurgents still in positions outside of the town . There was a lull in the fighting , after the Ethiopian ' s victory , for the next three weeks until August 16 , 2008 , when insurgents attacked Ethiopian Army positions in the city which led to fighting that killed four Ethiopian soldiers and nine civilians . On September 11 , 2008 , renewed fighting in the city killed one more Ethiopian soldier and three civilians . By the end of November , under an agreement with the Islamists , Ethiopian troops finally withdrew from the city and returned into Ethiopia . Following their retreat an ICU - governing administration was formed in the town . According to reports by media observers , 39 insurgents were killed . Ethiopian leaders say that in fact , 50 of their soldiers and 71 insurgents died .