[War] Ethiopia: The Baidoa Aftermath [1]

[N/A N/A]

Lieutenant-Colonel Astatke - Commander-in-Chief, EDF 37th Mechanised 
Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion
11th October 2006
Baidoa, Somalia

Astatke stood waiting at 'A' Company's forward positions on the outskirts 
of Baidoa. 'A' Company had been at the brunt of the fighting against the 
ICU irregulars in the previous month; of the 36 men in the regiment killed 
in that engagement, 12 had been from Astatke's 1st Battalion's 'A' Company, 
as well as 18 of the injured. He'd spent much of the last weeks with that 
company, monitoring morale. 

The 37th were still waiting for orders from above. After the spectacular 
repulse of the UIC's assault, Astatke's C-in-C, Colonel Kewe, had been 
desparate to press the advantage and move on Mogadishu. But no orders had 
been issued by HQ other than "hold firm", to the frustration of the entire 
regiment.

Astatke watched a jeep arriving from the North. It was Kewe. 

"How are things?" the Colonel said, as he got out of the jeep.

"The men are fine, sir," Astatke said. 

Kewe nodded, adjusting his sunglasses. "Still no sign of anything from the 
UIC?"

Astatke shook his head. "There's been nothing, sir," he said. "Patrols 
haven't caught sight nor sound."

Kewe looked away to the East, in the direction of Mogadishu. There was 
nothing out there except the endless semi-desert stretching to the horizon. 
"Very well, we'll..."

"Sir! Sir!" A voice from the jeep. Astatke and Kewe both turned to see the 
driver stood with radio headset in his hand, waving it above his head. 

---------------------------------------

Actions:

1. Consolidate positions around Baidoa.

2. Liase with the "Somali National Army" - find out who they are, what 
they're doing, and offer to look after their wounded.

3. Patrol around the Baidoa area and try to find out what happened to the 
UIC units that assaulted the provisional government.

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