Ethiopian forces kill Somali civilians after 2 attacks, residents say

(CNN) - Ethiopian forces backing Somalia's transitional government have killed at least 46 civilians after a powerful roadside bomb ripped through an Ethiopian military convoy traveling near the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, residents in the area said. The incident happened Friday afternoon on the road linking Mogadishu to the agriculturally rich town of Afgooye, residents said.

The civilians who were killed were riding two mini buses traveling on the same road, they said. "There was huge explosion which blew one of the Ethiopian military vehicles off the road. Afterwards, Ethiopian soldiers started shooting people in the two mini buses wildly," said Omar Nur Abdirahman, who lives in Arbiska, where the incident happened.

Another witness - Anab Abdi Dirshe, who had been trapped in the area since the shooting - said she and other residents have counted at least 46 dead civilians, mostly women, in the area. Some of the dead were recovered from the forest on the side of the road, indicating some of the passengers tried to escape the shooting, she said.