Ethiopia is to withdraw from areas it has recently captured in neighbouring Somalia with its troops to be replaced by African Union (AU) soldiers.

The decision was made by the AU's Peace and Security Council, which met to finalise boosting its Somali force.

It wants the UN to approve a new figure of 17,731, which would include the absorption of Kenyan troops.

They entered the country in October in pursuit of al-Shabab militants, who control much of southern Somalia.

The al-Qaeda-linked group is now battling on several fronts, with forces from Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as local militias, taking ground recently.

The UN-backed interim government only controls the capital thanks to the AU force (Amisom) in Mogadishu.

Ethiopia originally sent troops to Somalia in 2006 to oust Islamist forces but withdrew in 2009 after suffering heavy casualties.

Their presence was particularly controversial in Somalia because the two countries fought a border war in the 1970s.

Somalia has not had a functioning central government for more than 20 years and has been wracked by fighting between various militias.
'Strengthen gains'

Ethiopia took the strategically important central town of Beledweyne from al-Shabab in December, nine months after wresting the border town of Bulo Hawo from the group.