Some residents said at least 28 vehicles carrying Ethiopian troops and some equipment arrived in Afgoye town, located about 30 kms South of Mogadishu, but they were not sure whether the troops were actually withdrawing, or relocating to another part of the country, Reuters said.

However the Ethiopian government confirmed on Friday that the withdrawal of its troops from Somalia had indeed started. The troops had been in Somalis since December 2006 where they have been propping up the transitional government against an Islamist insurgency.

"We are now implementing the withdrawal of our troops from Somalia. The withdrawal is not an event that can be completed within a day but it will be finalized as quickly as possible," said Bereket Simon, special adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Just when the troops were withdrawing from the foreign soil, they were attacked in a bomb blast on their way to the airport on Friday. Unofficial sources claim that two soldiers and several civilians died in the attack.

Last November Ethiopia had said it would pull out its forces from Somalia early this year citing “betrayal” by Western powers that had encouraged it to back up Somali’s interim government but left it to go alone in dealing with the Islamist insurgents.