Ethiopian soldiers today paraded a senior cleric captured in south Somalia during the pursuit of remnants of an Islamist movement ousted from Mogadishu over the New Year.
Cleric Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Madobe - former Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) chairman for the southern town of Kismayu - said he suffered more than a dozen bullet wounds after US planes fired on his forest hideout.
Guarded by soldiers at a dilapidated former government building, Madobe was allowed to shake hands with elders, friends and relatives, and speak briefly to media.
Madobe said the aerial attack killed eight Islamist colleagues. He was caught and given medical treatment by Ethiopian troops.
Washington has admitted carrying out two air strikes aimed at al-Qaeda suspects thought to be hiding among the Islamists.
Madobe said he was treated well by his Ethiopian captors, and called on Somalis to work with the government. But those comments drew suspicion from a former colleague, who suggested he was being used for propaganda purposes.