Ethnic Somali rebels from Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden province who are fighting to annex it to Somalia claimed Monday that
more than 2,000 Cuban troops are aiding Ethiopian forces in the embattled region.

The Western Somali Liberation Front insurgents claim to control most of the Ogaden.

The secretary general of the WSLF, Abdallahi Hasan Mohamoud, said at least 2,000 troops from Communist South Yemen
also are aiding the Ethiopians.

There was no independent confirmation of the WSLF claims.

Abdallahi also indicated Cuban prisoners may have been taken.

"It is not unusuac for liberation groups to take prisoners . . . I cannot say anything at present but you will hear something in the
future," he said when asked about Cuban prisoners.

Some Western and Arab diplomatic sources here and in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa said they believe as many as 400 Cubans may be aiding the Ethiopians on the northern Ogaden warfront based in Dire Dawa and Harar, the last remaining
Ethiopia strongholds in the region.

The Cubans are apparently not operating in the front lines, the sources said, but are training Ethiopians to use new Soviet
weaponry, including tanks and artillery.

It has previously been confirmed by Western diplomats that Cuban advisers have been in Ethiopia for several months, including 50 military advisers training Ethiopian forces at a camp near Addis Ababa.

Abdallahi, at a news conference in the WSLF offices in Mogadishu, again denied the insurgent movement is receiving
sophisticated weapons from Somalia. However, he agreed tanks and artillery were being used in the fighting and claimed his
forces are capable of operating them.

Ethiopia claims regular Somali troops are involved in the Ogaden fighting - a claim Somlia has repeatedly denied.

Abdallahi said all Arab states with the exception of Libya and South Yemen are providing the WSLF with arms.

Somali-backed forces in southern Ethiopia claimed they killed 200 Ethiopian soldiers and captured large quantities of arms and
ammunition Sunday during fierce fighting in Bale province in a rebel communique released in Nairobi, Kenya Monday.

The communique said the engagement took place between Ethiopian troops and guerrillas of the Somali Abo Liberation Front,
the SALF, near the town of Ginir, about 190 miles soiutheast of Addis Ababa.

The SALF rebels, a sub-group of the WSLF, were mopping up pockets of Ethiopian resistance in the area, according to the
rebel communique, published in a news sheet called "Danab."

Details of the fighting were not disclosed but Sunday's reported clash between SALF insurgents and Ethiopian troops was the
second battle reported near Ginir over the weekend.

The Associated Press (AP)
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