In a lightning advance, Ethiopian troops have fought Somalia’s Islamist militias to within 50 miles of the Somali capital Mogadishu and declared they are preparing for a final attack on the city.

MOGADISHU, June 7 (Reuters) - The turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean were too much to resist. I jumped out of my clothes, hopped over the crumbling sea wall and waded out into the frothing waves.