NAIROBI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the Somali government confirmed that Ethiopian troops began pulling out of the East African country on Tuesday.

    Government Spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said the withdrawal followed a special ceremony where warlords also surrendered their arms.

    "The Ethiopian troops started pulling out of our country today and the exercise is to take place step by step. I don't know how long this will take," Dinari told Xinhua by telephone from the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

    Dinari said about 200 Ethiopian troops are expected to leave the war-ravaged nation by Tuesday but he did not specify on how many soldiers will be moving out before the African Union peacekeepers are deployed.

    Somalia's Supreme Council of Islamic Courts abandoned Mogadishu last month in the face of advancing Ethiopian and transitional government forces.