Somalia's Islamist rebels hail Ethiopia PM Meles' death

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali Islamist militants hailed on Tuesday the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi as an "historic day" and said Ethiopia, which has troops inside Somalia, would now crumble.

"We are very glad about Meles' death. Ethiopia is sure to collapse," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, the spokesman for Al Shabaab told Reuters.

Meles twice rolled his troops across the border to help crush Islamist insurgencies.

(Reporting by Feisal Omar; Editing by Richard Lough and Jon Hemming)