Ethiopian officials said the Islamists were a growing regional threat.

"We have a cultural tendency towards extremism," said a senior Ethiopian official.

An Ethiopian official said this week that some of those detained who were found not to be associated with the coup had already been released.

It would also bar senior Ethiopian officials from international travel.

Ethiopian officials, he added, "absolutely do not want to see an open examination of what happens in the Ogaden area."

Moreover, Ethiopian military officials say they expect a counteroffensive at any moment.

Travel guides, police, and Ethiopian officials can advise if a particular site may be photographed.

Ethiopian officials have said their troops did not intentionally single out civilians.

Ethiopian officials could not immediately say with certainty which countries the victims were from.

Israeli and Ethiopian officials have denied that the colonel made the visit.