MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia's national security adviser has confirmed for the first time that a number of Somali soldiers crossed into Ethiopia's Somali region after reports emerged over their movements and status.

National Security Adviser Aways Haji Yusuf said the troops were among soldiers who had spent more than a year training at the Xananbuure military camp in the central Galgaduud region, with their training funded by Saudi Arabia.

The soldiers had been granted permission to visit their families, Yusuf said, adding that the Somali federal government was aware of their presence in Ethiopia's Somali region.

"If there are any other developments, we will inform the media," Yusuf told journalists.

His confirmation follows conflicting reports in recent days that Somali troops had crossed into neighbouring Ethiopia. Some reports claimed that the soldiers had been detained before being transferred to the regional capital Jigjiga.

The number of troops involved remains unclear, with various reports putting the figure at between 180 and 900 soldiers. The figures could not be independently verified.

The Somali government has maintained that the troops were authorised to visit their families but has yet to officially address reports that some soldiers may have deserted.

The incident has raised fresh questions about how and why the Somali soldiers were permitted to cross into Ethiopia, particularly amid reports that many of them originate from Ethiopia's Somali region.

It also comes as relations between Somalia and Ethiopia remain sensitive following a series of diplomatic tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbours in recent years.