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| Africa Horn |
| Somali Islamists gaining ground |
| 2006-10-01 |
| THE increasingly powerful Somali Islamic movement expanded its territorial authority Saturday after taking control, in a skirmish-free move, of an agriculturally rich region in southern Somalia, officials said. Authorities of the southern Lower Shabelle region handed over control to the Islamists who said they would introduce Sharia law in the region and vowed to seize more territory across the lawless Horn of Africa nation. "I want to tell you that residents in Lower Shabelle region have handed the administration of the region to the Islamic courts and we have cordially received the offer,'' Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic courts said in a speech at the handover ceremony. "You know this region has long been one of the local militia-controlled regions in Somalia, but from today on, the Islamic courts will expand its rule around all its parts by implementing Sharia law,'' he said. Lower Shabelle was controlled by a variety of militia sympathetic to the tribunals, which thus far did not wield direct control over the region. The takeover was the second major territorial gain in nearly a week after they seized control of the port town of Kismayo, about about 500km south of Mogadishu, and which was held by a defence minister in the feeble government of President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Sheikh Ahmed said the Islamists would continue seizing more territory a day after the movement's supreme leader announced plans to unify all the Islamic tribunals under one umbrella as the powerful Islamists consolidate their hold. ``We will continue taking over Somali regions until we free all Somali communities,'' Sheikh Ahmed told the gathering in Afgoi district, some 30km southwest of the capital Mogadishu. At the same time, Islamic gunmen took control of parts of central Hiran region after brief clashes with local fighters who resisted the seizure. "We have taken three armed vehicles from local militia who tried to fight us and by the wishes of Allah the control of every part in Hiran region is under our Islamic control'' an Islamic militia commander told AFP on conditions of anonymity. "We discussed with local militias to bring their arms but after they ignored we attacked them and conquered the areas they ruled,'' said the commander, adding that one person was killed in the brief fire exchange. The Islamists, who seized Mogadishu from warlords in June after months of fierce fighting, have vowed to fight any foreign troops on Somali soil and say they took Kismayo to prevent such a force from landing in the country. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #3 Why do they hate us??? because they hate everything except Sharia. It would be money well spent to kill these bastards en masse. Helicopter gunships and A10's vs Technicals and rpgs (knowing their tactics now). I like the odds. Draw them into the open and create job openings in the Islamic Courts. Court reporters are needed.....operators are standing by.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-10-01 17:46 |
| #2 The Islamists continuing push through Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan are clearly the fault of G W Bush. If we only understood them better this wouldn't be happening. Why do they hate us??? |
| Posted by: Intrinsicpilot 2006-10-01 16:48 |
| #1 No sh*t Sherlock! |
| Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden 2006-10-01 03:36 |