 Islamist militants based in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland will wage a holy war against the administration there until their strict version of sharia law prevails, a rebel commander said late on Tuesday.
Sheikh Mohamed Saiid Atom,
who says his fighters are allied to the al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab insurgents behind this month's coordinated bomb attack on Uganda's capital Kampala, urged local residents and businessmen to take up arms. "We shall never stop fighting Puntland. We are part and parcel of al Shabaab, we are brothers united by Islamic sharia (law)," Sheikh Atom told reporters in the town of Galkayo.
The United Nations says Sheikh Atom is one of the principal suppliers of arms and ammunition for al-Shabaab in Puntland. A major pirate base, Puntland has been relatively stable compared with the rest of Somalia but in recent months violence and instability has spiked in the region.
| That a major pirate base is considered relatively stable tells you plenty about Somalia. |
"Sheikh Mohamed Saiid Atom has been recruiting Islamists in those hilly areas [outside Bosasso] since 2005," said resident Hussein Ali. "He has indoctrinated the youth using three means: a huge amount of money from the sales of weapons, sharia law and convincing his clan they have little political influence on Puntland's administration," Ali added. |