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Somali Islamists distance themselves from bin Laden comments
MOGADISHU - A powerful Islamic group in Somalia on Sunday distanced itself from comments made by Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who voiced his support for the Islamists and warned against deploying international forces in lawless Horn of Africa nation.

“The comments made by Osama bin Laden are like any other statement made by politicians or any other person who is expressing his views on the change of political landscape in Somalia,” said Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the former leader of the Islamic courts. “These are personal comments and we have nothing to say at this point,” he told reporters in the capital Mogadishu.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain ...
The Islamists, grouped under the newly-formed Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia, headed by radical cleric Sheikh Hassan Darir Aweys, is accused by the United States of having ties to Al Qaeda. The Islamists, who stepped into the the power vacuum, have prompted fears the country may become “a breeding ground for terrorists.” The Islamists insist that they are only interested in restoring peace and order in the shattered African nation.
Under their rule, of course, using the al-Qaeda Taliban Islamicist guidebook.

Posted by: Steve White 2006-07-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=158042