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Somali Islamists seize key town of Jowhar
Somalia's Islamist fighters seized control of Jowhar on Wednesday, the most significant of several towns they have captured in recent months from the Western-backed interim government.Seven people including a child were killed in the attack, which highlights the government's inability to assert its authority on Somalia despite support from Ethiopian and African Union troops. Islamist-aligned troops have taken over towns from local administrations that usually amount to little more than militias, only to give them up or be routed by Ethiopian or Somali government forces who arrive later. Forty aid agencies urged the world on Wednesday to focus attention on the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa country, where hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from war, drought and food shortages. A 15-month Islamist-led insurgency has killed more than 6,500 people and has seen a resurgence in recent months. The Islamist fighters had seized four smaller towns and a military checkpoint near Mogadishu before Wednesday's capture of Jowhar, a town 90 km (50 miles) north of Mogadishu that served as a temporary base for the interim government in 2005. "Seven people, including a woman who was a government soldier and her small child that she was carrying on her back were killed early in the morning when Islamic Courts fighters seized the town," resident Abdi Ali Osman told Reuters by phone. Posted by: Fred 2008-03-27 |
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