KISMAYO: Islamist fighters opened fire in the Somali port city of Kismayo on Monday towards residents burning tyres, throwing stones and chanting to protest against the Islamist takeover of their city hours before. | “Other than the semi-autonomous northern enclave of Puntland and the self-declared independent enclave of Somaliland, the Islamists now control all Somalia's key ports...” |
Riding on trucks mounted with machine guns, the Mogadishu-based Islamists poured into Kismayo overnight to extend their grip on south-central Somalia and effectively flank the powerless central government on three sides. Other than the semi-autonomous northern enclave of Puntland and the self-declared independent enclave of Somaliland, the Islamists now control all Somalia's key ports.