The forces of the transitional federal government in southern Somalia have arrested on Sunday a number of local traditional elders after they failed to bring the armed militias to the government. Colonel Aden Mahamud Ibrahim, the chief commander of 1st army division of the interim government has ordered the arrest of ten local elders in Afmadow town of Lower Juba region in southern Somalia. “The elders, including clan chiefs were taken into custody by the forces after they failed to comply with an order from the government 20 days before to bring in all the armed militiamen,” Mohamed Aden Suqar, a local independent journalist told Somalinet tonight. Earlier, reports from the southern port city of Kismayo in Somalia say that the transitional government began recruiting local militias to join the national forces after trainings. The army officials met some traditional and clan leaders in Lower Juba province in the presence of Ethiopian army officials over how they would convince the militias to join the forces in Kismayo, 500km south of the Somalia capital Mogadishu.