| I would just like to note that *this* is what actual victory looks like: your enemies standing in line to give you their weapons. I despise Somalia's new Islamobot overlords, but I must note that everybody is clear that they defeated the warlords and now give orders with the expectation that they will be obeyed. |
Remnants of forces loyal to a Somali warlord alliance surrendered their weapons to Muslim militia here Thursday, cementing Islamist control of the capital, witnesses said. Gunmen affiliated with two warlords, Bashir Raghe Shirar and Abdel-Qader Bebe, turned in arms caches to representatives of Mogadishu's Islamic courts and agreed to work with them to restore order to the lawless city, they said. "The weapons have been given to the Islamic courts in peaceful manner," said Sheikh Farah Ali Hussein, chief of the Al-Irshad Sharia tribunal that has control over northern Mogadishu where the weapons transfer took place. "This is a victory for Islam, for Mogadishu and for the people of Somalia," he said after a handover ceremony. "The era of working in peace is starting and we are grateful to Allah."The surrender came a day after the Islamists took control of Mogadishu's main port and demanded that all public property and facilities in the capital be turned over to them, warning that any resistance would be crushed. Earlier in the week, Islamist gunmen routed forces loyal to the last holdout warlord in fierce fighting that ended months of bloody battles for the people of Mogadishu.
A spokesman for Shirar, who once controlled much of northern Mogadishu, said the warlords conceded total defeat. "The Islamic courts won the battle for Mogadishu and it is their responsibility to bring peace," Omar Ali Adow told reporters. "Let us stop the continuation of bloodshed and accept that there are new realities on the ground. "If they need our help, we will offer them help for the well-being of the Somali people," he said.