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| Africa Horn |
| Somalia's insurgents retake central towns |
| 2008-12-30 |
| Radical fighters on Monday regained control of two towns in central Somalia after two days of clashes with a rival group that left at least 20 dead, witnesses said. The Al Shabab fighters battled the Ahle Sunna Wal-jama'ah - a moderate religious group - for control of Guriel and Dhusamareb. "The Shabab fighters completely control Guriel town after pushing out the Ahle Sunna Wal-jama'ah and other fighters," Guriel resident Abdullahi Mahamud Yusuf said. At least five people were killed and eight wounded in Guriel on Monday in new fighting between the two sides. The Shabab also recaptured Dhusamareb, some 400 kilometres northeast of Mogadishu. The unrest came as President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned after four years in office marred by bitter power struggles that plunged the country into further turmoil. On Sunday, Ahle Sunna Wal-jama'ah called for a jihad against the Shabab, blaming them for increased bloodshed in the country. A Shabab official blamed Ethiopian troops of supporting some religious groups against them. "Ethiopia is arming some groups with religious names who are attacking the Shabab fighters. They won't succeed in their goal which is aimed to stop the jihad against the enemy of Allah," Sheikh Husein Sheik Ali Fido said. |
| Posted by:Fred |