By Ali Musa Abdi
Mogadishu, June 12 (AFP) – Heavily armed Islamic militia on Sunday deployed north of the lawless Somali capital, stirring fears they will shatter a week-long lull in fighting by attacking the stronghold of the US-backed warlords’ alliance, witnesses and militia sources said.
The sources said hundreds of Islamic fighters left Hiilweyne military camp, about 20km outside Mogadishu and headed north towards the warlord’s remaining stronghold in Jowhar, about 90km away.
A militia member told reporters that the deployment, which included dozens of pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns, was organised by Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, a member of the Somali militant group Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya, accused by western intelligence agencies as being linked to al-Qaeda.
Alarmed by the move, militiamen from the warlords’ alliance bolstered their defences in Jowhar, ready for an attack, residents said.
“Justice and injustice cannot stay in the same place,” said Mohamed Amin Yasin, a supporter of the capital’s Joint Islamic Courts (JIC). “That is what has prolonged the civil strife since 1991.”
As tension mounted, warlord Musa Sudi Yalahow ordered his fighters to pullout from northern Mogadishu’s Keysaney Hospital, which they have occupied since June 3.
“We understand the international humanitarian laws regarding hospitals, but we could not allow the hospital premises to be taken by the Islamic Courts,” he told reporters.
“We are very sorry for any sort of inconvenience (we caused), but we are more concerned with the safety of the hospital and the people there,” Yalahow said. A hospital source confirmed the move.
On Saturday the chairperson of the Islamic tribunal, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, called on alliance members to surrender peacefully. The warlords immediately dismissed the call, saying Ahmed represented only a minority.
But hard-line elders renewed the order on Sunday, vowing to evict the warlords from their hideout.
“If the warlords refuse to surrender, that would lead to renewed fighting. Even the most foolish person understands that,” said Hassan Jumale, an elder allied to the Islamic courts.
At least three of the warlords and members of the US-funded Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) are holed up in the Karan district, where they are protected by the powerful Abgal sub-clan.
Despite losing substantial control of Mogadishu, the warlords have rejected the authority of the Islamic courts and threatened to resist any attempt to dislodge them. Observers said the alliance is planning new attacks.
Fear was palpable in the city, but residents said they had to carry on with daily activities.
“If you stay at home nobody will feed your children,” said Ahmed Abdurahman, a shop owner in the capital. “You have to do business as usual despite the threats of stray bullets.”
Last week, the Islamists seized control of most of Mogadishu, sparking fears of a Taliban-like takeover, with the forcible imposition of Sharia law and radical Muslim policies that could breed terrorists and other forms of Islamic extremism.
They wrenched control of the capital from the ARPTC, which was founded in February with US support to curb the growing influence of the Islamic courts, which have started implementing a ban on showing the World Cup in areas they control.
Washington, which has never confirmed or denied its support for the warlords, said it would “reserve judgement” on the Islamists’ victory after four months of fighting that claimed some 350 lives and wounded more than 2 000 others.
In addition, the Islamists are accused of having links to al-Qaeda and harbouring foreign fighters, a charge they deny.
On Friday, the United States announced the formation of a “Somalia Contact Group” that, together with other interested countries, will “promote concerted action and coordination to support” the largely powerless transitional Somali government.
Source: AFP, June 12, 2006
