stone_cold

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Islamic militia vowed to turn Somalia into a religious state on Tuesday, pushing north to take more territory after winning a three-month battle for Mogadishu.
But thousands of Mogadishu residents protested against the takeover and defeated warlords said they would fight back. Clan elders warned the Islamic side against more advances.

Fighters loyal to Sharia courts seized the lawless capital Monday from a self-styled anti-terrorism coalition of warlords widely believed to be backed by Washington.

Some 350 people, mostly civilians, have died since February in fighting for Mogadishu interspersed by tense lulls. The United Nations says about 1,500 civilians were wounded in the close-quarter battles using mortars and anti-aircraft guns.

It was the first time the warlords had been dislodged from Mogadishu since ousting former ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

"Until we get the Islamic state, we will continue with the Islamic struggle in Somalia," Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, chairman of Mogadishu Islamic courts, told a rally of hundreds.

"This is a long Islamic struggle and it will continue until the whole country comes under Sharia law," Fuad Ahmed, a militiaman loyal to the Islamic side, told Reuters. "We are ready to shed our blood in order for that struggle to succeed."

Supporters of the warlord coalition packed the shattered Benadir stadium in northern Mogadishu at a counter-rally.

"We have to continue fighting the terrorists in Mogadishu. We will remain in Mogadishu," warlord Bashir Raghe, who lost control of an airstrip and a port in March, told Reuters.

"The Islamic courts cannot dislodge us from here."

Warlord Muse Sudi Yalahow, who lost the strategic town of Balad on Sunday, was also at the rally.

Somalia's interim prime minister, Mohamed Ali Gedi, earlier congratulated the Islamic side on their victory over warlords who many Somalis believe tried to undermine the government.

"They were hurting reconciliation, stabilization and pacification of Somalia," Gedi told Radio France Internationale.

"All those forces who joined their efforts together were the pillars of the victory and the government has congratulated them," he said.

ISLAMIC SIDE PUSHES NORTH

The Islamic fighters advanced on Tuesday toward the warlord stronghold of Jowhar, about 90 km (56 miles) north of Mogadishu.

"Our forces are in the village of Qalimoy, 20 km south of Jowhar. We are just waiting for orders from our leaders to capture it," militia leader Siyad Mohamed, who is allied to the Islamic courts, told Reuters from Balad on the road to Jowhar.

Ali Nur, a warlord coalition militiaman, said clan elders threatened to mass militia against Islamic forces if they attacked Jowhar.

Nur said the Islamic side told the warlords to hand over weapons but their fighters were preparing an assault to regain lost Mogadishu strongholds, notably the Kilometre Four area.

But resident Fahran Gure said he did not expect violence.

"We feel there is a big change, peace is in the air, no gunshots can be heard. It is calm, businesses are fully operational. People are now moving freely everywhere."

Aid workers fear the violence may have exacerbated an existing humanitarian crisis in drought-hit Somalia. Some 400,000 displaced already live in squalid conditions across Somalia but scores had fled Mogadishu during fighting.

The United States has refused to discuss persistent reports it is covertly funneling $100,000 a month to the warlords but has said it will work with anyone combating terrorism.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States had serious concerns about the presence of "foreign terrorists" in Somalia where he said al Qaeda was active.

"We also have an interest, as well as the rest of the world, in combating the presence of foreign terrorists in that Horn of Africa region," said McCormack.

"It's a tragic situation for the Somalian people. It's a real source of concern for the international community," he added.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060606/..._af/somalia_11

Ray

A very interesting development that requires to be watched.

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

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gunnut

I have a question. Why isn't there any militant movement aimed at kicking out Islam? Are non-muslims just sheep ready for slaughter? Or muslims are just that much more ferocious? I think we had a movement like that in Yogoslavia but the Western World jumped to the defence of the "peace loving" religion.

ArmchairGeneral

If you're talking about Somalia, there's no question of kicking out Islam as a whole. After all, something like 90% of Somalians are Muslim. On the other hand, if you're talking about Somalians kicking out the Islamicists, the warlords there are doing their best, and the CIA may be helping them. At this point, however, their best doesn't seem to be quite enough.

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troung

Let me get this straight are actually giving the Serbs a thumbs up?

==
The Philippines had brutal militias/militants in the 1960s and 1970s which terrorized the Moro population, all it did was help stir things up until the major Moro revolt. But yeah I guess their butchering women and childern proved they were not sheep but were willing to torment women and childern.

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platinum786

Somalia is 97% sunni muslim, it would make sense they want an islamic state, what makes you all think that the population of Somalia don't want that?

platinum786

also a huge amount of the problem is that people in the west choose to back militia's and war lords rather than people who want to fight to unifiy a country which is majoirty muslim under Islam, look how nobody backed the taliban before they became loonies.

troung

The Taliban didn't become loonies, they were always loony but early on they hid it. And 3 nations did back the Taliban.

stone_cold

They want to implement sharia law, which is particularly worrying.

gunnut

Not giving a thumbs up to the Serbs, but asking why the double standards when it comes to muslims being the butchers and oppressors.

platinum786

yeah but the people that are gonna implement it want it, so what's the problem? Northern Nigeria voted in shariah law.... Iranian people voted in thier new president on a more islamic stance, if muslim people want Shariah law then let them, what harm can them living in 600AD do to you?

Confed999

What about the ones that do not want it?

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I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

troung

Well one problem is the fact that no one is voting. Then there are the human rights issues of Sharia law on both Muslims and non Muslims.

Come on. When Muslims start butchering people, other people complain.

They don't have enough firepower, thus they don't matter in the equation...

platinum786

When did human rights even become an issue?

Human rights are violated all over the world all the time, nobody cares...

Aso for those who don't want it, oppose it...

platinum786

you gotta let the world make thier own mistakes...