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Somali Islamists emboldened, set sights on capital

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-15 11:26

Still, it is unlikely the Islamist fighters will try to take over the capital anytime soon, opting instead to chip away at the Somali and Ethiopian soldiers through their near-daily insurgent attacks. They also are launching what appears to be a hearts-and-minds campaign, promising to restore order.

In a Tuesday Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, Somali militia of Al-Shabab are seen during exercises at their military training camp outside Mogadishu. Islamic fighters now control most of southern and central Somalia, with the crucial exceptions of Mogadishu and Baidoa. Islamic fighters declared Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008, that they will use strict Muslim rules to bring their lawless Horn of Africa country back under control. [Agencies]

Aden Haji Macow, a 39-year-old shop owner, said government soldiers are undisciplined and steal from civilians.

"They are poorly paid and they are voracious for money to buy qat," she said, referring to the popular narcotic leaf that al-Shabab has banned in its territory. "The soldiers steal our mobile phones and other valuables at gunpoint, but the Islamists do not do that," Macow said in Merka, a port city around 56 miles (90 kilometers) from the capital, which al-Shabab captured earlier this week.

Still, the Ethiopian troops stationed in Mogadishu have far superior firepower, which was crucial in driving out the Islamists in 2006. Ethiopia will not say how many fighters they have there, but their numbers are in the thousands.

Their supporters say the Ethiopians have a national interest in staying in Somalia, to prevent a radical Islamist regime right next door. But the Ethiopians, hemorrhaging money and troops, have already pulled back from some positions as part of a peace deal with the moderates and the regime has said it wants to withdraw.

Al-Shabab appears to have a much longer timeline for capturing Mogadishu than they did in 2006, this time convincing the Ethiopians and the Somali citizenry that foreign troops cannot remain here forever.

Despite their advances, however, the Islamists are suffering internal divisions. Al-Shabab, considered a terror group because of its leaders' alleged links to al-Qaida, controls the most territory. But more moderate fighters from groups including the Council of Islamic Courts have also taken towns, including Elasha, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the capital.

"Because of these divisions, they are likely to weaken," said Dahir Mohamed Yusuf, a Somali political analyst.

The US worries that Somalia could be a terrorist breeding ground, particularly since Osama bin Laden declared his support for the Islamists. It accuses al-Shabab of harboring the al-Qaida-linked terrorists who allegedly blew up the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing over 230 people.

Somali government forces, acknowledging they are struggling, say, rather unconvincingly, that they will get all of Somalia under control, but offer no details.

"The government is preparing to retake all the areas it lost," Col. Abdullahi Hassan Barise, a police spokesman, said with a heavy sigh.

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