Meeting Somalia's Islamist insurgents
In recent weeks, Somali insurgents have stepped up attacks on the Ethiopian
army and the Somali transitional government it is backing.
Civilians say they are afraid to speak out against al-Shabab
For BBC World Service's Assignment programme, Rob Walker went in search of the
Islamist movement playing an increasingly deadly role in the conflict.
In the past few weeks insurgents have taken over a series of towns, killing
government soldiers, stealing weapons, and then withdrawing.
But it has become clear there are deep divisions within the insurgency over
which direction it should take, with many of the recent attacks attributed to
one group - a radical Islamist organisation called al-Shabab, meaning "The
Youth."
Since the insurgency began, al-Shabab has rarely met Western journalists - but
after protracted negotiations, one member agreed to meet me.
He is the commander of a cell of al-Shabab fighters. I am not allowed to give
his name, or say where it is.
They shot me three times in the legs
Somali woman
Profile: Somalia's Islamic 'lads'
"There are al-Shabab fighters in all parts of the country," he says.
"I don't want to talk of numbers. But when the Ethiopian troops first arrived
we were already strong.
"Now we have even more power because now we have the support of the people
everywhere."
Sharia
Like many insurgents, he headed to Mogadishu to fight the Ethiopians as soon as
they entered the capital in December 2006, ousting the Union of Islamic Courts
which had taken control of much of southern Somalia.
"We attacked them that same night," he recalls.
"With God's grace we defeated them in that first battle. At that time I was
happy because I was hoping to become a martyr."
Al-Shabab began as the militia wing of the Union of Islamic Courts
He adds he has two aims - to become a martyr and to ensure that the country is
governed by Sharia law.
"As al-Shabab, we don't care about people who don't want Sharia law," he says.
"Our goal is to have Sharia as the permanent law of our country, and to get the
infidels out of our country, whether they are Ethiopians or Americans."
His message to those Somalis who do not pray five times a day is clear.
"First of all, we will call them to return to Islam and pray - because what
differentiates a Muslim and a non-Muslim is praying five times," he says.
"If they refuse we will call them again and again to pray. If they entirely
refuse, we will jail them and we will keep them without food until they return
to praying."
Cinema shooting
He denies that al-Shabab has any links with al-Qaeda, although he says that
"they are Muslims so they are our brothers".
"Our common objective is to have Sharia law as the law of our country. Al-Qaeda
wants that and we want that," he adds.
Drought has now been added to the concerns of Somalis
But many Somalis do not share al-Shabab's vision for an Islamic state in
Somalia.
The Islam practiced in Somalia has traditionally been moderate and tolerant.
Local cinemas, for example, thrive, showing Bollywood films featuring
scantily-clad women.
There is no history of widespread support for radical religious movements, and
this is why al-Shabab's ideology is at odds with that held by many Somalis.
But al-Shabab does not tolerate dissent.
One 25-year-old woman, who did not want her name revealed, says that in late
2006 - when the Union of Islamic Courts were still in control of Mogadishu -
al-Shabab ordered a cinema near her house to close.
A young boy who was a relative staying with her family spoke out against the
decision. As a result, al-Shabab soon came to look for him.
All we do is we kill the Ethiopians, we don't kill civilians
Muktar Ali Robow
al-Shabab commander
"There were many of them - they came to our house in two pick-up trucks," she
recalled.
"Then two of the men came and knocked on the door. I opened it - and they said,
'bring the boy out of the house.'
"I said: 'The boy is not here'. They said: 'Bring him out.' I told them: 'He's
not here.' Then they started kicking me, they kicked me to the ground.
"Then they started shooting."
"They shot me three times in the legs - one into my right leg then two into my
left. It was terrible, my mother was in the house and she shouted: 'Why are you
shooting my girl?'. They started beating her. They threw my mother on the
ground and they kicked her."
Fear
Her legs are still badly wounded; they have been infected for a year and a
half.
The cinema was closed, and those who had been using it had their heads shaved
to mark them out.
Al-Shabab claim the Ethiopians are causing human rights abuses
And I have been speaking to people in Somalia and outside who have had
relatives killed by al-Shabab.
Some were killed because they were accused of collaborating with the
transitional government, or Ethiopians, sometimes in the most minor ways - one
man said his brother was killed for selling phone cards to Ethiopian troops.
None of the relatives I spoke to were prepared to do an interview, all saying
they feared reprisals against them or their family.
In 10 years of visiting Somalia, what is really striking is not just the growth
in extremism in the country but the fear among ordinary Somalis to talk about
it.
Reality
One of the most senior al-Shabab commanders is Muktar Ali Robow.
He keeps his location within Somalia secret, and constantly changes his phone
number for security reasons.
When I tracked him down, he claimed that the "media is exaggerating" the
killings of Somali civilians by al-Shabab.
"All we do is we kill the Ethiopians, we don't kill civilians," he said.
The fighting has led to an exodus from Mogadishu of civilians
"We are killing the enemy of Allah, and until we get them out of the country we
will continue doing so... those people who are telling you their people have
been killed they are wrong.
"They are working for the Ethiopians, we never kill ordinary people."
He added that he believes people are not talking publically, not because they
are afraid, but because they support al-Shabab.
"You can see that, because when the Ethiopian-backed forces of the government
go somewhere, the people flee - that's because those troops rob and kill," he
said.
"But wherever we go, people say "Allah Akbar." They are happy to see us."
The reality is that civilians are now trapped - between the forces of Ethiopia
and the transitional government on one side and insurgents on the other.
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