http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4735614.stm Last Updated: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 11:43 GMT
Somali warlords battle Islamists Mogadishu is controlled by thousands of gunmen Clashes are going on for a fourth day in the heaviest fighting seen in the Somali capital for several years. Supporters of some of the city's militia leaders have clashed with an armed Islamist group which is trying to establish law and order. Their opponents say the Islamic courts are terrorising local people. A top cleric says fighting will continue until the other side surrenders. Many of the at least 15 deaths have been civilians hit by stray bullets. A witness told AFP news agency on Tuesday that two people had died and 15 were wounded in a clash in southern Mogadishu's Daynile district. "The place is full of blood and it is very scary," he said. Clashes between armed groups have been common in Somalia since former military leader Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. The country has been without a functioning government since then. Facts and figures about life in Somalia At-a-glance Over the weekend, a group of MPs urged both sides to stop fighting. The fighting pits a new group, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, against the Islamic courts' militia. Hundreds of families have fled their homes around the former military academy. Our correspondent says at least five warlords-cum-ministers in the transitional government are behind the new alliance, which is battling the Islamic courts. The courts have set up Mogadishu's only judicial system in parts of the capital but have been accused of links to al-Qaeda. Their critics accuse the courts of being behind the killing of moderate Muslim scholars. On 26 February, the country's parliament is due to meet for the first time on home soil since it was formed in Kenya more than a year ago. -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
