From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Mar 12 2010 - 18:45:42 EST
U.S. has no plan to 'Americanize' Somalia conflict
Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:00pm GMT
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday denied
coordinating plans by Somalia's embattled government to launch an offensive
against Islamist fighters, saying it had no plans to "Americanize" the
conflict.
Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson described as inaccurate reports
suggesting that U.S. officials were ready to get more militarily involved as
Somalia's government fights the Islamist al Shabaab, which has been linked
to al Qaeda.
"The United States does not plan, does not direct, and does not coordinate
the military operations of the TFG (transitional federal government) and we
have not and will not be providing direct support for any potential military
offensives," Carson said.
Carson told a news briefing the United States had provided limited military
support to the transitional government, but that almost all of this was
channeled through an African Union peacekeeping effort.
Al Shabaab Islamist fighters attacked government positions this week seeking
to seize the advantage before a long-awaited government offensive to drive
them out of Mogadishu, the capital.
Somalia has lacked an effective central government for 19 years. Western and
neighboring countries say it has become a sanctuary for militants.
Carson said the United States had provided about $185 million over the last
19 months to support African Union peacekeepers and about $12 million in
direct support to the Somali transitional government.
"The amounts of money that we're talking about are really relatively small,"
he said. Funds were spent on communications equipment, uniforms, and to
support training of government soldiers by other African countries.
The United States also provides about $150 million in food aid to Somalia.
This has been complicated by a U.N. World Food Program's decision to suspend
work in much of southern Somalia due to threats against staff and al Shabaab
demands for payments for security.
Carson said the United States continued to seek an "inclusive" political
resolution to Somalia's crisis and believed that the transitional
government, which only controls a portion of Mogadishu, was best placed to
promote one.
"The TFG has demonstrated an enormous capacity to survive," he said.
(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Alan Elsner)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
Somali rebels attack in capital for third day
Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:36pm GMT
* At least 60 dead in three days of fighting
* Government calls for aid agency probe
* UNHCR expresses concern for fleeing civilians (Adds government quotes)
By Ibrahim Mohamed and Abdi Sheikh
MOGADISHU, March 12 (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist fighters
attacked government positions near the president's palace in a third day of
fighting as the death toll hit 60, residents and a human rights group said
on Friday.
Witnesses said government forces backed by African Union troops launched a
barrage of artillery fire to repel the al Qaeda-linked fighters.
Meanwhile, the government also called for a probe into all non-governmental
organisations operating in the country after a report by the United Nations'
Somalia Monitoring Group said aid was being diverted to insurgents.
"Al Shabaab fighters arrived this morning at Aden Ade junction near the
palace and fired mortars at the palace, prompting heavier shells," resident
Abdi Abdullahi told Reuters.
The Elman rights group said six civilians died and 23 were injured as the
clashes shifted to the Bakara market from where the rebels had launched
their attack.
At least 54 people were killed in the first two days of fighting as rebels
tried to destabilise the government before a long-awaited offensive aimed at
driving the insurgents out of Mogadishu.
Somalia has lacked an effective central government for 19 years and Western
and neighbouring countries say the country provides sanctuary for militants
intent on launching attacks in east Africa and beyond.
AID AGENCY INVESTIGATION
President Sheikh Ahmed Sharif's administration controls little more than a
few streets in the capital, leaving it to aid agencies to provide basic
essentials for millions of people.
But a United Nations report seen by Reuters on Thursday said U.N. agencies
had unwittingly allowed aid to enrich rebels and criminals.
"All non-governmental organisations should be probed," Abdirashid Mohamed,
state minister for interior, told reporters late on Thursday.
"We want the agencies to register with the government so that we know what
they do and where they operate."
Residents of Mogadishu were seen fleeing their homes on Friday, carrying
household belongings stacked high on beaten-up cars and minivans, some
ferrying as many as 30 passengers.
The U.N. refugee agency said an estimated 100,000 civilians had been forced
to flee their homes since the beginning of the year. It warned thousands of
displaced Mogadishu residents were trapped inside the capital, unable to
escape. (Additional reporting by Abdi Guled and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva;
Writing by Duncan Miriri and George Obulutsa; Editing by Richard Lough)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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