From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon May 10 2010 - 08:52:27 EDT
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/Somali%20al%20Shabaab%20rebels%20seize%20town%20near%20Ethiopia/-/1066/915340/-/1x8bk4z/-/Somali
al Shabaab rebels seize town near Ethiopia
By REUTERS
Posted Sunday, May 9 2010 at 21:37
*MOGADISHU, Sunday *
Somalia’s Islamist al Shabaab rebels on Saturday captured a town on the
border with Ethiopia after government forces fled.
The northern town of Elberde has recently been used as a base for newly
trained government forces from regions in southern Somalia. “The Mujahideen
are at last controlling the district, we have destroyed the enemy base and
forced them to flee,” Sheikh Hasan Mo’alim Takow, an al Shabaab commander,
told *Reuters. *
Ali Nur Adam, an Elberde resident, told *Reuters: *“Heavily armed al Shabaab
fighters attacked the town on Saturday, leading to a fierce gun battle which
killed one and injured three others of the warring groups.” He said
government forces vacated the district and crossed into Ethiopia. It was not
known to which side the dead fighter belonged.
*Sharia law*
Somalia serves as a safe haven for militants bent on launching attacks in
east Africa and further afield. Somalia’s transitional government controls
little of the capital Mogadishu, with the rest of the country shared between
militias of Al Shabaab, Hizbul Islam and pro-government Ahlu Sunna
Waljamaca.
Al Shabaab, who profess loyalty to al Qaeda, want to impose a harsh version
of sharia law in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. Meanwhile, Somali
pirates hijacked a German-operated chemical tanker, the EU’s naval force
said, making it the second reported seizure on Saturday.
The pirates seized the Marshall Islands flagged tanker “Marida Marguerite”
about 190 km south of Oman, EU Navfor said in a statement. The crew of 22,
including 19 Indians, one Ukrainian and 2 Bangladeshis, are believed to be
unharmed.
“A passing merchant ship tried to make contact by VHF radio but received a
response from the bridge of the hijacked vessel to ‘go away’,” EU Navfor
said. Heavily armed Somali pirates have increased their attacks in recent
months, making millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking ships in the
Indian Ocean and the strategic Gulf of Aden, through which an estimated 7
per cent of world oil consumption passes.
Earlier on Saturday, suspected Somali pirates had seized a Taiwanese fishing
vessel off the waters of Seychelles. Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East
African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme said that Taiyuan 227 has a crew
comprising Chinese, Mozambicans, Kenyan and Taiwanese.
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