http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16646311
20 January 2012 Last updated at 07:06 ET
Somalia's al-Shabab hit by major Amisom offensive
Pro-government forces have launched a major offensive from the Somali
capital, Mogadishu, to seize territory from al-Shabab Islamist militants.
Some 1,000 soldiers backed up by 20 tanks captured three al-Shabab bases, a
senior security official said.
African Union forces backing the government says they have advanced outside
the capital for the first time.
Al-Shabab is under attack on several fronts, with troops from Kenya and
Ethiopia also gaining ground recently.
Correspondents says this is the biggest joint offensive by the government
and the AU force, Amisom, since August 2011.
Troops from Djibouti have recently arrived in Mogadishu to bolster Amisom's
12,000 soldiers, while the AU is asking the UN to approve a further 50%
increase in troop numbers.
Al-Shabab controls many southern and central areas of the country.
The al-Qaeda linked group made a "tactical withdrawal" from most of the
capital last year but has continued to stage suicide attacks in the city.
It confirmed that the pro-government forces had gained territory but vowed
to hit back.
There are unconfirmed reports that four senior government soldiers have
been killed in an al-Shabab ambush as they advanced into newly captured
territory.
The AP news agency reports that hundreds of people have fled the fighting.
Africa Union spokesman Lt Col Paddy Ankunda says that two Amisom soldiers
were injured.
"This is the first time Amisom has been able to secure an area outside the
parameters of the city allowing them to defend greater Mogadishu from the
exterior," he said.
BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says this operation appears to be a
concerted effort to clear the Islamist militants right away from the Somali
capital.
But he says this conflict no longer has front lines and, with al-Shabab
carrying out suicide bomb attacks, it will still be very difficult to make
Mogadishu safe.
On Thursday, six people were killed by a suicide attack in a refugee camp.
The victims included a security guard and a local aid worker, witnesses
said.
The bomb exploded just 20 minutes after a team of international journalists
had left the Mogadishu camp.
They had gone to the city to see the situation six months after the famine
was first declared in parts of the country, following the region's worst
drought in 60 years.
Tens of thousands of people have died, aid workers say.
About 300,000 people have flooded into Mogadishu to seek food and shelter,
as al-Shabab has banned most international aid agencies from areas they
control.
The UN says a quarter of a million Somalis are still suffering from the
famine and the crisis was likely to continue for the next six or seven
months.
Somalia has been wracked by two decades of conflict and lawlessness.
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Received on Fri Jan 20 2012 - 11:34:40 EST
