From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Jul 07 2010 - 09:38:22 EDT
Somalia's Shabaab vow to step up jihad against AU
Posted Wednesday, July 7 2010 at 14:57
Hundreds of Shabaab supporters vowed Wednesday in the central Somali town of
Beledweyn to intensify the Al Qaeda-inspired group's jihad against African
Union troops.
The demonstration was the Islamist insurgent group's reply to a pledge made
Monday at a summit of regional states for 2,000 more troops to beef up the
beleaguered African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
"The enemies of Allah met in Ethiopia days ago and agreed to fight against
the Holy Koran of Allah," Sheikh Yusuf Said Ugas, Shabaab leader for
Somalia's Hiran region, told the crowd.
"Now we are meeting to unite and fight against them. We will fight to death,
until we raise the Islamic flag over this country and establish the greater
Islamic state," he said.
The six-member Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) announced
Monday in Addis Ababa it had decided to rapidly deploy the 2,000 extra
troops still needed for AMISOM to reach its intended strength of 8,100.
"Fresh recruitment has already started across the entire country for a
united jihad against the enemy, whose aim is to destroy our religion and
integrity," the Shabaab cleric said.
"I call upon all of you, men and women, to stand up and defend your
religion, defend your country against the invading infidels and their
apostate allies," he added.
Since its first Ugandan contingent was deployed in early 2007, AMISOM -- and
the Western-backed transitional federal government it is protecting -- has
failed to contain the Shabaab-led insurgency.
In recent days, Islamist rebels have closed in on the small perimeter of
Mogadishu housing the presidency and the other institutions of President
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's fragile administration.
Mukhtar Robow, a spokesman for Shebab militants (C) speaks during a
press conference in Mogadishu on October 27, 2008.
Mukhtar Robow, a spokesman for Shebab militants (C) speaks during a press
conference in Mogadishu on October 27, 2008.
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