From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Mon Jul 19 2010 - 18:45:43 EDT
US seeks rifts among Somali rebels after blasts
Mon Jul 19, 2010 3:51pm GMT
By William Maclean
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States is studying ways to foment division
among Somali rebels behind bombings in Uganda, without inflaming
anti-foreigner feelings that could cause a closing of ranks, a U.S. official
said on Monday.
The double blasts, claimed by al Shabaab Islamists, killed 73 people
watching the World Cup final on July 11. The group had threatened to strike
Uganda to punish it for its contribution to AMISOM, the African Union
peacekeeping force in Somalia.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that allies of
Somalia's interim government were discussing the possibility of allowing
African peacekeeping troops to go on the offensive against the rebels in the
wake of the explosions. At present they may use force only when attacked.
Asked what strategies the United States was using against extremist armed
Islamist groups in Somalia, the official replied Washington would seek to
divide them, although the task was delicate due to Somali sensitivities
about foreign involvement.
"We know nothing galvanises Somalis like an outside influence...if we do
something in an imprudent manner," the official said in a briefing for
reporters in London.
"We are trying to figure out the best way to exploit any divisions. At the
same time, to do that in an incorrect manner runs the risk of the exact
opposite, which is to unite them."
Aside from its differences with other Islamist armed groups, al Shabaab
itself is a patchwork of networks including foreigners who favour al
Qaeda-style global attacks and more nationalistic Somalis, some analysts
have said.
"Are they (al Shabaab) truly a Somali group at this point, or are they a
puppet of an outside extremist group? It's a question we're looking at very
closely," the official said.
"OFFENSIVE POSTURE"
There were increasing signs that al Shabaab was adopting an international al
Qaeda-type approach and it was important to try to prevent senior foreign
militants from promoting this thinking among a middle tier of fighters.
The official said the estimated 1.5 million Somalis living overseas, who
send home about $1 billion in remittances annually, were in a position to
use their influence to deepen existing public antipathy to the rebels inside
Somalia.
There was a "great possibility" this would happen because Somalis in the
West were likely to experience more police scrutiny of their businesses
after the attacks in Uganda and they were likely to blame al Shabaab for
this.
"For them not to be able to function and do their business outside of
Somalia would be a blow ... And if al Shabaab endangers those remittances, I
think that's going to further alienate them from the Somali people," the
official said.
The official added that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was
fighting for its survival against al Shabaab and was dependent on AMISOM,
which he said numbered about 5,800 troops.
The official said there was "vigorous discussion" among Somalia's allies
about possibly widening the rules of engagement to enable the force to go on
the offensive.
"Many folks think that's the way to go, change the mandate from peacekeeping
to an offensive posture," the official said.
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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