From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Dec 02 2009 - 16:36:53 EST
Islamist Ally Turns on Somalia's al-Shabab
Ras Kamboni faction of Hizbul Islam says its fighters are preparing to
challenge al-Shabab in southern and central Somalia
Alisha Ryu | Nairobi 02 December 2009
In Somalia, an Islamist faction says it considers its former ally,
al-Shabab, to be the greatest threat to the country. A spokesman for the
leader of the Ras Kamboni faction of Hizbul Islam says Hizbul Islam fighters
are preparing to challenge al-Shabab in all areas of southern and central
Somalia.
The spokesman for the leader of the Ras Kamboni Brigade tells VOA the fight
against al-Shabab militants, which began in late September in the southern
port city of Kismayo, is expected to continue until al-Shabab is ousted from
Somalia.
Abdinasir Seraar is the spokesman for Ahmed Madobe, the military commander
al-Shabab has repeatedly blamed for triggering the conflict in Kismayo.
Seraar says the fight against al-Shabab will move from the Jubba region to
regions of Gedo and Middle and Lower Shabelle, including the capital
Mogadishu. He says Hizbul Islam's goal is to liberate the country from
al-Shabab militants, who Seraar says are indiscriminately killing innocent
Somalis and trying to wipe out Somali culture.
Ras Kamboni Brigade and its ally, Anole, are clan-based factions of Hizbul
Islam, a fundamentalist nationalist opposition group that formed an alliance
with al-Shabab earlier this year to oppose the U.N.-backed government in
Mogadishu. Another faction of Hizbul Islam is led by Hassan Dahir Aweys,
who briefly ruled Somalia in 2006 as the spiritual head of the Islamic
Courts Union.
Ras Kamboni and Anole took up arms against al-Shabab after al-Shabab tried
to impose sole control over Kismayo and its port, which serves as an
important source of revenue for all sides.
Al-Shabab, which is on a U.S. list of terrorist groups for having ties to
al-Qaida, suddenly found itself at war with Hassan Turki, a long-established
hardline Islamist/nationalist leader, who is also listed as a terrorist by
the United States. Turki had been commanding the Ras Kamboni Brigade until
he fell gravely ill about three months ago.
Mindful of Turki's popularity among hardline Islamists and nationalists in
Somalia, al-Shabab's leadership in Kismayo has been careful not implicate
Hassan Turki in the conflict, casting blame solely on Turki's successor,
Ahmed Madobe.
Late last month, Islamist fighting spread to the towns of Afmadow and Dobley
in Lower Juba, with al-Shabab claiming victory. Al-Shabab's spokesman for
the Jubba regions, Hassan Yacqub, told reporters Ahmed Madobe fled into
neighboring Kenya with his fighters after losing Dobley. But Seraar says
that is a lie.
He says Madobe is in Somalia, still in command of his fighters. He says
Hizbul Islam made a tactical retreat from Afmadow and Dobley and forces
there are re-grouping to launch a counter-offensive, which could happen at
any time.
It is still not clear how much Somalia's transitional federal government
will benefit from the split among the Islamist opposition in the south.
For the past 10 months, government forces and African Union peacekeepers
have been battling near-daily attacks by Hizbul Islam and al-Shabab forces
in Mogadishu.
In a sign that Ras Kamboni and Anole factions may have difficulty convincing
other Hizbul Islam fighters to shift the focus of the insurgency toward
al-Shabab, the spokesman for Hizbul Islam in Mogadishu told reporters
Tuesday his group is preparing to increase attacks against the transitional
government and African Union forces.
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