Islamist rebels ousted from central Somali town

A pro-government Somali militia on Tuesday wrested back a key town from extremist Shebab rebels in fierce clashes both sides claimed killed several of their rivals, witnesses and officials said.

Gunmen from the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa militia mounted a counter-attack against the Al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents who had seized the central Dhusamareb town at a dawn.

"Militants from Al Qaeda attacked the town this morning ... but the fighters of Ahlu Sunna defeated them later after heavy fighting," said Sheikh Mohamed Yusuf Hesow, a leader of the Ahlu Sunna militia in central Somalia.

Witnesses said several fighters and civilians were killed in the battle, but could not give an exact figure.

"The situation is calm now. Ahlu Sunna militants are in full control after heavy fighting that left many dead," said local elder Abdinur Mohamed Sahal.

The capture of Dhusamareb, a strategic town in the central Galgadud region and on a key road to northern Somalia, was a notable fight back by the hardline Shebab, who have pulled out of several key areas in recent months.

Shebab fighters had stormed Dhusamareb in machinegun-mounted pickup trucks, driving out the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa, an Ethiopia-backed force that follows Somalia's traditional Sufi branch of Islam.

Rival armed groups have repeatedly fought over Dhusamareb, controlling it briefly until fresh attacks root them out.

"It was an organised military operation which succeeded. The mujahedeen fighters were later ordered to withdraw from the town," said Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab, a Shebab spokesman.

The raid on Dhusamareb came as Shebab fighters also attacked the presidency in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, firing mortars at the highly guarded premises which they also targeted on Sunday and killed six civilians.

Shebab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane called on the Islamist fighters to renew attacks against the 10,000-strong African Union force, which props up the weak Western-backed government in the anarchic capital.

"They (AU forces) will continue to face hard hitting guerilla attacks that will destroy them, just as armies that were more powerful than them were destroyed," Godane said in a broadcast on the pro-Shebab Radio Al-Andalus.

AU force spokesman Paddy Ankunda said the insurgents' mortar fire did not damage the presidential compound, where a suicide bomber also blew himself up last week, killing five people.

"Mortars were thrown in the area of the presidential palace again, but did not damage it, and security teams are working around the clock to end this threat," said Ankunda.

Godane, who is also known as Abu Zubayr, called for attacks in the northern autonomous Puntland region, which is allied to the Western-backed government.

"Mujahedeen fighters in areas controlled by the apostate Puntland government must remain unified, you must strengthen your battle fronts until you ensure the Islamic flag flies over the whole region," he added.

The Shebab face increasing pressure from pro-government forces and regional armies, and last month lost control of their strategic base of Baidoa to Ethiopian troops, the second major loss in six months after abandoning fixed bases in capital.

Kenya sent its troops into southern Somalia to fight them in October, blaming the Shebab for the abductions of several foreigners. Its troops have now been incorporated into the AU force.

Ethiopian forces entered Somalia a month later in the west, as international diplomatic, military and relief efforts focus on ending the conflict in the south.

However, experts warn the Shebab are far from defeated and remain a major threat, especially now they have in many areas switched to guerrilla tactics.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/islamist-fighters-seize-central-somali-town-000334709.html

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