Somali town cleared of Islamists

[Gabbal]

Somali town cleared of Islamists

 

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

 

Troops loyal to Somalia's UN-backed government have regained control of a town from radical Islamist fighters - the second such victory in recent days.

 

Commanders with the moderate Ahlu Sunna group say they took Luq town, near the Ethiopia border, without a fight.

 

On Monday Ahlu Sunna drove radicals out of the nearby town of Bulo Hawo as part of a government offensive.

 

Militant groups are locked in a fight with government forces and each other for control of the country.

 

Thousands of civilians have been killed and more than a million driven from their homes because of fighting in the past two years.

 

On Tuesday, the UN said Somalia was now the world's most dangerous country for aid workers.

 

Forty-two workers have been killed since January 2008 and a further 33 abducted, the UN said.

 

Fears

 

In recent days, forces loyal to the government have stepped up a campaign to drive radical fighters out of towns in the south-western province of Gedo.

 

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan, in the capital, Mogadishu, says Hizbul Islam, who had controlled Luq town, fled when they heard the troops were approaching.

 

A local elder in Luq told AFP news agency there had been no fighting.

 

"We saw the pro-government militia enter the town... and they now control it."

 

But locals expressed fears that militias could be gathering on the outskirts to launch a counter-attack.

 

Hizbul-Islam and its ally al-Shabab are fighting the UN-backed interim government and together control much of southern Somalia.

 

Both groups are said to have links to al-Qaeda and have been reinforced by foreign fighters.

[nuune]

What is your take on this yaa Gabbal?

[Gabbal]

The ousted Islamists provided peace and security unparalleled since the fall of the late government but they are not the future Nuunoow. They were never meant to be. We should continue to monitor the developing story.

[NGONGE]

^^ Are the Ahlu Sunna not 'Islamists' too?

[Che -Guevara]

I give up on Somalia!!!

 

Does it really matter who captured where?-uselles bunch

[NGONGE]

^^ Oh come on now, Che. Wadaado being driven out of a luq is a big story in any context.

[Che -Guevara]

^It's cat and mouse game sxb. There are no winners, and people will lose the most the poor Somali stuck on outskirts on of Xamar Cadeey completely exposed to sun.

[Haatu]

 

Since when was Gedo that big?

[Che -Guevara]

^Seriously Jaanka, is that all you picked on in this article?

[Haatu]

^What do you mean?

[Ducaysane]

for all the 18 provinces, Gedo is the second largest province. next to Barri. Sanaag comes third.

[Dhubad.]

Originally posted by Che -Guevara:

^It's cat and mouse game sxb. There are no winners, and people will lose the most the poor Somali stuck on outskirts on of Xamar Cadeey completely exposed to sun.

It's cat and mouse game indeed. At the end of the day the poor people will always suffer!

 

Give them few months you will hear they are chased away by Al-shabaab without even firing a single pullet.

[Sophist]

Duceysane, correction, Sanaag is second largest region!.

 

http://www.mapsofwor ld.com/indexmaps/som alia-map.jpg

 

About the story; geel caruuri qaadey mafoga!

[xiinfaniin]

Ducaysane ficilaa haysey

[Allamagan]

Anaka ka weyn & No 2 aan nahay bay dhaafi la'dahay sheekadu.

 

Originally posted by Jaanka:

^What do you mean?

War wuxuu ku yiri oo u kawada ookiyaalaha degree-ga sare ee ku xiran iska siib marka hore