(Though Somalia gets little media attention these days, it remains a battleground for radical Islamists. From Reuters:
MOGADISHU – Heavy fighting between rival Somali militia linked to Islamic courts and a new “anti-terror” alliance has killed about 90 people in the last three days in the capital, Mogadishu, residents and local radio said on Friday. The United States is also concerned that a small number of Somalis may be providing a safe-haven for these foreign terrorists inside Somalia, which undermines the efforts of those seeking to establish peace in Somalia and threatens the stability of the Horn of Africa,” the statement added.)
Posted on February 20, 2006: Since the early 1990s, al Qaeda has targeted Somalia. Back then, American forces and U.N peacekeepers were the target. Today, as in other regions of the world, they are also increasingly aiming their gun sights on moderate Muslims. From the BBC:
The fighting pits a new group, the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, against the Islamic Courts’ militia…. Our correspondent says at least five warlords-cum-ministers in the transitional government are behind the new alliance, which is battling the Islamic Courts. The courts have set up Mogadishu’s only judicial system in parts of the capital but have been accused of links to al-Qaeda. Their critics accuse the courts of being behind the killing of moderate Muslim scholars.
