Somali Warlord Puts Fighters On Alert Over Fears Of Islamist Attack

BAIDOA, Somalia, September 14, 2006 – Militia controlling a key port have been put on alert amid fears of an attack by an Islamic group that appears bent on ruling Somalia, an official said Thursday.

Fighters loyal to the fundamentalist Islamic group are 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Kismayo, one of the last remaining ports outside of their control, and advancing, said Abdillahi Ismail Fartag, military commander of the militia that controls the area.

The Islamic courts, who took control of the capital, Mogadishu, in June, have denied they are marching on the town, Somalia's third city and an important business center some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital.

"No single Islamic courts troops were sent to Kismayo," Sheik Abdiqadir Ali Omar, a senior member of the executive council with the Islamic courts, told The Associated Press.

However, he did say without elaborating, that if the local population in Kismayo wanted to "embrace Islamic courts' values," then they would offer support.

The Islamic group have seized the capital and much of southern Somalia and imposed strict religious rule in its territory. It is credited with bringing a semblance of order to the country after years of anarchy, but some of its leaders have been linked to al-Qaida and there are fears of an emerging, Taliban-style regime.

"We have put our troops on high alert because of the volatile political situation in Somalia and we are ready to face any threat against our troops and our administration," Fartag told The Associated Press by telephone. Leading the Islamic militia is Mohamed Roble Jumale, who helped defeat U.S.-backed warlords who controlled the capital, he said.

However, Jumale is also a faction leader within the Juba Valley Alliance, a loosely organized and shifting group made up of four warlords who control Kismayo port and the surrounding area.

He may be using his current influence within the Islamic courts to extend his power base in the Juba region, said Somali officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.

Associated Press Writer Malkhadir M. Muhumed in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.

Source: AP

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