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Mogadishu,
August 29, 2009 – One of two French security advisers kidnapped by
insurgents in Somalia last month escaped on Wednesday after killing
three of his captors.
Gunmen seized the Frenchmen at a hotel in Mogadishu on July 14 and they
fell into the hands of the al Shabaab group, which Washington describes
as al Qaeda's proxy in the Horn of Africa state.
Here are some details about al Shabaab:
* WAGING WAR IN SOMALIA:
-- Al Shabaab, which means "Youth" in Arabic, is an al Qaeda-inspired
militant group that has taken control of large areas of south and
central Somalia. The Horn of Africa nation has been mired in anarchy
since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991.
-- The interim government's attempts to restore central rule have
largely been paralyzed by infighting and the Islamist-led insurgency.
Fighting has killed more than 18,000 people since the start of 2007 and
has uprooted at least 1 million civilians. The chaos has also helped
fuel kidnappings and piracy offshore.
-- Al Shabaab's hardline militia was initially part of the Somalia
Islamic Courts Council (SICC) movement which pushed U.S.-backed warlords
out of Mogadishu in June 2006 and then ruled for six months before
Somali and Ethiopian forces ousted them.
* STRICT PRACTICES:
-- In June, al Shabaab officials in one of the group's Mogadishu
strongholds ordered four teenagers to each have a hand and a leg cut off
as punishments for robbery.
-- Al Shabaab's hardline interpretation of Islamic law has shocked many
Somalis, who are traditionally more moderate Muslims. Some residents,
however, give the insurgents credit for restoring order to the regions
under their control.
* FOREIGN FIGHTERS:
-- The Somali government says hundreds of foreign fighters have joined
the insurgency from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Gulf
region and Western nations such as the United States and Britain. Some
of the foreign jihadists have taken up leadership positions in militant
groups including al Shabaab.
-- One American national of Somali origin was killed while fighting for
al Shabaab in Mogadishu in July.
-- Also in July Australian police arrested four men linked to the group
raising concerns it may be seeking targets outside Somalia.
Source: Reuters, August 26, 2009
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