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Opponents of Islamists Seize Somali Capital
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Dec 28, 2006 07:07pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - New York Times |
| News Date | Friday, December 29, 2006 01:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: December 28, 2006
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 28 - Just hours after the Islamist forces abandoned Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, militias loyal to the transitional government seized the city today in a stunning reversal of fortunes.
According to residents, troops from the transitional government, along with Ethiopian soldiers who had been backing them up, poured into the capital from the outskirts of the city while militiamen within Mogadishu occupied key positions, like the port, airport and dilapidated presidential palace.
“The government has taken over Mogadishu,” a transitional government leader, Jama Fuuruh, told Reuters by telephone from Mogadishu’s port.
“ We are now in charge."
Mogadishu’s new powers immediately had to deal with a rising level of chaos, as armed bandits swept the city and fragmented clan militia began to battle each other for the spoils of war. Witnesses said an intense gun battle raged around a former Islamist ammunition dump and that clan warlords had instantly reverted back to setting up roadside checkpoints and shaking down motorists for money. Many terrified residents stayed in their homes behind bolted doors and the few that ventured into the streets carried guns.
“No one is really in command,” said one adviser to Western diplomats who has close contacts with both the Islamists and the transitional government. “Chaos is in command.” |
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