TASEK PAUH blogspot

Somali President Endorses the American Air Bombing in His Country
January 9, 2007

Aweys Osman Yusuf
Mogadishu (Shabelle Media Network)

Somalia's President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed, who has held a press conference at the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, in the capital Mogadishu, said he firmly supports the American air bombardment on suspected al-Qaeda hideouts in southern Somalia last night.

US officials in Washington have confirmed that an American AC 130, which had flown from the US military base in neighboring Djibouti, struck so-called al-Qaeda suspected members in settlements of southern Somalia.

Mr. Yusuf said he only heard the news from local radios. "America has the right to hunt down and air bombard wherever those who were responsible for bombing its embassies in East Africa are staying or hiding," he stressed.

He said the Somali government did not forgive the Islamist leaders.

Speaking to reporters he said, "You have taken our words wrong. The government only extended an amnesty to Islamist fighters. We have not offered any forgiveness to the ICU leaders. We are tracking hdown; they have brought foreign extremists and al-Qaeda in the country."

Somalia's Islamists were driven out of their strongholds in the central and southern provinces in the country, including the capital Mogadishu, in two weeks of battles, by thousands of Ethiopian troops backing Somali government forces.

They were accused of harboring al-Qaeda members in their open Jihad war against the largely Christian Ethiopian forces in the country.

He urged the population in Mogadishu to work and support the government that seemed to be moving to the capital.

He arrived in Mogadishu on Monday afternoon for the first time since taking office more than two years ago. He said armed militias should join the government forces. "They will be disarmed and trained as government soldiers. I urge the people of Mogadishu to voluntarily surrender their weapons to the government," he said.

Speaking about the insecurity in the capital, Yusuf promised that district commissioners and security forces would be set up soon to tighten up the peace and security in Mogadishu.

"Those who deliberately bomb parts of the city at nights to intimidate the civilian population should give up their cruel intentions. If they don't stop terrorizing people, we will capture them," he threatened.

Although many people doubt if the president would be staying in the capital for long and that the government would be moving in the days ahead, the government spokesperson Abdirahman Dinari told Shabelle by the phone that Mr. Yusuf moved to the capital Mogadishu officially to make his government functional here.

He also said warlords would go to Baidoa to either support the government or be members of the ordinary people. "The government will not allow warlords to empower themselves in the capital and recruit militias. Some of them are government officials," he said.

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Somalia