Somalia: Brigade Commander Quits, Cites Lack of Resources

BAIDOA,Somalia. The commander of the Somali army's 17th Brigade said he quit and left the town of Dinsor Monday, citing lack of resources and the presence of a formidable enemy in the region.

Col. Osman Ahmed told reporters that he quit after repeatedly asking for financial and equipment resources from top military commanders, but receiving no response.He said some of his loyal soldiers backed by battlewagons left for Bardhere, a town in neighboring Gedo region. But the remaining soldiers returned to the city of Baidoa, seat of the Somali parliament."The money that should be used to fund Somali soldiers is being used to fund Ethiopian troops," Col. Ahmed said during a radio interview.
He said that his army unit "lost many soldiers" last month, when al-Shabaab guerrillas raided Dinsor town and took control following a bloody battle.Somalia's interim government is bankrolled almost entirely by Western donor powers, and critics often say that it has been crippled by weak domestic institutions and lack of coordinated government protocol.