Shabaab and rival Islamist group clash in central Somalia

Two commanders of the al Qaeda-backed As Shabaab were killed during heavy fighting with a government-supported Islamist militia in central Somalia.
Shabaab leaders Mohamed Mohamed Salad and Mohamed Yusuf Nur were "martyred" in the town of Guriel during clashes with the pro-government Ahlu Sunna Waljamaa, Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansour told the media. More than 30 Somalis were killed and more than 50 were wounded during the latest round of fighting in the contested central Somali town.
The fighting between Shabaab and Ahlu Sunna began in late December after Ahlu Sunna attacked Shabaab in three towns in the central Somali province of Galgadud. Forty Somalis were killed during three days of fighting that resulted in the ouster of Shabaab forces from the town of Guriel.
Shabaab, or the Somali Youth Movement, has gained considerable ground in southern and central Somalia after heavy fighting during 2008. More than 16,000 Somalis were killed last year. Late last summer, Kismayo, Somalia's second largest city, fell to Shabaab. The fighting left the powerless Transitional Federal Government in control over the town of Baidoa and in small pockets in the capital of Mogadishu.more..http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/01/shabaab_and_rival_is.php