Militants take key Somali town, warlord defects,

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Militant Islamist fighters captured a strategic town north of Mogadishu on Sunday, leaving government forces isolated in pockets of the country's capital and central region after two weeks of heavy clashes. In a sign of some disarray among militant ranks however, a former warlord and powerful opposition leader defected to the government side over the weekend. President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's United Nations-backed government -- the 15th attempt to establish central rule -- is struggling like predecessors to contain powerful insurgents, currently led by hardline militant al Shabaab. "Al Shabaab captured Jowhar after serious fighting on Sunday morning," resident Ismail Farah told Reuters. "At least seven people including four civilians died."
Jowhar, Ahmed's hometown, is 90 km (56 miles) from Mogadishu and links it to the volatile central region where local sources say 68 people have been killed in clashes between al Shabaab and a moderate Islamist group since Friday....more..http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE54G1B120090517?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Reuters Terrorist Reporter, glorifying Number One Terrorist Most Wanted Man in Horn of Africa The Islamic Courts' Leader