NAIROBI (Reuters) – A Somali Islamist group has handed over one of two French hostages to al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants to avoid clashes between the two insurgent bands, rebels and officials said on Thursday.Gunmen from an Islamist faction within President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's security forces seized the two in a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday, then handed them to Hizbul Islam insurgents.But al Shabaab -- which is also fighting the Somali government -- demanded that Hizbul Islam give the French security men to them."We share
d the two men to avoid clashes between Islamists," an al Shabaab official told Reuters by telephone.Senior police officer Abdiqadir Odweyne and another high-ranking official confirmed Hizbul Islam had handed over the senior of the two French security officials.Western security services view al Shabaab as a proxy for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in the failed Horn of Africa state, which has been mired in conflict since 1991."The higher ranking French official was taken by al Shaabab and the other remained with (Sheikh Hassan) Dahir Aweys," Odweyne said, referring to the head of Hizbul Islam...more..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090716/wl_nm/us_somalia_conflict_2
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A Somali Islamist group has handed over one of two French hostages to al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants to avoid clashes between the two insurgent bands, rebels and officials said on Thursday.Gunmen from an Islamist faction within President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's security forces seized the two in a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday, then handed them to Hizbul Islam insurgents.But al Shabaab -- which is also fighting the Somali government -- demanded that Hizbul Islam give the French security men to them."We share
d the two men to avoid clashes between Islamists," an al Shabaab official told Reuters by telephone.Senior police officer Abdiqadir Odweyne and another high-ranking official confirmed Hizbul Islam had handed over the senior of the two French security officials.Western security services view al Shabaab as a proxy for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in the failed Horn of Africa state, which has been mired in conflict since 1991."The higher ranking French official was taken by al Shaabab and the other remained with (Sheikh Hassan) Dahir Aweys," Odweyne said, referring to the head of Hizbul Islam...more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090716/wl_nm/us_somalia_conflict_2
No comments:
Post a Comment