Somali gov't, moderate Islamist group vow to fight Al Shabaab

The Somali government and moderate Islamist group of Ahlu Sunnah which is fighting with hardline Islamist rebel movement of Al Shabaab, on Saturday reiterated their determination to work together in their war against the insurgents.In a high level meeting between Ahlu Sunah movement which controls parts of central Somalia and the transitional government, the two sides repeated their plan to unify their forces in their fight with Al Shabaab, Sheikh Omar Sheikh Mohamed Farah, Head of Operations for Ahli Sunnah said.Sheikh Mohamed added after the meeting held in the presidential palace in Mogadishu that the two sides also agreed that they fully support a recent agreement reached by the two sides at talks in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.The agreement stipulated that Ahlu Sunnah group be incorporated into the government in the power-sharing deal which gives several ministerial posts to the Sufi group which managed to drive the radical Al Shabaab movement out of a number of central Somalia districts.The Sufis who are usually opposed to violence took up arms against the Al Shabaab movement which controls much of south and centre of Somalia after the radical group started destroying the tombs of revered Sufi scholars and banning rituals of the sect.The Somali government officials and the moderate sect leadership thanked the international community for their support to the Somali people and what they termed as efforts to bring peace and stability to the war torn country.The meeting attended by Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the Premier, and the speaker of the Somali parliament as well as high ranking Ahlu Sunnah leaders, comes as there have recently been media speculations of a major government offensive to retake from the rebels.Both Somali government and Islamist rebel movement have been lately in show of force as they paraded newly trained forces who the sides said were prepared to counter what each said was an imminent onslaught from the other side.The internationally recognized government of Somalia is struggling to fight off an Islamist insurgency posed to run over parts of Mogadishu under its control with protection from few thousand African union peacekeeping forces.

Sheikh Omar Sheikh Mohamed Farah, Head of Operations for Ahliu Sunnah  aka suffi


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