Islamists in Somali vow to take capital

Islamist insurgent group of Al Shabaab in Somalia on Thursday vowed to take over the capital Mogadishu before the conclusion of the planned by European Union (EU) mission to train Somali government forces in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.



The EU governments on Wednesday approved a Spanish-led military mission, starting April, to train almost 2,000 Somali government forces in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raage, spokesman for Al Shabaab, the hardline Islamist group fighting the Somali government, said that the EU mission will further escalate Somalia conflict but vowed the group would take over the capital before the end of the training for the Somali troops.The Islamist group, which controls much of south and center of Somalia, is the biggest and most powerful insurgent movement and has been waging deadly insurgency against the Somali government.Somali government, which controls only parts of the restive capital with the backing of 5,000 African Union peacekeepers, has sent hundreds of new recruits for training in neighboring countries.Somali government has lately been planning to launch a major offensive to drive out Islamist rebels from the capital Mogadishu in the initial stages of the onslaught and extend it to other insurgent controls parts of south and center of Somalia.The EU mission is part of Somali government's plan to train nearly 6,000 troops to help stabilize the chaotic east African nation which has been through civil conflict for almost the past two decades.

Source:Xinhua