Militant Alliance Adds to Somalia’s Turmoil

NAIROBI, Kenya — An insurgent commander based in the semiautonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia has pledged his allegiance to the Shabab militant group, a move that threatens to destabilize a part of Somalia that had been relatively peaceful.  The commander, Sheik Mohamed Said Atom, an insurgent warlord, said he would fight the Puntland government until it agreed to impose strict Islamic law. His forces have recently clashed with Puntland soldiers, but it was not until this week that he announced his alignment with the Shabab, the group that claimed responsibility for the bombings in Uganda this month. “Shabab are our brothers,” Mr. Atom said in a message broadcast by Somali radio stations and Web sites on Wednesday. “We are members of the Shabab, and the Shabab are members of us. We have good contacts. We are united in our objectives.” Puntland is the northeastern corner of Somalia and had been spared much of the incessant warfare of recent years. It is controlled by a clan-based administration and was one of the few areas of Somalia safe enough for Western aid workers and journalists to work on a regular basis. But Puntland is also home to many pirate dens and human trafficking rings. Western officials have long suspected that the Puntland government collaborates with organized crime. In the past few days, Mr. Atom’s fighters have waged an intense battle against Puntland’s forces in the Galgala mountains near the town of Boosaaso. Puntland’s authorities said 13 combatants had been killed, including one of Mr. Atom’s top commanders, which Mr. Atom confirmed. Still, Mr. Atom seemed unbowed. He remains holed up in the mountains and told his followers that Shariah, the legal code of Islam based on the Koran, had been given a bad name. “The people have been misinformed; they were told that Shariah cuts the hands and feet, and that’s not the way,” he said. “So far, no one has had his hands or feet cut.” It is not clear if the Shabab, who have carried out public executions and amputations in areas they control in south-central Somalia, are providing weapons or fighters to Mr. Atom. He said that a few years ago he tried to persuade Puntland officials to impose Islamic law but that they tried to arrest him. “That’s why I went to the mountains and started recruiting young jihadists and holy warriors against them,” he said.
A version of this article appeared in print on July 29, 2010, on page A10 of the New York edition.