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Somali Islamist fighters hold their weapons in defensive positions near a road that links to the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu - Source: Reuters -
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The United States said it had sent weapons to Somalia's
government to help thwart Islamist insurgents, who cut hands and
feet off thieves and paraded the severed limbs in the streets of
Mogadishu.
Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents are seen as a proxy for al Qaeda
and Western nations fear they could destabilize the region and
provide safe havens for hard-line Islamists from elsewhere.
When a moderate Islamist was elected president in January, there
was hope he could end nearly two decades of bloodshed in Somalia by
reconciling with hardliners who want to impose a strict version of
Islamic law across the country.
But Osama bin Laden declared President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed an
enemy in an audiotape released in March.
He called on the insurgents to topple the Somali government and
for Muslims around the world to join their jihad.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Washington was
providing arms at the government's request to help it "repel the
onslaught of extremist forces which are intent on .... spoiling
efforts to bring peace and stability to Somalia."
Asked if the United States was afraid the government might collapse
or be overwhelmed by insurgent attacks, Kelly replied: "We are
concerned.
"We think that this government ... represents Somalia's best chance
for peace, stability and reconciliation," he added.
"In addition to this threat to the government ... this kind of
violence is causing real suffering for the Somalian people and it's
just prolonging the chaos and preventing the country from getting
on stable footing."
The State Department said it was providing the weaponry in
accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
While the United Nations has had a long-standing arms embargo on
Somalia, a May Security Council resolution urged member states to
train and equip government security forces as long as a UN embargo
monitoring committee had no objections.
Another foreign security source said weapons had come into Somalia
for the government via Uganda, which provides half the 4,300
African Union troops protecting key sites in Mogadishu.
"The prospect of the government collapsing is sending alarm bells
ringing in Western capitals, but whether this latest move will
succeed remains to be seen," said Rashid Abdi, analyst at
International Crisis Group.
"Going further than providing arms to actually sending in more
foreign forces would be a mistake," he said.
"The government would then play right into the hands of the
militants, who would accuse them of accepting foreign
meddling."
Limbs on trees
Ethiopian troops intervened in late 2006 to topple an Islamist
movement in Mogadishu, but the presence of troops from the
neighbouring nation acted more as a rebel rallying call.
The Ethiopian troops withdrew in January, but the Islamists now say
they will keep on fighting until the African Union troops from
Uganda and Burundi leave the country.
The al Shabaab group, which has foreign fighters in its ranks,
stepped up attacks in early May.
It now controls most of south Somalia and all but a few blocks
of the capital Mogadishu.
The rebels used long knives to cut off a hand and a foot each from
four young men in Mogadishu as punishment for theft, witnesses
said.
It was the first double amputation in Somalia.
The men screamed in pain, and some spectators vomited.
Al Shabaab later hung the severed limbs from trees and electricity
polls.
"The horrific nature of such acts that were carried out in front of
a crowd adds further injustice and dehumanizes these teenagers,"
rights group Amnesty International said.
Al Shabaab has carried out executions, floggings and single-limb
amputations before, mainly in the southern port of Kismayu.
Movies and soccer games are banned in areas it controls, and men
and women cannot travel together on public transport.
Al Shabaab's strict practices have shocked many Somalis, who are
traditionally moderate Muslims, although residents give the
insurgents credit for restoring order to regions they
control.
"We will punish like this everyone who carries out these acts,"
said al Shabaab official Sheikh Ali Mohamud Fidow.
State of emergency
The government has launched a series of attacks this month to drive
the rebels out of Mogadishu.
It has failed to make headway and is relying on African Union
troops to protect the presidential palace, airport and
seaport.
Somalia's security minister, the Mogadishu police chief, and a
legislator have all been killed this month.
The insurgents are using more suicide car bombers and security
sources say its roadside bombs have become more
sophisticated.
The government has declared a state of emergency and called for
foreign military intervention.
Somalia's neighbor Kenya ruled out any intervention on Thursday but
has been beefing up security along its border.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has not ruled out sending
troops back to Somalia if the situation worsens, but said there
were no plans for unilateral intervention for now.
