Somalian Forces Pursue Islamic Militants

Tuesday January 2, 2007 10:01 AM By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN Associated Press Writer MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Government forces pursued a militant Islamic movement into a rugged, forested corner of Somalia on Tuesday, as Kenyan troops sealed their border and reported that 10 foreigners already had been arrested. Diplomats from the region were working to arrange the speedy deployment of African peacekeepers to help the interim government establish its authority in the country, which has known only anarchy for 15 years. A three-day period also began Tuesday for Somalis to voluntarily surrender their arms to government-designated points. Ethiopian troops reported that at one such point in the capital, Mogadishu, no one had handed in any weapons in the morning. As the last remaining stronghold of the Islamic group - the port of Kismayo - was overrun by government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks and MiG fighter jets, the net began closing on suspected al-Qaida fighters believed to be sheltered by the hard-line group. Defense Minister Col. Barre ``Hirale'' Aden Shire, speaking in Kismayo Tuesday, said that young men who fought with the Islamic militants are ``pardoned'' and could join Somalia's national army. ``You have heard a lot of times that the transitional government is weak,'' Shire told thousands of Kismayo residents gathered at Freedom Park in the town's center. ``But I will confirm you that the national army are in control of all regions in the country - east, center and south. They will restore security in the country.'' Neighboring Kenya vowed to seal its frontier to prevent any extremists, now wedged between the sea and the border, from escaping following the 13-day military offensive. Sea routes from southern Somalia were also being patrolled by the U.S. navy, hunting three al-Qaida suspects believed to be among the Islamic group and wanted for the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa. ``Kenya cannot be a haven for people who are not wanted by their lawful government,'' Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said in a statement on Monday. Anthony Kibuchi, the Kenyan provincial police commander on the border, said Monday that 10 foreigners were arrested Saturday when they tried to cross into Kenya. ``We are interrogating them and we will give more details about them as soon as possible,'' he said. Kibuchi refused to provide further details, but local media reported the eight of the men said they were from Eritrea, while two said they were Canadian. According to a U.N. report, Eritrea sent 2,000 troops to support the Islamic movement, while there have been reports of Somalis with Canadian citizenship joining the Islamic militia. The military advance was a stunning turnaround for Somalia's government, which just weeks ago could barely control one town - its base of Baidoa - while the Council of Islamic Courts controlled the capital and much of southern Somalia. But with the intervention of Ethiopia, which has one of Africa's largest armies, the Islamic group has been forced from Mogadishu and other key towns in the past 10 days. Its casualties run into the thousands, Ethiopia said. The group has promised to wage an Iraq-style guerrilla war if defeated, and a woman was killed Sunday in a mysterious blast in the capital. Government and Ethiopian troops were reportedly continuing to move south in pursuit of the remaining Islamic forces, residents said. Diplomats want the international peacekeeping force to replace the muscle of Ethiopia, a largely Christian country long despised in Muslim Somalia. Both countries have fought two wars, the last in 1977, and Somalia lays claim to territories in Ethiopia. Uganda said it has a battalion of 1,000 troops ready to deploy in a few days. Nigeria has also promised troops, Somali government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said. Outside Villa Baidoa, one of the points in Mogadishu where people have been asked to deposit arms, Muhdin Sharif, 25, said he will never give up his weapons until the Ethiopians leave Somalia. ``We are fighting if we are forced to give up our weapons,'' Sharif said. He said that if Somalia has a government he can rely on he will happily give up his weapons. Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies have long accused Islamic militias of harboring al-Qaida, and the U.S. government has said the 1998 bombers have become leaders in the Islamic movement in Africa. Islamic movement leaders deny having any links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.