Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
13 November 2008
Mogadishu — Somalia's Islamic courts union fighters on Wednesday took control of Elasha biyaha area between Mogadishu and Afgoi district that hosts thousands of internally displaced people, an official and witnesses said.
"They went through in here tonight, there were no government troops here," resident man Hassan Ali told Shabelle by telephone.
Several witnesses confirmed the takeover of the IDPs vicinity, that was home to the violence effected people.
"I saw heavily-armed Islamist fighters in our chanting 'Allahu Akbar' -- God is Great. They ordered us (residents) to close behind doors, they also restricted people's movements," he added.
In the last days the insurgents have seized several towns to enlarge their insurgency.
Over the past year, the insurgents have attacked government targets after being ousted from the southern and central regions by Ethiopian-backed Somali troops in early 2007.
The Islamists, accused of ties with Muslim extremist groups, have taken control of towns in the recent months in an apparent show of their determination to regain power in the country of nine million people.
The government, formed in Kenya in October 2004, has been trying to launch peace talks in a bid to save the Horn of Africa nation, but it has yet to make convincing progress.
The guerrilla fighting has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee mainly from Mogadishu, which has been the epicentre of the clashes.
Somalia has lacked an effective government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, which paved the way for factional clashes that have defied numerous bids to restore stability.
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