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Islamist accuses US of helping Ethiopia to occupy Somalia
Tue. December 26, 2006 07:19 am. -
Mohamed Abdi Farah
Sheik Sharif |
(SomaliNet) Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the leader of executive council of Islamic Courts Union, said on Tuesday that the current war in Somalia is between ICU and Ethiopian troops – amid Islamic fighters retreated from key towns in southern and central Somalia after facing casualties in the battle fronts.
In a news conference held today in Somalia capital Mogadishu, Sheik Ahmed briefed about the conflict in Somalia accusing the Ethiopian government of using excessive forces against Islamic Courts.
He said Ethiopia has historically been hostile to Somalia and every regime in Addis Ababa was following on the same way to colonize Somalia. “Misfortune, I didn’t think that Meles’ regime made invasions in Somalia because Meles was the man who run to our country for injustice and was given support till he became leader of Ethiopia and that came through Somalis’ push,”
“The fighting has now entered into new phase since the Ethiopians are using heavy weapons, tanks and fighter jets and bombed on several locations, we have decided to order our fighters to draw back from the towns for military techniques,” Sheik Ahmed giving reasons to their retreat and lose of towns said. “Since we have no heavy weapons we would start endless hit and run fighting against the Ethiopian invaders,”
Sheik Ahmed said that Islamic fighters forced the Ethiopian to use air planes after they were defeated on the ground.
He detailed about the recent meeting between his ICU group and Ethiopia saying that they put forward several unacceptable conditions.
Despite too much reluctant to mention all conditions set by the Ethiopian officials, Sheik Ahmed said: “they told us that we should severe our relations with countries like Eritrea, Sudan and other world countries and that we should give up Ethiopian rebels whom they said are in Somalia”.
Every Somali individual is obliged to scarify life and properties in defending the country off the Ethiopian troops, he said.
The Islamist official accused the US government of siding with Ethiopia which invaded Somalia to capture the whole country. He denied the US and Ethiopia allegations that Al-Qaeda members in Somalia.
“We are again telling the international community that we (ICU) have no links with Al-Qaeda and there are no terrorist members in our country, here we have Somalis who stoop up for restoring their peace and security nothing else,” Sheik Ahmed said.
He condemned the world for silence of the Ethiopian invasion in Somalia. “we are calling on the world leaders to take decisive steps against the intervention of the Ethiopian troops that crossed into Somalia. Meanwhile the interim government in Baidoa announced on Tuesday that it would extend forgiveness to Islamic Courts forces if they surrender.
Ahmed reiterated that there were no al-Qaeda members in Somalia.
Ethiopian prime minister Males Zenawi said on Sunday, that meeting between Ethiopia and Islamists in Somalia ended in failure, and that his country was forced to go into war with Islamic movements.
United States says Somalia’s Islamic Courts include radicals and moderates.
On Monday the Ethiopian fighter jets bombed the main airport in Mogadishu and Baledogle airport, some 100 km away from the capital Mogadishu.
The air strike in Mogadishu forced hundreds of people to flee in fear of other Ethiopian air bombardments.
News Category: Somalia
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