former freedom fighters help ugadan troops???

[Hiiraan boy]

fuking traitors

African peacekeepers in Somalia seize weapons in raid on houses in capital
The Associated Press
Published: May 9, 2007
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MOGADISHU, Somalia: African peacekeepers acting on a tip from a former insurgent in Somalia seized weapons hidden in houses in the southern part of the troubled capital Wednesday, an official said.

The weapons, which were buried, included 106 anti-tank mines, 48 rocket propelled grenades, 460 hand grenades and other small arms, said Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the Ugandan troops acting as peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

"Our troops have found and seized huge number of weapons buried under the ground, following civilian information passed to them," said Ankunda.

The African Union peacekeepers started to patrol the streets of Mogadishu earlier this month after having been largely confined to their stations at the airport as this city endured some of the worst fighting in 15 years. In late April, the government and its Ethiopian backers launched a crackdown that saw hundreds killed and ended with the government declaring victory over an Islamic insurgency.

Ankunda said a former insurgent passed the information to the African peacekeepers, who then sought the assistance of the government troops and their Ethiopian backers. Uganda has about 1,400 troops in Somalia as the vanguard of a larger African Union peacekeeping force.
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So far, Uganda is the only country to contribute to the peacekeeping force. The peacekeepers were met with a surge of violence when they began deploying in Somalia's capital in March, and had initially kept a low profile.

Witnesses said Ugandan troops backed by Somali and Ethiopian forces conducted search operations in the south of city, where most of the fighting between Islamic insurgents and Ethiopian and Somali troops was concentrated. Ankunda said 150 peacekeepers armed with 16 armored military vehicles participated in the operation.

"The troops have cordoned off the entire area just before dawn and then targeted particular houses, where they discovered weapons," said resident Mohamed Idle Ibrahim.

Hours later, a woman was killed and another wounded in the city's busiest Bakaara market when a masked man hurled a hand grenade. At the time, government troops were demolishing vendors stalls that have been deemed illegal. Ali Kheyre Abdulle, who owns a shoe shop in the market, said it appeared the grenade was meant for the government troops.

Police on Tuesday began mass demolitions of stalls selling tea, vegetables and other small goods. Mohamed Dheere, a former warlord who is now mayor, said the campaign was aimed at restoring order and making it easier for police to patrol the capital.

Mogadishu has been relatively calm since April 26 but it is not clear how long this calm will last — extremist Islamic leaders have vowed their forces will rise up again. But the violence was also spurred by a struggle for power among Somali clans, who appear appeased by recent moves to include them in the city's administration.

With the crucial aid of troops from neighboring Ethiopia, Somali forces ousted a militant Islamic group known as the Council of Islamic Courts over the New Year. But the group promised to launch an Iraq-style insurgency, and the capital was endured weeks of artillery battles and shelling between the warring sides.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned against each other. The current government was established in 2004, but has failed to assert full control.

On Monday, a land mine set off by remote control injured five policemen in a pickup truck in the southern part of the Somali capital. It was the first such attack in the city since the fragile Somali government declared victory over insurgents late last month.