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About 300 foreigners fighting Somali government: U.N.
Fri May 15, 2009 2:27pm EDT
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By Frank Nyakairu
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Hundreds of foreigners from Africa and outside the continent are battling Somalia's Western-backed government in the worst clashes for months, the U.N. special envoy to the Horn of Africa nation said Friday.
Intelligence agencies are worried that Somalia -- with its porous borders and coastline, al Qaeda-linked Islamist groups and weak government -- may become a beach-head for militants trying extend their influence in the region and beyond.
Some observers play down that risk, saying most Somalis follow a moderate form of Islam and have a deep suspicion of foreigners and the strict interpretation of Islamic law espoused by groups such as al Shabaab.
"There is no doubt from many sources, covert or overt, that there is a significant number of foreign fighters in Somalia from within the continent and outside," U.N. envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah told reporters in Kenya's capital.
"I have seen figures from U.N. Security Council documents submitted by the U.S. where they are estimated to be between 280 and 300," he said.
Fighting between al Shabaab militants -- who admit to having foreigners in their ranks -- and pro-government fighters has killed at least 139 people and sent some 27,000 fleeing the pock-marked, seaside capital since late last week.
At least 16 people were killed in central Somalia Friday in clashes between Shabaab soldiers and fighters from the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca in Mahas and Wabho towns, residents and a Ahlu Sunna spokesman said.
The International Crisis Group think tank said that there was "a battle shaping up between reportedly moderate Muslims and the extremists, such as al Shabaab."
"WAR CRIMINALS"
The African Union (AU) envoy to Somalia said Friday that a foreign fighter had been killed in Mogadishu.
"We are aware that one of them from Afghanistan has been killed in the fighting," Nicolas Bwakira told reporters.
"There are elements of al Qaeda within al Shabaab, and it would be unacceptable for al Qaeda and al Shabaab to take power in Somalia, because they are a group of war criminals," he said.
Analysts say foreigners have been training insurgents in explosives and tactics, while weapons such as landmines, grenade launchers and rockets have been flown and shipped into Somalia.
A security analyst said roadside bombs targeting AU peacekeepers have become more sophisticated in recent months.
Hardline opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys told Reuters Thursday there were some foreigners in Somalia, but that those numbers had been embellished [ID:nLE392447]. Continued...
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