| Home | Politics | Human Rights | Water | Economy | Education | Sci & Tech | Culture | Sport |
27 December 2006
DUBAI - Al Qaeda’s Iraq branch urged Muslims to support Islamist forces in Somalia as government troops backed by Ethiopia advanced toward the capital Mogadishu, in a statement posted on the Internet Wednesday.
The self-styled ‘Islamic state of Iraq,’ which is led by Al Qaeda, ‘calls on all Muslims to stand by their brothers in Somalia and help them with money, arms and men,’ said the statement posted on the website normally used by the Iraqi branch of the terror group.
‘Your brothers in Somalia are waging major battles against the crusader enemies who are in cahoots with the apostates of the transitional Somali government backed by the countries of the crusader alliance, chiefly the US administration,’ added the statement, whose authenticity could not be confirmed.
Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops on Wednesday ousted Islamist forces from a key southern town and rolled closer to Mogadishu as a second week of heavy fighting began in the Horn of Africa country.