By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Islamic militants in Somalia welcomed being added to the United States’ list of terrorist organizations, saying they wished only that the designation had come sooner. The State Department announced Tuesday that it added to its list the military wing of the Council of Islamic Courts, called Al Shabab, or the Youth, because it is affiliated with Al Qaeda, according to American officials. “We are happy that the U.S. put us on its list of terrorists, a name given to pure Muslims who are strong and clear in their religious position,” Sheik Muqtar Robow, Al Shabab’s spokesman, said. “We would have been happy to be the first, but now we are unhappy that we are the last,” he said.
Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has been engulfed in violence involving movement fighters, who controlled much of southern Somalia for six months before being driven out in December 2006 by the country’s Western-backed government and its Ethiopian allies. On Wednesday, heavy fighting in Mogadishu killed at least eight people, including three Ethiopian soldiers, witnesses said.
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Very interesting twist! What would they (Radical Shabab Leaders) hope to gain by escalating confrontation with the most powerful nation on earth, US. I'm sure I maybe targeted by acknowledging the American "Military Might and Power", but the reality is that they are better off denouncing violence and start negotiating with the Somali Government while its still weak and willing to share power.
Otherwise, well, they will drag this nation to more tragic, violence and hardship. Somalis are tired of wars and suffering and in need of peace and stability, stop making it hard to achieve.
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