Gunmen kill Hizbul-Islam chief, companions

Fri Oct 9, 2009

Armed men have assassinated a top Hizbul-Islam leader along with guards and two civilians shortly after the group made a pact with Al-Shabaab fighters.

At least eight people including five guards, a woman and a child lost their lives along with an unnamed Hizbul-Islam leader on Friday after unknown armed men sprayed their convoy with bullets in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The killing of the Hizbul-Islam member follows a recent agreement between Somalia's warring guerrillas in which Al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam groups reportedly sealed a deal to unite in their anti-government campaign.

“Today (Wednesday) we are, hereby, clearly and loudly informing our Muslim brothers that we have signed a significant agreement with our brothers Hizbul-Islam,” Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, the head of Al-Shabaab's political affairs and regional relationship had earlier told reporters.

In the past two weeks, fighter of the two groups have clashed in the strategic southern port of Kismayo, 500 kilometers from Mogadishu, which was formerly shared by the two.

The two groups maintained differences in the activities, with Hizbul-Islam favoring politics and Al-Shabaab seeking an armed campaign in the nation.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/108233.html.