Somali insurgents take Baidoa after Ethiopians leave

By Mohamed Ahmed

BAIDOA (Reuters) – Hardline Islamist insurgents captured the central town of Baidoa on Monday, an important stronghold of Somalia's fragile government and seat of the national parliament, witnesses said.

Just hours after Ethiopia withdrew its last troops from Baidoa and pulled back across the border, fighters from the militant al Shabaab group moved in.

Battling government troops and local clan militia, they captured an old granary serving as the legislature, the airport, and the home of the country's acting president, locals said.

"My fighters are now in Baidoa and the town is peaceful," al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansoor said.

While some analysts said Ethiopia's withdrawal from Somalia on Monday could take the sting out of the Islamist insurgency, al Shabaab -- which is on Washington's list of terrorist groups -- has vowed to carry on fighting and impose Islamic law.

It has long wanted to take Baidoa, which, along with Mogadishu, was the only place where the government had any physical control.

With security deteriorating rapidly in Somalia, the country's parliament voted in neighboring Djibouti to double its size and invite 200 members of the moderate Islamist opposition to join the expanded body.

International players including the African Union and United Nations are pushing for a new unity government as the only option for peace in the country of about 10 million that has had perpetual civil conflict since 1991.

"I am extremely encouraged by this vote and I would like to thank Somalia's leaders, the parliamentarians and all those who have helped work toward such a positive step," said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the U.N. envoy to Somalia.

The vote means that Somalia's parliament will accept 200 new members from the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) and leave 75 seats to be filled by other opposition and civil society members later.

Legislators went to Djibouti due to lack of security in Baidoa.

ON THE BORDER

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian officials confirmed the complete pullout of their troops, but said they would maintain a heavy presence along the long border with Somalia.

The Ethiopians entered Somalia to chase a sharia courts movement out of Mogadishu at the end of 2006. The offensive sparked an Islamist-led rebellion, fighting that has killed at least 16,000 civilians and caused a humanitarian disaster.

Shortly after the Ethiopians left Baidoa overnight, clan militia and local police looted the empty bases. Two people died from shooting during the melee, witnesses said.

Insurgents then hurled a grenade at government soldiers near a bus-stop, prompting return fire. At least three people were killed and eight others injured in that incident, locals said.

Somalia's weak, Western-backed government had depended on the Ethiopians for military support, and is now exposed to an array of Islamist opposition groups. The Islamists have, however, been fighting among themselves in recent weeks.

Meeting hundreds of Somali politicians in Djibouti, Abdallah and other international players are pushing for the expanded parliament to elect a new president this week.

The international community hopes a more inclusive Somali administration with new leadership will be able to reach out to armed groups still fighting the government and a small force of African Union peacekeepers.

Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of former President Abdullahi Yusuf, who quit on December 29.

Legislators are mulling whether to stick to that timeframe or vote for an extension -- a move being stiffly resisted by international players in Djibouti.

Al Shabaab and the more militant Islamist wing of the ARS, based in Eritrea, have so far refused to take part in the U.N.-hosted peace process.

Ethiopia pulls last troops from Somalia

By Mohamed Ahmed

BAIDOA (Reuters) – Ethiopia pulled its last soldiers out of Somalia Monday after a more than two-year intervention to combat an Islamist movement in its Horn of Africa neighbor, officials on both sides said.

The departure of Addis Ababa's roughly 3,000 troops starts a new era for Somalia, which has suffered 18 years of conflict since a dictator was ousted from office.

Predictions the power vacuum would herald more bloodshed were confirmed with immediate violence in Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's parliament which Ethiopian troops left overnight.

Clan militia and local police looted the empty bases, with two people dying from shooting during the melee, witnesses said.

Insurgents then hurled a grenade at government soldiers near a bus-stop, prompting return fire. At least three people were killed and eight others injured in that incident, locals said.

Somalia's parliament, meeting in Djibouti due to insecurity at home, voted to double its size and invite 200 members of the moderate Islamist opposition to join the expanded body.

International players including the African Union and United Nations are pushing for a unity government as the only option for peace in the country of about 10 million.

"I am extremely encouraged by this vote and I would like to thank Somalia's leaders, the parliamentarians and all those who have helped work toward such a positive step," said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the U.N.'s envoy to Somalia.

The vote means that Somalia's parliament will accept 200 new members from the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) now and leave 75 seats to be filled by other opposition and civil society members later.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian officials confirmed the complete pullout of their troops, but said they would maintain a heavy presence along the long border with Somalia.

The Ethiopians entered Somalia to chase a sharia courts movement out of Mogadishu at the end of 2006. The offensive sparked an Islamist-led rebellion, fighting that has killed at least 16,000 civilians and caused a humanitarian disaster.

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

Somalia's weak, Western-backed government had depended on the Ethiopians for military support, and is now exposed to an array of Islamist opposition groups. The Islamists have, however, been fighting among themselves in recent weeks.

In Baidoa, residents already suffering from a drought and food shortages braced for a possible Islamist assault on a town the insurgents have long wanted to control.

"We are afraid thirst or fighting will kill us," said mother-of-eight Fatuma Ali, outside her closed store.

"We do not know where to run."

Somali government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon said the remaining Ethiopian troops pulled out of Baidoa Sunday night before heading further west toward the border.

"The Ethiopians have fulfilled their promise. Their last troops crossed the border this morning," he said.

Meeting hundreds of Somali politicians in Djibouti, Abdallah and other international players are also pushing for parliament to elect a new president this week.

Legislators were discussing later Monday whether they would stick to that timeframe or vote for an extension -- a move being stiffly resisted by international players in Djibouti.

Under the constitutional charter, a new Somali president should be chosen by parliament within 30 days of the resignation of former President Abdullahi Yusuf, who quit on December 29.

The international community hopes a more inclusive Somali administration will be able to reach out to armed groups still fighting the government and African Union peacekeepers.

The more militant Islamist wing of the ARS, based in Eritrea, has so far refused to take part in the peace process. So have fighters in the hardline Islamist group Al Shabaab, who want to impose their strict version of Islamic law in Somalia.

37 Korean Troops Convert to ISLAM

"I became a Muslim because I felt Islam was more humanistic and peaceful than other religions. And if you can religiously connect with the locals, I think it could be a big help in carrying out our peace reconstruction mission." So said on Friday those Korean soldiers who converted to Islam ahead of their late July deployment to the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq.

At noon Friday, 37 members of the Iraq-bound "Zaitun Unit," including Lieutenant Son Hyeon-ju of the Special Forces 11th Brigade, made their way to a masjid in Hannam-dong, Seoul and held a conversion ceremony.

The soldiers, who cleansed their entire bodies in accordance with Islamic tradition, made their conversion during the Friday group prayers at the masjid, with the assistance of the "imam," or prayer leader.

With the exception of the imam, all the Muslims and the Korean soldiers stood in a straight line to symbolize how all are equal before Allah and took a profession on faith.

They had memorized the Arabic confession, " Ashadu an La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur- Rasool-Allah," which means, "I testify that there is no god but God (Arabic: Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

Moreover, as the faithful face the "Kaaba," the Islamic holy place in Makkah, Saudi Arabia , all Muslims confirm that they are brothers.

For those Korean soldiers who entered the Islamic faith, recent chances provided by the Zaitun Unit to come into contact with Islam proved decisive.

Taking into consideration the fact that most of the inhabitants of Irbil are Muslims, the unit sent its unreligious members to the Hannam-dong masjid so that they could come to understand Islam.. Some of those who participated in the program were entranced by Islam and decided to convert.

A unit official said the soldiers were inspired by how important religious homogeneity was considered in the Muslim World; if you share religion, you are treated not as a foreigner, but as a local, and Muslims do not attack Muslim women even in war.

Zaitun Unit Corporal Paek Seong-uk (22) of the Army's 11th Division said, "I majored in Arabic in college and upon coming across the Quran, I had much interest in Islam, and I made up my mind to become a Muslim during this religious experience period [provided by the Zaitun Unit]."

He expressed his aspirations. "If we are sent to Iraq, I want to participate in religious ceremonies with the locals so that they can feel brotherly love and convince them that the Korean troops are not an army of occupation but a force deployed to provide humanitarian support."

Hamas says it will oversee Gaza relief efforts

GAZA CITY (AFP) – The Hamas-run government in Gaza said on Saturday it would create a committee of senior officials to oversee all relief efforts in the territory after Israel's massive assault earlier this month.

The National High Committee for Relief will be headed by Ahmed al-Kurd, the Hamas-appointed minister of social affairs, and will distribute some 35 million euros (45 million dollars) to those who lost family members or their homes.

"It will be the only body to oversee and supervise the rescue. We will be in contact with all other bodies, whether local, national or international, to organize the relief," Kurd said at a Gaza City news conference.

The Hamas authorities plan to distribute 4,000 euros (5,200 dollars) to each family whose home was destroyed and 1,000 euros (1,300 dollars) for every family member killed in the three-week-long conflict.

Kurd declined to specify how the government -- which has been under a strict blockade since Hamas seized power in June 2007 -- had raised the funds.

"We are a government that is in charge of all of Gaza," he said. "The ministries have budgets, they have funds, just like in the rest of the countries of the world."

The Israeli offensive, aimed at stemming rocket and mortar fire from the territory, killed more than 1,330 Palestinians. Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians were killed in the same period.

Both sides declared a unilateral ceasefire last Sunday and Israel completed its withdrawal from the territory on Wednesday.

Kurd would not specify the role the committee would play in rebuilding efforts in the battered territory, but demanded the lifting of the blockade and the reopening of Gaza's border crossings.

"From now on we will not accept a slow death by blockade. We sacrificed in this war... and we did not sacrifice our youth to return to square one."

The Palestinian Authority of president Mahmud Abbas -- whose forces were driven from Gaza by Hamas in June 2007 -- has said it should lead the reconstruction efforts, which it said would require some 1.9 billion dollars in aid.

Syria congratulates Hamas on Gaza 'victory'

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad congratulated Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal on the Islamist movement's "victory" over Israel in Gaza at a meeting in Damascus on Saturday, official media said.

Assad "congratulated the Palestinian people on the victory scored by the resistance in the Gaza Strip," the official SANA news agency said.

"Israel's inability to achieve its objectives despite using the deadliest of weaponry is proof of the devotion of the Palestinian people to its territorial rights and its deep belief in victory against occupation and aggression," it quoted Assad as saying.

Meshaal and his delegation responded by expressing their "deep appreciation of Syria for its efforts at all levels to support the resistance of the Palestinian people in Gaza during and after the Israeli aggression."

The Hamas delegation is to set off on a regional tour to "thank certain countries which have supported the Palestinian people," SANA added.

Syria provides a base in exile for Hamas's political leadership, including Meshaal.

The Islamist group has controlled Gaza since June 2007 when it ousted forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Both Israel and Hamas declared unilateral ceasefires last Sunday in their 22-day conflict in Gaza.

More than 1,330 Palestinians were killed in the war, nearly a third of them children, and vast swathes of Gaza left in ruins.

Pakistan hails Guantanamo closure

ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan Saturday welcomed the closure of Guantanamo Bay by US President Barack Obama as "an important step towards upholding the primacy of the rule of law."

A foreign ministry statement said Islamabad hoped the new US administration would develop a holistic strategy to deal with the global problem of terrorism.

"Closing Guantanamo Bay detention centre signals an important step towards upholding the primacy of the rule of law and adds the much-needed moral dimension in dealing with terrorism," the statement said.

Following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban from power, the US military detained hundreds of men at Guantanamo for their alleged links to Islamist extremists.

According to the interior ministry, a total of 68 Pakistanis have been held at the US naval base, of whom 63 have been released. Five are still in detention.

On Thursday, Obama ordered the closure of the "war on terror" prison camp located in southeastern Cuba within a year.

Iran welcomes planned US pullout from Iraq

by Farhad Pouladi

BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iran on Saturday welcomed moves by the new US President Barack Obama to pull American troops out of Iraq and insisted that Tehran would not meddle in elections here.

"We definitely welcome a US troop pullout from Iraq," Iran's ambassador in Baghdad Hasan Kazemi Qomi told AFP in an interview.

"This is what the Iraqi people and the government wants."

Obama has upped the tempo of a planned drawdown from Iraq since his inauguration on Tuesday, instructing top US commanders to prepare a "responsible" exit strategy, although other officials have been more cautious.

During his election campaign, Obama promised to bring all US troops home from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, but also said he would listen to his generals, and later narrowed the reduction pledge to combat units.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has since said he has been assured by Washington that there will be no rapid US withdrawal.

Under an agreement signed between Washington and Baghdad in November the US military is due to withdraw combat soldiers from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Kazemi Qomi, whose country has been accused repeatedly by the US of fomenting sectarian strife in Iraq to destabilize its fragile security, said it was up to Iraq's people to decide if they wanted American troops on their soil.

"What is mentioned in the pact is for the American troops to get out and this certainly makes the Iraqi people happy," said Kazemi Qomi, who has been Iran's ambassador in Baghdad since May 2006.

"It is up to the Iraqi people to judge what the Americans are doing in their country," he added, referring to a decision taken by the Iraqi parliament to hold a referendum this summer on the US troop presence.

With the help of the United Nations, Iraq's Independent High Election Commission, is organizing elections on January 31 in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces -- the first vote in the country since 2005.

In a report to the US Congress 10 days ago, the Defense Department said Iran was likely to use the polls to try and extend its influence in its western neighbor.

Kazemi Qomi, however, described the allegations as "an insult to Iraqis".

"Every time the Iraqis are going through a sensitive period in their history, the US comes up with such claims," he said. "The claims are like a broken record."

The ambassador instead predicted that the elections would see strong backing for candidates who had been victims of American military action.

"They (the United States) want to create a psychological atmosphere to put off the Iraqi people's real candidates who can truly serve Iraqis in difficult circumstances," he said.

"These allegations are a big insult to the Iraqi people and their representatives, and to the democracy that the US claims it has created.

"Contrary to the US psychological pressure, Iraqis will vote for the lists of the people that are stigmatized by those who have US backing," he added.

The US report said Iran's "malign influence" is one of a number of factors that still weighs on the security situation in Iraq even though violence has fallen to levels not seen since 2004.

At the same time, "it (Iran) continues to host, train, fund, arm and direct militant groups intent on destabilizing Iraq," the report added.

Kazemi Qomi reiterated Iran's opposition to any continued US troop presence in Iraq.

"As far as we are concerned the US are still on the Iraqi-Iranian border but the responsibility of the border is within each nation's sovereign rights," he said.

"It should be returned fully to the Iraqis which so far has not occurred."