Prominent Somali cleric, Sheik Nur Barud Gurhan described the on-going clashes in the war-torn Somalia between pro-government forces and rebel fighters as un-Islamic and not holy war (Jihad).

Sheik Gurhan who recently attended a meeting of International Islamic scholars held in Dubai, called on the warring sides to end the anguish of the innocent civilians, saying the clerics have ruled that the war is un-Islamic.

“After looking at it in accordance to Islam, the cleric unanimously ruled that the ongoing war in Somalia is not Jihad, and urged ceasefire,” said Sheikh Gurhan 

“The clerics also ruled that the war in Galgadud, Hiiran and Banadir must be stopped because it is not Islamic and has claimed the lives of Muslims,” he added.

Commenting about the AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu, Sheikh Gurhan said the peacekeepers will leave the country as soon as the war ends, calling on rebels to come to the negotiating table instead of using the presence of the African Union troops as pretext to wage war.

Al Shabaab's rejection

However, his call has been rejected by Al-Shabaab’s senior commander in Bay and Bakool, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur.

Meanwhile, Somalia's Interior Minister Sheikh Abdulkhadir Ali Omar has announced that his government has prepared troops in the battle against the powerful rebels in the restive capital Mogadishu.

“We have to forcible retake the control of Mogadishu from our rivals, who have refused talks to end the dispute with the government,” he said.

“The government has prepared several troops who have the capability to retake Mogadishu, and elevate the suffering of the people. We are also calling on the people to assist us in this war,” he added.

Since the start of this year, the government in Mogadishu led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh, a former Islamist leader, has been promising an all out war to pacify the war-battered country from any insurgent rule.

GAROWE ONLINE