Somali’s Hizbul Islam rebel leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has on Thursday held talks with businessmen in the capital Mogadishu to push for the support of the war against the Somali government and the foreign peacekeeping forces.

Aweys said his group is fighting to liberate the Somali people and impose Islamic Sharia law and engaging the business community is part of the push for the war agenda.

“We told the businessmen to join the war because we are fighting to liberate our people and rule them with the Sharia law,” he told reporters after the meeting.

He also said that they urged the business community to rebuild the totally destroyed roads in the capital which has suffered years of neglect due to the on-going conflict in the war-torn nation.

“We requested businessmen to contribute in rebuilding the destroyed roads in Mogadishu, which are very important to the movement of people and vehicles,” he said.

Since returning to the war-torn nation in April from a self-imposed exile in Eritrea, Aweys   was forefront in the fight against Somali government led by   Sheikh Sheikh   Ahmed, his former close ally.

He accused Ahmed of siding with the enemy that ousted their Union of Islamic Courts administration in 2006 from Mogadishu.

GAROWE ONLINE