Somalia
Somalia: Islamist leader snubs Al Shabaab rulers in Kismayo
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Sep 24, 2009 - 3:51:18 PM

KISMAYO, Somalia Sep 24 (Garowe Online) - A well-known Islamist leader in southern Somalia has snubbed a new administration appointed by Al Shabaab hardliners for the strategic port city of Kismayo, Radio Garowe reports.

Sheikh Hassan "Turki" Abdullahi, the leader of Ras Kamboni Brigade and a reputed member of Hizbul Islam faction, told reporters in the Somali capital Mogadishu during a Thursday press conference that he "will not accept" the new administration in Kismayo.

Sheikh Hassan Turki

"I will not accept the new administration for Kismayo and I support the former administration, which did not favor [any] particular group," said Sheikh Hassan Turki.

On Wednesday, Al Shabaab spokesman in Kismayo, Sheikh Hassan Yakub, told reporters that the city's new administration has changed its name to the Islamic Walayah of Jubba and comes under the direct control of Al Shabaab. READ: Kismayo Islamists reject Uganda leader's plans

Kismayo has been tense in recent weeks as Islamist factions compete for control of the city, which is prized with an international airport and a main port along Somalia' s Indian Ocean coastline.

"We were not informed about the new administration [for Kismayo] and we feel that we were ignored and Al Shabaab has violated the promise to jointly rule Kismayo," said Sheikh Hassan Turki.

He urged Al Shabaab leaders to "end the bias" against Hizbul Islam factions, which control parts of southern Somalia and are actively fighting to topple Somalia's UN-backed interim government in Mogadishu, which Islamist hardliners accuse of being a puppet of Western interests.

The dispute between Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam has been brewing in recent months, especially over control of Lower Jubba and Gedo regions, which border Kenya and Ethiopia.

Source: Garowe Online