Somalia’s president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh announced that the British government has pledged to support his fragile government in the fight against the powerful insurgents,

He told British reporters at a press conference in London on Tuesday that the government-planned offensives against insurgents would be launched in the coming weeks and that African Union troops would provide ground support while US forces would help in the air.

"Within coming weeks, we will attack positions held by anti-government forces to retain the control of the country and make it peacefully," he told reporters at London's Al-Talah Hotel.

Amisom will help us in the ground offensives against Al-Qaeda-inspired insurgents while the Americans would provide aerial backings,” he added.

Before the press briefing, Ahmed and his delegation held talks with British government officials including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Foreign Affairs minister David Melliband and his Internal Affairs counterpart Alan Johnson.

On the other hand, Sheikh Sharif asked Somali pirates holding an old British couple to release them without any conditions.

"We urge groups that are holding the two old British, Paul Chandler and his wife Rachel to release them without any conditions," he said while visiting the home of the couple in London.

The couple were seized when their yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian O cean on October 23.

GAROWE ONLINE