Somalia Militant Groups Join Forces
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s two most powerful Islamic militant groups said Thursday that they planned to merge, which could result in the insurgency’s gaining strength.
Militants from the groups, the Shabab and Hizbul Islam, held a joint news conference at a mosque in Mogadishu, the capital, during which they threatened attacks against the African Union peacekeeping force in Mogadishu as well as attacks in Uganda and Burundi.
The merger could make it easier for the militants to overcome what an official from Hizbul Islam, Sheik Abdifitah Ali, called African mercenaries, a reference to the 8,000 peacekeepers from the African Union. The force helps protect the small slice of land controlled by the United Nations and the Somali government, which is supported by the United States and other Western nations.
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