Somali govt forms unit to thwart Mogadishu attacks
Source: Reuters
By Sahal Abdulle and Guled Mohamed MOGADISHU, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The Somali government has formed a new rapid reaction force to combat almost daily guerrilla-style attacks in the capital Mogadishu, the government said on Monday. The announcement comes amid a spate of rocket and mortar strikes that have challenged the government's bid to impose security on a city that has resisted it for 16 years, including a rocket attack on Monday that wounded four people. Deputy parliament speaker Mohamed Omar Dalha said the rapid response unit included specially trained police and military personnel equipped with heavily armed "technicals" -- pickup trucks with heavy weapons that are Somalia's version of a tank. "A rapid response unit has been formed to specifically respond all cases of insecurity. They will be on call 24 hours to respond to any threats or attacks anywhere in the capital," Dalha told Reuters by telephone. Underscoring the challenges the new unit will face in Mogadishu, unknown gunmen on Monday fired a rocket at a car full of policemen on a busy road, but missed and wounded four civilians instead. "The rocket hit a building after flying over the vehicle carrying the police," resident Abdirahman Mohamed told Reuters by telephone. "I saw a wounded man while another one lay down unconscious." A doctor in Mogadishu's Madina hospital who declined to be named said four people were hurt: "One of them sustained serious head burns. The others are in a stable condition." Government soldiers with Ethiopian military help have boosted patrols and checkpoints in the city to help curb the guerrilla attacks -- which could be coming from any number of assailants with military weapons and an anti-government grudge. The government says they are being carried out by remnants of the Islamist movement whom they ousted with the help of Ethiopian tanks and planes in a two-week war in December. The violence underlines the huge challenge facing President Abdullahi Yusuf's government in trying to tame a nation in anarchy since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991. Ugandan soldiers are due to deploy in Mogadishu soon as the first contingent of an 8,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force to replace the Ethiopian presence, which infuriates many Somalis who view Ethiopia as a centuries-old rival. Also on Monday, Somali intelligence ordered three private media groups in Mogadishu -- HornAfrik Media, Shabelle TV and radio and Banadir radio -- to stop reporting on the unrest in the capital, attendees at the meeting said. Last month, the government ordered Shabelle, HornAfrik and two other broadcasters shut down, but reversed the decision after an international outcry. (Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mohamed in Mogadishu)
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