Islamic militia captured the Somali town of Jowhar on Wednesday as fighters from a United States-backed alliance of warlords fled one of their last strongholds in the war-ravaged country.
Heavily armed gunmen loyal to the Islamic courts were seen patrolling the town, about 90km north of the capital Mogadishu, which they captured earlier this month.
”The town of Jowhar has fallen into the hands of Islamic courts after a heavy battle,” resident Abdi Haji Ahmed told Agence France-Presse.
At least five people were killed and nine wounded in the fighting, militia commanders said, but the numbers are expected to rise.
”Five people were killed and nine wounded in the battle for Jowhar,” said a militia commander, adding: ”The number of the dead is certainly much higher.”
Most residents stayed indoors as militia guerrillas overran the town, which had been the most-significant remaining position held by the US-backed Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism (ARPCT).
At least 350 people have been killed and more than 2 000 wounded, many of them civilians, in four months of bloody battles for Mogadishu and Jowhar.
The capture of Jowhar is the second major victory for the Islamic courts after they ousted the warlords from Mogadishu on June 5, raising fears in Washington that Somalia could become a safe-haven for terrorists. — Sapa-AFP