Somalia launches offensive against al-Shabaab forces in north Mogadishu

Hard-line islamist fighters exchange gun fire with government forces in Mogadishu on July 3, 2009.

The Somali National Army is working to secure the final sector of the capital city of Mogadishu from al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab, with the support of the African Union Mission to Somalia, according to a AMISON force spokesman.

Al-Shabaab attacks last week that led to the deaths of at least 10 civilians prompted the Transitional Federal Government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, to launch an offensive in the north of the city, according to AMISON.

"A small number of Al-Shabaab remain a lethal threat in the north of the Mogadishu. They continue to shell civilian targets and with 10 civilian deaths in one week, we must act immediately to remove this threat," said Maj. Gen. Fred Mugish, an AMISON Force spokesman.

Al-Shabaab is a group in Somalia that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States government in March 2008. It is waging a war against Somalia's government to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or Sharia.

Federal and African Union forces in the impoverished and chaotic nation have battled the group for years. Many analysts believe that Al-Shabaab has been severely weakened by AMISON, targeted strikes against foreign members and the weakening of al Qaeda.

Al-Shabaab said in August that it was withdrawing from Mogadishu, and the Transitional Federal Government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, now control most districts of the capital city, the United Nations office said.

Forces have pushed Al-Shabaab outside most of Mogadishu, but the group is still a major threat, said African Union forces spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Nkunda in a statement last week.

Last week Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an additional attack in the heart of Mogadishu that left dozens dead from a suicide truck bombing.

Source: CNN