Jowhar falls to Islamic court militia

Militia of the Union of the Islamic Court (UIC) on Wednesday captured the strategic town of Jowhar, the last stronghold of an alliance of faction leaders, without a shot being fired inside the town, local sources told IRIN.

"The fighting started at 10:30 this morning [Wednesday] at Borow, about 15km southeast of Jowhar," said Nur Bukari, a local journalist, on Wednesday. "We could hear the heavy guns, and at about 1:00 p.m. (1000 GMT), it was all over." The Islamic fighters overran the defensive positions of militia from the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, who fled. "They [alliance militia] were overwhelmed and had no chance. It seems they simply collapsed."

Late Tuesday night, three leaders of the alliance fled Jowhar after it became apparent that the Islamic militia were poised to attack. A fourth alliance leader defected from the group as well, local sources told IRIN.

"The Islamic court forces came into town from three directions and captured it without firing a shot. Large crowds of people came into the streets of the town to welcome them,” said Nur. "It is like the whole population has come out into the streets. It has the feel of a festival here. It is almost as if nothing happened."

The Islamic militia have retained a small force in Jowhar, and are pursuing the fleeing alliance militia.

The latest fighting follows months of conflict in the capital, Mogadishu, which ended on 5 June when Islamic leaders claimed victory over a group of rival politicians and pledged to restore security. The bloody clashes, which started in February, claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands of people.

The fall of Jowhar, the defection of Col Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdid and the flight of three faction leaders are seen by many observers as the second wave of the court’s efforts "to end warlord rule in the south," said a civil society source in Mogadishu.

Muhammad Qanyare, who fled along with by two other faction leaders, Abdi Nur Siyaad "Abdi Wal" and Botan Isse "Haaraan Ku Naah", left Jowhar "at 10:00 p.m. last night [Tuesday], when it became clear that Islamic court forces were preparing to attack," said the journalist in Jowhar. They reportedly headed north, towards the town of Eil-Buur, in central Somalia.

Qeybdid, a former army officer, told IRIN on Wednesday that he quit the alliance after "intense pressure from elders and others in diaspora from my clan to quit. Because others [faction leaders] ran away, I did not see any point in continuing with this." Qeybdid's defection leaves the remaining three faction leaders in Mogadishu - Muse Sudi Yalahow, Bashir Raghe Shirar and Omar Mahamud Finnish - in a difficult position. "They are in a very precarious and untenable position. I don't think they can hold out much longer," said the civil society source.

Other defections may follow. "We have indications that both Finnish and Muse have sent emissaries to the Islamic court leadership. Finnish is expected to announce his defection soon," he said, adding that the Islamic courts had given some hope that "Mogadishu's long nightmare may be coming to an end."