MOGADISHU, Somalia: The leader of an ousted Islamic group that has launched a bloody insurgency to topple the Somali government said his fighters are ready to fight to the death.
Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, whose Council of Islamic Courts ruled much of southern Somalia for six months last year, accused Ethiopian forces supporting the Somali government of indiscriminate killings.
"They kill people remorselessly and the world does not speak of it. They only accuse the insurgents, whose only target is the enemy," Aweys told the Somali-language service of Voice of America radio Monday night.
Aweys, who spoke by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, said "surrender to the enemy" would be shameful and his forces are willing to fight to the death. He and other Islamic leaders were forced into hiding when they were driven from power in December by Somali and Ethiopian troops.
Both sides of the conflict have been accused of killing civilians, and thousands of people have been killed this year. Aweys is on a U.S. list of people with suspected ties to al-Qaida, though he has repeatedly denied having ties to international terrorists.
Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a dictator and turned on each other. The government was formed two years ago with the help of the United Nations, but was weakened by internal rifts.
The intervention of Ethiopia in December prompted a military advance that was a stunning turnaround for the administration, which is struggling to assert control.
Mogadishu — one of the most dangerous cities in the world — has been the scene of near daily grenade attacks and roadside bombs. At least five people were killed overnight when insurgents launched attacks on government bases, police and witnesses said Tuesday.
"We ducked for an hour from the torrent of gunfire between the insurgents and the government troops," said Mogadishu resident Shire Haji, who lives near a government base
