Somali Islamist fighters seize southern town

Published on Monday 14th July 2008

Somalia: The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) fighters have seized Bardhere town in southern Somalia without facing much resistance, report says on Sunday.

The fighters marched into Bardhere town in the Gedo region without serious resistance. Subsequently, Somali government forces fled the town, leaving behind a large cache of weapons.

The UIC fighters also took control of several military bases in the region as Somali troops evacuated them, the report added.

In a separate attack, the fighters killed four people, among them 2 women after they set fire to two trucks in Balet Weyn town of Hiiran region, central Somalia. The trucks were said to be carrying food and water for Ethiopian troops stationed in Janta Kundishe base.

The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) considers working for Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia a 'treasonable act.'

Also in another Somalia development, Al-Shabaab fighter captured Bur Hakaba town, 190 km (118 miles) southwest of Mogadishu forcing the UN aid workers to shut down their offices and evacuate the town.

The Al-Shabaab is now heading towards Baidoa, a regional center of the Bay Region of Somalia.

A seemingly endless cycle of violence has plagued the Horn of Africa nation since the toppling of President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.