Somali Gov't Sayst From Yemen

Published on Monday 4th January 2010

Somalia's State Minister for Defense, Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad aka Indha Adde says Yemeni rebels have sent arms to Somalia's Islamist Al Shabaab insurgents to help fuel the insurgence.

Indha Adde said the boats carrying weapons from Yemen had docked in the southern port city of Kismayo, which is under Al Shabaab's control.

"Yemeni rebels sent two boats loaded with military logistics, light weapons, ammunition Kalashnikovs (AK-47) and, hand grenades to Al-Shabaab group in a bid to further fuel the violence in Somalia," he told reporters.

Eyewitnesses in Kismayo, who requested not to be named, confirmed that weapons were offloaded from two boats, which docked at the port few days ago, adding that all activities at the port came to standstill and few reporters around were warned not report about the weapons.

These come after Al-Shabaab, which is accused of being an Al-Qaeda proxy in the region, on Friday said it would send some fighters to Yemen to help Al-Qaeda affiliate in the fight against 'the enemy of Allah'.

Reports from Yemen say movement of Somali people in the country's major cities are restricted in a bid by the Sana'a to thwart any terror attempt.

An Al-Qaeda group based in Yemen claimed responsibility of botched Christmas Day terror plot, which a Nigerian citizen tried to use explosives to bring down a US jetliner from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Washington and Sana'a are reportedly planning to launch offensives against those behind the terror plot.

In his speech over the terror attempt, US president Barrack Obama vowed to track terrorists in Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan.