Arab Islamic extremists fought alongside Somali fighters in the battle for Mogadishu and Muslims from around the world have been invited to join the "sacred, Holy jihad in Somalia," a recruitment video shows.
The video provides the first hard evidence that despite the repeated denials made by the leaders of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council that is now the most powerful force in Somalia, non-Somalis have joined with Islamic extremists in Somalia. The Islamic courts' militia defeated US-backed warlords on June 5 and united the city under one authority for the first time in 15 years. In addition to Mogadishu, it controls most of southern Somalia.
The one-hour video also appears to confirm US fears that Somalia could become a new base for international terrorists. US President George W. Bush expressed concern last month that Somalia could become a haven for al-Qaeda members like Afghanistan was in the late 1990s, recordings attributed to al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden that have recently emerged portrayed Somalia as a battleground in his war on the US.
The US has accused some leaders within Somalia's Islamic courts of harboring al-Qaeda leaders responsible for the deadly 1998 bombings at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Among those singled out is the courts' leader, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who US officials have branded a terrorist.
The videotape, produced to both recruit new fighters and raise funds, appears designed to glorify the Islamic courts' victory over US-backed warlords in Somalia. US officials cooperated with the warlords, hoping to capture three al-Qaeda leaders allegedly protected by Aweys.
Aweys, speaking on Somali radio over the weekend, said that his movement has no contacts with bin Laden, or al-Qaeda. He has also rejected accusations that foreign fighters were in Somalia.
But the video, shot on a handheld recorder, shows Arab fighters preparing for a major battle on the northern outskirts of Mogadishu. Arabic anthems and poetry play on the audio track urging Muslims to join the global holy war to advance Islam and defeat its enemies.
The video starts with a black flag featuring a Koranic verse and a saber fluttering in the wind. Such black banners have only recently appeared in Somalia, but have been used by Islamic extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon for years.
After a few minutes of battle footage, the tape documents the Arab fighters' predawn preparations for battle. The Arab fighters then climb onto two pick up trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, which the Somalis call "technicals."
As the sun rises, the location of the Arab camp north of Mogadishu becomes clear and six more technicals loaded with Somali fighters comes into view.
The tape ends with the capture of Essaleh, a small town with strategic air and sea ports 5km north of Mogadishu.
The tape is similar to other videos produced by Islamic extremists in Iraq and other countries where al-Qaeda is active.
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