Islamic group seizes power in Somolia
An Islamist militia says it has seized Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after weeks of fighting against an alliance of warlords supported by the US.
The warlords have controlled the capital since they toppled Somalia's last effective government 15 years ago.
A meeting is being held to discuss the surrender of fighters still loyal to the warlords, said Islamist officials.
Interim Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi says his government wants to begin dialogue with the Islamists.
Earlier Mr Ghedi sacked four powerful warlords who had been serving as ministers. They have fled Mogadishu, with some reportedly on their way to Jowhar and planning to flee the country.
The sad thing is that once again the US may have created this problem. It is generally believed that the secular warlords that allied to try and bring down the Islamic Courts group is a US backed group, even though they are the same warlords that drove the US out.
It will be interesting to see what happens from here, there is an existing UN backed interm government that is largly ignored. And Mogidishu is not the entire country, though depending on what crude estimate you believe it is as much as 1/3 of the population and most of the population outside Mogidishu is nomadic.
Jay
