allAfrica.com: Somalia: Islamist Guerrillas Capture Burhakaba, Bardhere Towns (Page 1 of 1): "Islamist rebels in southern Somalia seized two more towns Sunday, as the Ethiopian-backed interim government's defense minister disclosed that newly-trained Somali soldiers had arrived in the country.
Heavily-armed rebels peacefully entered the town of Bardhere, in the southwestern region of Gedo, on Saturday afternoon and immediately disbanded a recently established police force.
Sheikh Abdulkadir Yusuf, who spoke for the fighters, accused the Bardhere police force of 'having links' to the interim government in Mogadishu, Somalia's national capital.
Locals expressed their dismay at the Islamists' takeover of Bardhere, with one clan elder telling reporters: 'It is surprising that in Bardhere where the people established self-rule and there is no presence of the [Federal] Government, who is it [Bardhere] captured from and who is capturing it [Bardhere]?'
Town elder Arabey Hassan Yare, who is a former army colonel, went on to warn the rebels to retreat from Bardhere."
Heavily-armed rebels peacefully entered the town of Bardhere, in the southwestern region of Gedo, on Saturday afternoon and immediately disbanded a recently established police force.
Sheikh Abdulkadir Yusuf, who spoke for the fighters, accused the Bardhere police force of 'having links' to the interim government in Mogadishu, Somalia's national capital.
Locals expressed their dismay at the Islamists' takeover of Bardhere, with one clan elder telling reporters: 'It is surprising that in Bardhere where the people established self-rule and there is no presence of the [Federal] Government, who is it [Bardhere] captured from and who is capturing it [Bardhere]?'
Town elder Arabey Hassan Yare, who is a former army colonel, went on to warn the rebels to retreat from Bardhere."
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