Ahmed denied claims of receiving cash from Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries. (Reuters)
MOGADISHU — Somalia's influential Islamic Courts Union, now controlling the capital and large parts of the Horn of Africa country, on Sunday, July 2, distanced itself from comments made by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"Bin Laden is expressing his personal views like any other person. We are not concerned about them," Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the chairman of the Islamic Courts Union's 15-member Executive Committee, told reporters in Mogadishu.
"His call to oppose the interim government represents only himself and not us," he added.
In a new audiotape posted on the Internet Saturday, July 1, bin Laden warned "countries of the world against responding to America and sending international forces to Somalia."
He urged Somalis to back the Islamic Courts and to fight interim President Abdullahi Yusuf.
During a meeting in Khartoum brokered by the Arab League, the interim government and the Islamic Courts agreed to recognize each other and hold more talks on July 15.
Tensions have risen between the two sides since the Islamic Courts defeated the US-led warlord Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) and seized full control of the capital Mogadishu on June.
Warlords had controlled the capital since the 1991 overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre.
After seizing Mogadishu, JIC fighters swiftly marched northwards, overrunning Jowhar and a string of other small outposts in Hiiraan region without heavy resistance.
Home to about 10 million largely impoverished people, Somalia has lacked almost all the trappings of a functional state, such as national systems of education, healthcare and justice, for the past 15 years.
No Funds
Ahmed denied claims the Islamic Courts was receiving cash from Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries.
The State Department's point person on Africa, Jendayi Frazer, has recently claimed that funds were flowing into Somalia from Saudi Arabia and Yemen to support the Islamic Courts.
She told a hearing on Capitol Hill that Washington was talking with the Arab League about the issue.
Ahmed insisted that funding came from local supporters.
He also charged that Somalia was suffering from too much international meddling.
"There is extraordinary interference going on in Somalia both militarily and politically," he said.
"The international community should stop interfering in order to give a chance to internal negotiations."
Last week, the Islamic Courts offered an olive branch to the United States.
"We are ready for partnership with the Americans. We would like to work with them if they respect us and stop interfering with Somali internal affairs," said Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts.
Ethiopia
Ahmed renewed his appeal to arch-rival Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia, or risk plunging the volatile Horn of Africa region into another round of anarchic bloodletting.
"We are condemning the military incursion by Ethiopia. We have credible reports that Ethiopian troops have crossed the border into Somalia," he said.
"We are urging Ethiopia again and again to refrain from this action that could undermine peace," Ahmed said.
Ethiopia has denied the accusation but confirmed boosting border security.
Aweys has suggested talks with Ethiopia to resolve a lingering territorial dispute that has been a source of animosity between the two countries.
Relations between the countries have been frosty since they fought in 1977-1978 over the ownership of the barren Ogaden region, which is largely inhabited by ethnic Somalis.
Analysts have said that efforts to settle the border dispute face challenges, notably because Addis Ababa is a key ally of Washington in its so-called war on terror.
MOGADISHU — Somalia's influential Islamic Courts Union, now controlling the capital and large parts of the Horn of Africa country, on Sunday, July 2, distanced itself from comments made by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Which raises two interesting questions: 1. Are they just being less than entirely open about what they think because of the Americans?
Or 2. Is support for Bin Laden so low that not even Islamic radicals will support him?
This is an interesting question. Myself I think it is likely to be a bit of both. OBL said people will support the powerful horse, not the weak one. The Americans have not yet shown they are powerful, but nor have OBL. So the Somilis will sit it out until one side or the other prevails and then they will say they always supported the victor.
Le coeur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connait pas. - Blaise Pascal
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Somali Islamic Courts Snubs Bin Laden
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