海角大神

A major offensive aimed at clearing Somalia鈥檚 Al Qaeda-allied聽Islamist聽army from the world鈥檚 largest camp for displaced people began Tuesday, amid fears that civilians could end up in the firing line.聽

Columns of Somali National Army troops with African Union peacekeepers launched the attack soon after sunrise along a major road heading northwest from Mogadishu, the Somali capital.听听

Their aim, the AU鈥檚 most senior official in Somalia said, was to 鈥渂uild security鈥� so that the 400,000 people squatting on聽Islamist-controlled territory outside the city would find it easier to be reached by aid agencies.聽The area, known as the聽Afgoye聽corridor, remains under the rule of Al Shabab, a radicalized fighting force bent on routing Somalia鈥檚 Western-backed government and ruling the country according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Al Shabab has banned most international aid groups from working in its territory, despite the ongoing effects of last year鈥檚 famine and threats of further severe hunger after failed crops this year.聽

鈥淭he聽Afgoye聽corridor holds one of the biggest concentrations of internally displaced people in the world,鈥� said聽Wafula聽Wamunyinyi, who heads the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as聽AMISOM.聽鈥淲e are helping them by building security so that they can share in the economic revival of the capital. They will now be able to access humanitarian services and eventually return to their original homes in Mogadishu.鈥澛�

Mogadishu has seen its longest period of peace in many years recently, since the AU contingent 鈥� made up mostly of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers 鈥� forced Al Shabab from the capital last year.聽Where once there were daily mortar and small-arms battles along聽frontlines聽running down the city鈥檚 main streets, now it is rare to hear sustained gunfire.聽

Businesses are starting, markets are flourishing, and schools and clinics are reopening.聽

But there are still regular suicide attacks by bombers sent by Al Shabab, including one last month at the newly reopened Somali National Theater, which killed 10 people.聽

Many of those attackers are believed to come from the area around聽Afgoye, and AU commanders hope that Tuesday鈥檚 offensive, which is likely to last several days, will force them further from Mogadishu鈥檚 outskirts.聽But there were concerns that fighting in such a crowded area could lead to ordinary people being caught up in the conflict, or聽Islamist聽fighters melting into the population.聽

One aid worker in Nairobi, capital of neighboring Kenya, warned, however, that taking the battle to聽Al Shabab where there were so many civilians living in flimsy shelters was a substantial risk.聽

鈥淚t could be truly dreadful if Shabab pull back into the [internally displaced people鈥檚] camps and start launching their fightback from there,鈥� she said, refusing to give her name or organization because she was not authorized to talk to the media.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 true that we need to reach those people, it鈥檚 a desperate situation there. But it will be a disaster if people we need to treat for malnutrition suddenly really need treating for gunshots, mortar wounds, or other battlefield injuries.鈥澛�

Lt. Gen. Andrew聽Gutti,聽AMISOM鈥檚 force commander, said that the attack had been 鈥渄esigned to聽minimize聽the harm to the population.鈥澛�

鈥淒uring this joint operation聽AMISOM聽is taking every precaution to prevent harm or injury to civilians,鈥� he said.聽鈥淲e will only fight when attacked by the Al Shabab terrorists. We ask the population of the聽Afgoye corridor to continue to stay in their places of residence, avoid unnecessary travel on main roads, and not to stray far from their homes.鈥澛�

Abdisamad聽Moalim聽Mohamoud, Somalia鈥檚 interior minister, said late Tuesday that government forces had made 鈥渁 great achievement鈥� during the first day of the offensive, taking the towns of聽Garasbaley and聽Daynile聽from聽Al Shabab.聽

But Islamist commander聽Sheikh聽Fuad聽Mohamed聽Khalaf聽told Mogadishu鈥檚 Radio Al聽Andalus聽that 鈥渢he crusade forces from Burundi and Uganda and their Somali puppets launched an offensive, they were pushed back, they were given a lesson enough.鈥澛�

鈥淭hey left bodies and destroyed military trucks, we will show them to the media later today,鈥� he added.聽

Eyewitnesses, however, said that they had seen at least five dead聽Al Shabab fighters, and one casualty from the government forces.聽

鈥淎l Shabab was pushed back, they lost a good distance to the government forces, I saw five of their bodies, the government forces were kicking them,鈥� said Osman聽Hilibi, who lives close to聽Garasbaley.聽

--Abukar聽Albadri聽contributed reporting from Mogadishu.聽听听