Somalis in al-Shabab towns protest East African plan to send 2,000 more troops to Somalia

By AP
Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Somalis in al-Shabab towns protest troop increase

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Witnesses say Somalis in four towns held by Islamist militants are protesting a recent decision by East African nations to send 2,000 more peacekeepers to Somalia.

The protesters marched through the streets and chanted slogans denouncing the East African bloc and the U.N.-backed Somali government. They also denounced neighboring Ethiopia, which withdrew from Somalia last year after a fighting insurgents for nearly three years.

The leaders of the militant group al-Shabab called for Somalis to prepare for a holy war against new troops.

Yusuf Ali Heydar, an al-Shabab leader, called for African nations to take back pledges of troops.

About 6,000 African peacekeeping troops are deployed in Somalia. The East African bloc this week pledged 2,000 more.

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