A Somali Islamist rebel group, Hezbal Islam on Thursday threatened that fighting and insecurity will spread into the whole horn of Africa region if Islamist-controlled southern regions are attacked from bases in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia.
The group’s chief of security in the border town of Luq Sheik Hassan Al Iraqi told reporters Thursday that his men are fully prepared for what he described as “an expected invasion” from Kenya and Ethiopia.
“There are big military maneuvers by Ethiopia and Kenya in areas near the border with Somalia and our Mujahideens have been put on a high alert to prevent the invading Christian enemies” the Islamist security boss stated during Thursday’s press conference.
“We are telling Kenya and Ethiopia that wars and insecurity will not be confined to only Somalia, but will instead spread into all neighboring states specially Kenya and Ethiopia” the militant added. “We are warning them to stop interfering in Somalia” he stated.
For the past few days there have been speculations that thousands of Somali government forces trained in Ethiopia and Kenya will be heading to the Islamist-administered southern Somali regions to oust them.
Both extremist rebel movements Al shabab and Hezbal Islam have been waging the biggest ever offensive against AU peacekeepers and the transitional federal government of Somalia in a bid to topple it.
Meanwhile the death toll of Wednesday’s heavy shelling on the Somali capital rose with a total of 35 deaths and nearly 60 wounded civilians counted so far, according to hospital sources in Mogadishu.
Since early May last year, fighting in the restive capital alone has engulfed the lives of at least 10,000 civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands of others from their homes in the restive city.
