A
Somali Islamic courts leader has said that
all the group's forces have withdrawn from the
capital,
Mogadishu
, while government forces have pledged to gain
control of the city within hours.
A
joint force of Ethiopian and Somali government
troops have advanced to positions 30km
north and northeast of
Mogadishu.
"We
have withdrawn all the leaders and members who
worked in the capital," Sheikh Sharif
Ahmed, leader of the Islamic Courts Union in
Somalia, told Al Jazeera television bytelephone.
He
said the Somali Islamic courts remain
united and desribed the withdrawal as a
change in tactics.
Disorder
"The
capital has witnessed 19 years of
fighting," he said. "The Ethiopians
want to bombard Mogadishu, so we withdrew in
order not to give them this opportunity.
"Mogadishu
is in a state of disorder and gangs, who are
backed by Ethiopia and Baidoa groups, have
started stealing and robbing.
"There
are no Islamic courts forces [there]. It is the
Somali people who are resisting."
Ahmed
said that the withdrawal would avoid more
bloodshed in the capital.
"We
did not leave the capital to chaos. We left it
to avert heavy bombing because Ethiopian forces
are practicing genocide against the Somali
people," he said.
Residents
living south of
Mogadishu
said that they have seen convoys of Islamic
courts fighters driving south.
Ahmed
said: "God willing, we will drive out these
forces that entered
Somalia
to destroy what was achieved in the past few
months. We have a plan to drive these forces
out."
Government
control
"Within two
to three hours we will capture the
whole city"
Somali
government spokesman
Witnesses confirmed
reports that Somali troops are heading towards
Mogadishu
, with one claiming that more than 70
Ethiopian tanks have headed to the capital.
The
majority of gunfire has taken place north of the
capital.
One
witness in
Mogadishu
said machine-gun fire was heard in the Sinaai
neighbourhood north of the capital, while
residents said government troops were
approaching the city.
A government
spokesman said "Islamic courts leaders have
dispersed into thin air", and that they had
fled to the southern
port
of
Kismayu
.
"Our
forces already effectively control
Mogadishu
because we have taken over the two control
points on the main roads outside the city,"
he said.
"Within two
to three hours we will capture the whole
city".
