Beseiged Al-Shabaab fighters dig in for new fight

Al-Shabaab militants are digging in for a big fight after they lost important positions to pro-government troops last week.

Reports say that hundreds of militants have deployed to the southern outskirts of the capital Mogadishu in preparation for counter attacks after ceding territory to AU peacekeepers last week.

The mainly hooded fighters were armed with light and heavy weapons, with most of them were positioned at Eelasha Biyaha, a large settlement between Mogadishu and Afgoye town, some 30 kilometres south of the capital.
“Militants on technicals (battle wagons mounted with anti-aircraft guns) are everywhere,” said a resident at Eelasha Biyaha who requested anonymity, fearing reprisals.

Recently, Amisom peacekeepers from Burundi advanced towards the southern edge of Mogadishu, pushing Al-Shabaab militants out further.

The under-siege group, which recently said it has joined the ranks of Al-Qaeda, has resorted to hit and run attacks during nocturnal operations.

The renewed conflict, however, scared many settlers in the so-called Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the fighting in Mogadishu found refuge.

As a result, thousands of the displaced families have been moving back to Mogadishu over the past four days to avoid being caught up in the confrontation.

According to Oxfam, a humanitarian agency based in UK, as any as 400,000 people have moved following the displacement.