Islamic insurgents seize port city in Somalia

The fighters, wearing red head scarves and chanting "God is great," marched into Merka without firing a shot after government troops fled the night before upon hearing of the imminent assault, residents said.

"Hundreds of shocked people gathered in the streets and tensions are very high," Hussein Mohammed Isahak, a resident of the port city, said in a telephone interview.

The attacks follow similar seizures of the port of Kismayo and several other southern and central Somalia cities in recent months.

After being routed from Mogadishu, the capital, in December 2006 by Ethiopian troops, Islamic insurgents have mounted a strong comeback this year. They have retaken much of the territory they lost two years ago.

Though Mogadishu remains under the control of Somalia's fragile transitional government and thousands of Ethiopian troops, the city of Baidoa, where parliament is based, is under so much threat that many lawmakers have fled.

"They are regrouping," Richard Barno, analyst at Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, said of the militants. "Is this part of a bigger plan to take over Mogadishu? I think so. They are preparing themselves."

The Bush administration has backed the presence of Ethiopian troops to shore up the Somali government, fearing that the rebels could seize control of the Horn of Africa nation and provide a refugee for Islamic militants from other nations.

The attack on Merka comes amid peace talks between the government and one opposition faction. But the most dangerous insurgent group, Shabab, which U.S. officials claim is affiliated with Al Qaeda, has rejected the negotiations and vowed to overthrow the government.

The same group took responsibility today for the attack in Merka. Several local government officials had been assassinated in the city during the past month, including the acting governor and a deputy police commissioner.

"Our martyrs are in full control of the town," said Mohammed Awil, a Shabab commander, speaking by telephone from Merka. "We will govern all of Somalia through Islamic law, reaching our goal step by step."

As seen during the Islamists' six-month reign of Mogadishu in 2006, religious leaders are imposing brutal new rules for people living under their control.

In Kismayo last month, a 13-year-old girl was publicly stoned to death after being accused of adultery. Amnesty International later said the girl had been gang-raped and was betrayed by the local officials she turned to for help.

Officials for World Food Program, which uses Merka as delivery point to distribute food aid to 855,000 people in Somalia, said they hoped to continue their work.

"WFP is a neutral organization," said spokesman Peter Smerdon. "We work with the authorities in place."

He noted that the food agency is already delivering aid in regions controlled by the Shabab militia.

Mohammed is a special correspondent and Sanders is a Times staff writer

edmund.sanders@latimes.com