US urges Somali Islamists to halt expansion

June 29, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — A top US official pressed Somalia’s radical Islamists to halt expansion across the war-ravaged African nation and join talks with a teetering new transitional government.

Jendayi Frazer, assistant US secretary of state for African affairs, said the latest activity by radical Islamists known as the Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council (SSICC) was sparking worries in neighboring states and fomenting a humanitarian crisis.

She pressed the group to expel terror suspects with reported links to Al-Qaeda believed to be based in Somalia so that a spell of political stability could ease growing humanitarian concerns.

“Continuing to expand expand into Somalia would be an inflammatory mistake because such movement calls the group’s intentions into question and sparks concerns among neighboring states,” Frazer said.

“Given all the current instability, the SSICC should stop any expansion, so as to signal the absence of aggressive plans,” Washington’s regional diplomat said.

The SSICC was formed last month by the union of Islamic courts in Mogadishu, as the radical Islamist union in Somalia swept to power amid street battles in the nation’s capital against secular warlords indirectly backed by Washington.

Washington suspects it of links to the Al-Qaeda terror network, with Frazer warning Thursday that Somalia was turning into a “haven for terrorists.”

The SSICC recently announced plans to change its name to the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) as it cements its stranglehold on power.

(ST)