Somali militia fighters kill 2 watching banned World Cup match

July 5, 2006 (MOGADISHU) — Radical Islamic militia fighters shot dead two people while dispersing teenagers watching a banned World Cup semi-final match in central Somalia, an independent radio station reported Wednesday.

The dead were a girl and the owner of the cinema that was screening the match between Germany and Italy, Shabelle Radio reported.

Islamic fighters who wrested control of the Somali capital from warlords in June had banned movies and television entertainment in line with their strict interpretation of Islam. The group, originally called the Islamic Courts Union, has expanded its control to other parts of southern Somalia.

Its leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has spent the past weeks in central Somalia recruiting fighters in his clan’s native region.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since the warlords turned on each other, carving much of the country into armed camps ruled by violence and clan law. Islamic fundamentalists have stepped into the vacuum, projecting themselves as an alternative military and political power.

They set up a militia force to enforce their interpretation of Islam and forming a court system that helped desperate Somalis settle disputes.

(ST/AP)