Somalia on Yahoo! Canada News Photos

A Somali man, injured during clashes between Islamists and government ...

(Reuters) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:01:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A Somali man, injured during clashes between Islamists and government forces, is carried to a hospital in Mogadishu, July 4, 2009. In the third day of heavy fighting in the north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, at least 16 people were killed and 30 were wounded, according to hospital officials, taking the death toll since Wednesday to more than 50. REUTERS/Feisel Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS HEALTH RELIGION)

A Somali child smiles as relatives flee fighting between Islamists ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:37:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A Somali child smiles as relatives flee fighting between Islamists and government forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu, July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Feisel Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT)

A man covers the body of a man killed during clashes between ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:52:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A man covers the body of a man killed during clashes between Islamists and Somali government forces in Mogadishu, July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT RELIGION POLITICS)

Residents flee from the fighting between Islamists and government ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:47:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Residents flee from the fighting between Islamists and government forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION)

A boy carrying ammunition for Islamic fighters shields his ears ...

(The Canadian Press) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:41:00 GMT

(The Canadian Press) - A boy carrying ammunition for Islamic fighters shields his ears as a Islamic fighter shoot towards Somali government forces during clashes, Friday, in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

A fighter loyal to Hisbul Islam party takes part in a street ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:40:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A fighter loyal to Hisbul Islam party takes part in a street fight against Somali government forces in Mogadishu July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION)

Fighters loyal to Hisbul Islam party take part in a street fight ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:39:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Fighters loyal to Hisbul Islam party take part in a street fight against Somali government forces in Mogadishu July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT RELIGION POLITICS)

REFILE - CLARIFYING CAPTION A Somali child holds ammunition ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:37:00 GMT

(Reuters) - REFILE - CLARIFYING CAPTION A Somali child holds ammunition as fighters loyal to Hisbul Islam party take part in a street fight against government forces in Mogadishu July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION IMAGES OF THE DAY)

A fighter loyal to Hisbul Islam party take part in a street ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:27:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A fighter loyal to Hisbul Islam party take part in a street fight during clashes between them and Somali government forces in Mogadishu July 3, 2009. Heavy fighting in the Somali capital killed at least 20 people on Thursday, the second day of fierce clashes as government forces tried to drive hardline Islamists out of their Mogadishu bases. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION)

An Islamist insurgent guards a post in a bunker in Mogadishu. ...

(AFP) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:12:00 GMT

(AFP) - An Islamist insurgent guards a post in a bunker in Mogadishu. Heavy clashes between Somali government troops and hardline militia in the war-torn capital Mogadishu killed at least 15 civilians. Photo:Abdurashid Abikar/AFP

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed attends the 13th African ...

(AFP) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:25:00 GMT

(AFP) - Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed attends the 13th African Union summit of heads of state and government in Sirte, east of Tripoli. Somalia and five of its neighbours are asking the AU to send another 4,000 peacekeepers. Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Malawi are seen as candidates for offering troops, but it remains unclear if the African Union has the appetite to expand its operations Photo:Mahmud Turkia/AFP

Islamic rebels patrol the streets of Mogadishu July 2, 2009. ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:50:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Islamic rebels patrol the streets of Mogadishu July 2, 2009. Al Qaeda-linked fighters in Somalia's al Shabaab rebel group are battling to oust President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, himself a former Islamist insurgent who joined a peace process last year. REUTERS/Mowliid Abdi (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS RELIGION)

Hard-line Al-Shebab militants patrol in southern Mogadishu's ...

(AFP) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:41:00 GMT

(AFP) - Hard-line Al-Shebab militants patrol in southern Mogadishu's Bakara market during a raid by the group to find traders that sell expired food. Somalia remains the world's most dangerous country for minority groups, followed by Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and Myanmar, a leading human rights group said. Photo:Mustafa Abdi/AFP

Africa Union peacekeepers man the entrance to the presidential ...

(AFP) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:07:00 GMT

(AFP) - Africa Union peacekeepers man the entrance to the presidential palace in February in the embattled Somalia capital Mogadishu. The AU has a 4,300-strong peacekeeping force in Somalia, where they are the only thing protecting President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in his official quarters from an offensive launched by Islamist insurgents nearly two months ago. Photo:Mohamed Dahir/AFP

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (R) greets Somalia's President ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:56:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (R) greets Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed before the opening of the African Union (AU) summit in Sirte, about 600 km (370 miles) east of Tripoli, July 1, 2009. REUTERS/Ismail Zetouny (LIBYA POLITICS)

Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed attends the opening ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:17:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed attends the opening of the African Union (AU) summit in Sirte, about 600km (370 miles) east of Tripoli, July 1, 2009. REUTERS/Ismail Zetouny (LIBYA POLITICS)

Islamist fighters ride in the back of a cut-out SUV in Mogadishu ...

(AFP) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:16:00 GMT

(AFP) - Islamist fighters ride in the back of a cut-out SUV in Mogadishu during fierce clashes in Mogadishu. Ethiopia said it will not send troops to Somalia, though a hardline Islamist militia fighting to topple the Somali government recently threatened to invade the neighbouring country. Photo:Abdirashid Abdulle/AFP

Hard-line Al-Shebab militants patrol in southern Mogadishu?s ...

(AFP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:00:00 GMT

(AFP) - Hard-line Al-Shebab militants patrol in southern Mogadishu?s Bakara market during a raid by the group to find out traders that sell expired food. A top US diplomat on Monday stressed his country's support for Somalia's transitional government, whose control has been hanging by a thread in the face of a fierce Islamist insurgency. Photo:Mustafa Abdi/AFP

This photo provided by the US Navy in 2008 shows Somali pirates ...

(AFP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:59:00 GMT

(AFP) - This photo provided by the US Navy in 2008 shows Somali pirates on a skiff. Arab states of the Gulf and Red Sea said on Monday that they are planning a joint anti-piracy force, insisting defence of the crucial Red Sea waterway was the 'primary responsibility' of littoral states. Photo:/AFP

Somali Islamic fighters train in Mogadishu. Somalia's hardline ...

(AFP) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:31:00 GMT

(AFP) - Somali Islamic fighters train in Mogadishu. Somalia's hardline Islamist group Shebab raided Mogadishu's main market to hunt for traders stocking expired food, warning that offenders would face trial for 'un-Islamic behaviour'. Photo:Mohamed Dahir/AFP

Armed members of the hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:16:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Armed members of the hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group stand guard outside a retail store in southern Mogadishu's Bakara market June 29, 2009. Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed accused hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebels on Sunday of forcing children to fight in battles to oust his government in the Horn of Africa country. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS)

Members of the hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group patrol ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:11:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Members of the hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebel group patrol a street in southern Mogadishu's Bakara market June 29, 2009. Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed accused hardline Al Shabaab Islamist rebels on Sunday of forcing children to fight in battles to oust his government in the Horn of Africa country. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT POLITICS)

An armed Al-Shabaab fighter patrols Bakara Market in Mogadishu, ...

(The Canadian Press) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:04:00 GMT

(The Canadian Press) - An armed Al-Shabaab fighter patrols Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday. Somali radical Islamic insurgent says weapons and ammunition the United States recently supplied to Somalia's embattled government will only increase violence in the war-wracked country. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali women in veils walk along the main street in the Eastleigh ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:02:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Somali women in veils walk along the main street in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

A labourer works at a construction site of an upscale apartment ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:57:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A labourer works at a construction site of an upscale apartment in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA CONFLICT BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION SOCIETY)

A Somali woman packs ginger roots in bags in the Eastleigh neighbourhood ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:56:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A Somali woman packs ginger roots in bags in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

Dried spices are seen packed in plastic bags for sale at a stall ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:55:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Dried spices are seen packed in plastic bags for sale at a stall in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

A general view shows the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:52:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A general view shows the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

Commuter buses wait for passengers in the Eastleigh neighbourhood ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:51:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Commuter buses wait for passengers in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

A Somali woman arranges dried spices for sale at her stall in ...

(Reuters) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:50:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A Somali woman arranges dried spices for sale at her stall in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi, June 25, 2009. The bustling Eastleigh suburb has been the hub of business for Kenyan-Somalis and thousands of refugees escaping civil war in neighbouring Somalia for decades. But as people flee the continuing conflict in Somalia, the population is outgrowing Eastleigh's 'Little Mogadishu' and Somalis are venturing into other parts of the city. Picture taken June 25, 2009. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA SOCIETY CONFLICT BUSINESS)

An undated handout image shows Belgian dredging vessel 'Pompei'. ...

(Reuters) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:34:00 GMT

(Reuters) - An undated handout image shows Belgian dredging vessel 'Pompei'. Somali pirates released on June 28, 2009, the crew of the Pompei captured in mid-April, Belgian authorities said. REUTERS/Belgium's Home Affairs Office crisis centre/Handout (BELGIUM POLITICS CRIME LAW IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Somali Islamist insurgents patrol a street in Mogadishu on June ...

(AFP) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:01:00 GMT

(AFP) - Somali Islamist insurgents patrol a street in Mogadishu on June 17. Masked Somali Islamist militiamen stoned to death a man accused of rape and murder in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 people south of Mogadishu. Photo:Abdirashid Abdulle Abikar/AFP

(L to R) Belgium's Interior Minister Guido De Padt, Jaak Raes, ...

(Reuters) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:35:00 GMT

(Reuters) - (L to R) Belgium's Interior Minister Guido De Padt, Jaak Raes, the general director of Belgium's Home Affairs Office crisis centre,and Federal Prosecutor Johan Delmulle give a news conference in Brussels June 28, 2009. Somali pirates released on Sunday the crew of the Belgian dredging vessel Pompei captured in mid-April, Belgian authorities said. REUTERS/Thierry Roge (BELGIUM POLITICS CRIME LAW)

Somalia government fighters guard the presidential palace in ...

(AFP) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:28:00 GMT

(AFP) - Somalia government fighters guard the presidential palace in Mogadishu on June 18. Eritrea slammed the United States for providing weapons to Somalia's beleaguered government in its battle against Islamist insurgents. Photo:Mohamed Dahir/AFP

A Somali child eats his meagre meal at the U.N. registration ...

(The Canadian Press) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:55:00 GMT

(The Canadian Press) - A Somali child eats his meagre meal at the U.N. registration center in Dagahaley refugee camp in Daadab, northern Kenya on Thursday. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Malkhadir Muhumed)

A displaced Somali woman washes her dishes inside a makeshift ...

(Reuters) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:25:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A displaced Somali woman washes her dishes inside a makeshift tent at a camp outside Mogadishu, June 26, 2009. Spiralling violence in Somalia's capital Mogadishu is taking a heavy toll on civilians, with more than 250 killed and 160,000 forced to flee their homes over the past seven weeks, aid agencies said on Friday. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT)

A Somali man carries a boy wounded during mortar shelling June ...

(The Canadian Press) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:20:00 GMT

(The Canadian Press) - A Somali man carries a boy wounded during mortar shelling June 17, 2009 as Somali government forces and Islamic fighters fought each other in the capital, Mogadishu. The U.N. refugee agency says more than 250 civilians have been killed and 900 wounded in fighting in Somalia since last month. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

A hardline Islamic fighter of 'Hizbul Islam' fires a heavy calibre ...

(AFP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:30:00 GMT

(AFP) - A hardline Islamic fighter of 'Hizbul Islam' fires a heavy calibre machine gun during training near the frontline on June 23, 2009 in Somalia's volatile capital Mogadishu. The United States is giving Somalia's embattled government urgent supplies of weapons and ammunition to fight off Islamist insurgents, a US official said Thursday. Photo:Mohamed Dahir/AFP

Hardline Islamist insurgents patrol a Mogadishu neighbourhood ...

(AFP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:30:00 GMT

(AFP) - Hardline Islamist insurgents patrol a Mogadishu neighbourhood on June 22, 2009. The United States is giving Somalia's embattled government urgent supplies of weapons and ammunition to fight off Islamist insurgents, a US official said Thursday. Photo:Abdirashid Abdulle Abikar/AFP

A European Union (EU) officer aboard a Spanish war ship holds ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:15:00 GMT

(Reuters) - A European Union (EU) officer aboard a Spanish war ship holds his machine gun in the northern Somalia port of Bosasso, June 25, 2009. Pirate gangs marauding in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean have seized 31 vessels in 143 attacks this year alone and driven up insurance costs for the strategic shipping lanes. REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA CONFLICT CRIME LAW POLITICS MILITARY)

European Union (EU) officers aboard a Spanish war ship discuss ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:11:00 GMT

(Reuters) - European Union (EU) officers aboard a Spanish war ship discuss on the deck of the ship in the northern Somalia port of Bosasso, June 25, 2009. Pirate gangs marauding in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean have seized 31 vessels in 143 attacks this year alone and driven up insurance costs for the strategic shipping lanes. REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA CONFLICT CRIME LAW POLITICS MILITARY)

Kenyan police officers receive suspected Somali pirates at the ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:59:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Kenyan police officers receive suspected Somali pirates at the Kenyan Port of Mombasa, June 25, 2009. Police said the nine suspected pirates were arrested by the Italian Navy as they tried to hijack a vessel MV Maria on May 23, 2009 as it was sailing from Abu Dhabi to Ireland. REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA CRIME LAW CONFLICT MILITARY)

Italian Navy officials lead suspected Somali pirates out of ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:57:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Italian Navy officials lead suspected Somali pirates out of their military vessel MV Maestrale at the Kenyan Port of Mombasa, June 25, 2009, where they handed them to the Kenyan police for prosecution. Police said the nine suspected pirates were arrested by the Italian Navy as they tried to hijack a vessel MV Maria on May 23, 2009 as it was sailing from Abu Dhabi to Ireland. REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA CRIME LAW CONFLICT MILITARY)

Hardline Shebab fighters stand guard over a crowd in a Mogadishu ...

(AFP) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:22:00 GMT

(AFP) - Hardline Shebab fighters stand guard over a crowd in a Mogadishu neighbourhood on June 22, 2009, during a court session conducted by the Islmaist group. Hooded Shebab militiamen chopped off the right hand and left foot of four thieves in front of a crowd of 200 people in northern Mogadishu. Photo:Mustafa Abdi/AFP

An anti-government, Xisbul Islam fighter holds up his machine ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:23:00 GMT

(Reuters) - An anti-government, Xisbul Islam fighter holds up his machine gun as he patrols an insurgent's stronghold in southern Mogadishu June 23, 2009. REUTERS/Omar Faruk

Four men sentenced to have a hand and foot cut off stand in ...

(The Canadian Press) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:16:00 GMT

(The Canadian Press) - Four men sentenced to have a hand and foot cut off stand in a square in north of Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday June 22, 2009. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

This photo taken on June 21, 2009 shows a Somalia government ...

(AFP) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:42:00 GMT

(AFP) - This photo taken on June 21, 2009 shows a Somalia government soldier near the frontline where government forces are fighting to gain ground against hardline islamist insurgents. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday played down the threat posed by insurgents to Somalia's government and said he believed President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed would not be toppled. Photo:Mohamed Dahir/AFP

The Dutch freighter Marathon is seen off the coast of Somalia ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:42:00 GMT

(Reuters) - The Dutch freighter Marathon is seen off the coast of Somalia in this handout picture taken June 23, 2009. Somali pirates freed the Dutch freighter on Tuesday, but one of the Ukrainian crew was shot dead by the pirates, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. Picture taken June 23, 2009. REUTERS/Handout (SOMALIA POLITICS CRIME LAW BUSINESS IMAGES OF THE DAY) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

Somali opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of ...

(Reuters) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:25:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Somali opposition leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, head of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), addresses a news conference in the capital Mogadishu, June 24, 2009. Aweys denounced the government's call at the weekend for foreign forces to come to its aid. The African Union has a 4,300-strong force guarding government and other installations in Mogadishu, but has been unable to stem the violence and been targeted itself by the rebels. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA CONFLICT SOCIETY)