Mogadishu Somalia, photo via wikipedia.org

Insurgents train young ones as Islamist soldiers in Somalia

Somalia's Prime Minister resigned Tuesday because of political rivalries and the trouble across the country, reports MNN.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs explains: "The hope is that if there is not political turmoil within the government, they will have more time and attention to focus on the al-Shabaab radical Muslim rebels who are fighting for control of the country."

However, it may be too little, too late. Al-Shabab rebels control much of southern Somalia and most of the capital. The government has little remaining influence within Mogadishu and is overpowered outside of the capital city.

The feud over a new draft constitution divided the parliament. A no-confidence vote was scheduled and postponed against the Prime Minister, who ended the conflict by stepping down. In spite of the drama surrounding the move, Nettleton observes that while it's an interesting development, it won't make a significant difference in the lives of the average Somali citizen.

Meanwhile, the insurgents have been ramping up their march toward an Islamic state. The group has made plain their goal of eradicating Christians. There's been a chilling new development in that campaign.

Earlier this month, another member of an underground Christian movement in Somalia was murdered, but this case was a little different from the others. Nettleton confirms the Compass Direct News story. On July 21, "A man named Osman Abdullah Fataho was shot and killed by al-Shabaab rebels in front of his wife and children. Then, the wife and children were abducted by the rebels."

It's believed the insurgents targeted Fataho because he had left Islam. Because he was a long-time Christian deeply involved in the activities of the small, secret Christian community, the rebels took the family. Nettleton goes on to say, "The wife was subsequently released, but they held onto the children to train them up to be al-Shabaab rebels."

Abducted were 5-year-old Ali Daud Fataho, 7-year-old Fatuma Safia Fataho, 10-year-old Sharif Ahmed Fataho, and Nur Said Fataho, 15.

Training insurgents from the ranks of the most vulnerable kidnapped Christians is a fairly new tactic. The fear it inspires can be crippling. Nettleton urges prayer to support the believers in this region.

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TAGS: Somalia Voice of the Martyrs al-Shabaab rebels Muslim rebels Osman Abdullah Fataho persecution anti-Christian violence

[09/22/2010]

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