AFGOYE, Somalia, Sept 30 (Reuters) - A Somali cleric handed over a region under his control to powerful Islamists on Saturday, and their fighters seized more territory from rivals, further extending the movement's authority over south Somalia.
And in a move likely to fuel tensions in the Horn of Africa country, Ethiopia said it was helping Somalia's interim government train security staff.
In a ceremony attended by hundreds in the town of Afgoye, 30 kms (18 miles) from Mogadishu, Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad, known as "Inda'ade", handed over the fertile agriculture area of Lower Shabelle, which he had governed for the last few years.
Although his fighters played a key role in the fight for Mogadishu, which the Islamists seized from U.S.-backed warlords in June, Inda'ade had previously distanced himself from the movement, saying he was a just a supporter.
"Whatever happens from today, good or bad, will fall on the shoulders of the Islamic courts," Inda'ade, now in charge of security for the Islamists, told the crowd under a tree.
The Islamists have rapidly expanded their influence, effectively flanking the Western-backed interim government, based in the provincial town of Baidoa, on three sides.
Can we start prioritizing our problems any time soon? We're concentrating on the middle east, while a new Taliban is rising in Somalia. We're trying to gin up support for war with Iran, while the Horn of Africa goes to al Qaeda.
I'd complain about US foreign policy, but we really don't seem to have one.
Tags: news politics Middle east Africa Somalia terrorism war Bush
