Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of Hizbul Islam, an Islamist rebel group in southern Somalia, has threatened new attacks against troops of the African Union force. He described the AU troops as enemies of Islam. Hizbul Islam was founded after the overthrow of the Union of Islamic Courts. The Islamists ruled the capital Mogadishu and much of Somalia in 2006, until they were defeated in December 2006 by Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces.

Hizbul Islam praised Thursday's suicide car bombings in the capital Mogadishu, which killed at least 21 people, including 17 AU soldiers. The cars had been stolen from the United Nations. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al Shabaab, another fundamentalist Islamic group. A senior Somali defence official has reported that Al Shabaab has six more stolen vehicles with UN markings which can be used in suicide attacks.

Al Shabaab has ordered schools in Mogadishu not to use books distributed by UN agencies such as UNESCO. The group says the books' contents violate Muslim teachings.

Flag of Union of Islamic Courts/Hizbul Islam
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