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Might a victory for Somalias assorted Islamists offer some hope for its people?

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Might a victory for Somalias assorted Islamists offer some hope for its people?

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NAIROBI, Jun 8th 2006 – THE speed with which Islamist militias this week at last seized control of Mogadishu, Somalia’s ravaged capital, was telling. Gunmen loyal to secular warlords fled without much of a fight, losing a battle not just of territory but also, it seems, of hearts and minds. The Islamists have tightened their grip on Balcad, a strategic town 30km (19 miles) north of Mogadishu, and were advancing on Jowhar, one of the warlords’ last redoubts, some 90km north of the capital. Meanwhile, Somalia’s impotent and fractured transitional government, recognized by most of the rest of the world but with little sway over Somalia, is nervously camped out in the dusty town of Baidoa, some 250km to the north-west. The new team shows its face “The big battle for Mogadishu is over,” says a seasoned Somalia-watcher based in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the main hub of exiles and diplomats trying to make sense of the latest chaotic events. “But the battle for the rest of Somalia is just b

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