Fighters surrender to Islamic militia

HUNDREDS of fighters who were battling Somalia’s Islamic militia in the capital surrendered yesterday morning after a surge of violence that killed more than 70 people and wounded 150 since Sunday.

The fighters, loyal to secular warlord Abdi Awale Qaybdiid, turned over their arms and pick-up trucks mounted with heavy weapons to the Islamic militia, top Islamic commanders said.

The latest violence broke weeks of relative calm under the rule of the Islamic fighters, who have grown increasingly radical since seizing Mogadishu and establishing strict courts based on the Koran. Mortar shells and gunfire shook the city for two days, sending residents into homes and shops or fleeing altogether.