Monday, January 01, 2007
"Kismayo is already in the hands of the government. The Islamists have run away ... the airport and the seaport are free. They are still some mopping up operations," Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi told AFP in Mogadishu.
He said the toll "is not available yet but there are no big casualties".
Residents and an Islamist commander also said Islamist fighters had left the southern city without any bloodshed.
An Islamist commander Sheik Yaqub Ishak told AFP by satellite phone that his militia would not surrender, insisting his forces were "still powerful and will not stop fighting the Ethiopian invaders."
"The victory is not always one side... let them take their time and we are waiting ours and we shall never give up hope," he said.
He said his fighters were still in Somalia. "We are not outside, do not think that the Islamic courts have abandoned the country... we have left the cities but we remain in action and our enemies will face insurgency," he added.
The commander said their departure was a "military tactic."
A resident, Mohamed Sheik Hussein, told AFP he saw Islamic fighters leaving the town after they were "defeated around Jilib area and abandoned Kismayo without bloodshed."
Hussein said thousands of people had gathered in the streets of Kismayo. According to some residents, nobody was controlling the town on Monday morning, despite the government claims. "We are waiting for government forces to take control of the town," Hussein said.
Source: AFP, Jan 01, 2007