Islamist Al-Shabaab rebels

SOMALIA: HARDLINE MILITIA BEHEAD TWO FOR BACKING GOVERNMENT

July 10, 2009: Somalia's hardline Shebab militia beheaded two men for supporting President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's internationally backed government, a militiaman and one of the victims' relatives said.
The men – two former policemen - were killed close to Baidoa, a town in southern Somalia controlled by the militia, a Shebab fighter told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"It's true that two men found assisting the enemy of Allah were beheaded and several others are still in detention," he said. "They are being investigated and if found guilty they will face execution."
Muktar Abdullahi, whose brother was one of the murdered men, said: "We have been looking for them in the past week and we finally got information confirming they were beheaded."
"Nobody has clearly explained to us why they were killed, but some Shebab members say they were aiding the Somali government," Abdullahi said.
The Shebab, fighting to oust Sharif, have imposed strict sharia, or Islamic law in areas under their control. (Sources: AFP, corriere.it, 10/07/2009)