Friday, November 14, 2008
Here is a timeline of events since Islamists first seized the capital, Mogadishu:
June 2006 - The Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) seizes Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords and takes control of parts of southern Somalia.
Dec. 28 - Islamists flee Mogadishu ahead of a joint Ethiopian and Somali government force which captures the city.
Jan. 8, 2007 - Abdullahi Yusuf arrives in Mogadishu for the first time since he became president in 2004.
Aug. 30 - Yusuf winds up a six-week-long peace conference, which has no visible impact on growing insurgency. Islamists and some other opposition figures boycotted the talks.
March 26, 2008 - Islamist fighters seize Jowhar, the most significant of several towns recently captured.
May, 1 - U.S. air strike kills al Shabaab leader Aden Hashi Ayro.
Aug. 18 - Somalia formally signs peace deal with some opposition figures, but the pact is rejected by hardliners.
Aug. 22 - Al Shabaab insurgents seize Kismayu, a strategic southern port, after fighting that killed 70 people.
Aug. 25 - U.N.'s Food Security Analysis Unit says more than 3.2 million people need humanitarian aid.
Sept. 16 - Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation, based in Mogadishu, says almost 9,500 people have been killed since early 2007.
Oct. 3 - Islamists, now controlling swathes of southern Somalia, warn Western charities working there not to meddle in their affairs.
Nov. 12 - Rebels take port of Merka, 90 km (56 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, after government-aligned militia leave.
Nov. 14 - Al Shabaab fighters move into Elasha town near Sinkadheer, where Ethiopian troops are based. Sinkadheer is 15 km (9 miles) south-west of Mogadishu.
Source: Nov 14, 2008