Somalia, which has not had an effective government since 1991, is being torn between the Islamist insurgents and the transitional U.N.-backed government. According to the BBC, the insurgents have been gaining an alarming amount of ground, including parts of the capital and a lot of southern Somalia.
The New York Times reports that the insurgents have begun to install their own brand of justice amongst the townspeople of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital-turned-battleground. On one occasion, they stoned to death a teenage girl who claimed to have been raped. More recently, they have amputated the right hands and left legs of four accused thieves.
The amputations have been the first to be carried out under the name of justice in 15 years. The Shabab, the Islamic extremists instigating the harsh rules, may be trying to achieve stability by enacting Shariah, Islamic law, to the strictest level.
The men who were amputated were accused of stealing items like a cellphone and pistol. The Shabab claim that they tend for the thieves until they are fully healed.
The transitional government, in the meantime, has called upon the U.N. for military assistance. The United States will be providing logistical support to aid training.
Source: ToTheCenter.com
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