Aides of Somalia's embattled president, Sharif Ahmed, say there may be over 2, 000 of them.
ECONOMIST: None of Somalia��s neighbours is keen to ride to its rescue
Since the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, Islamist militants and its neighbours all battling for control.
"The International Monetary Fund today recognised the federal government of Somalia, headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, paving the way for the resumption of relations after a 22-year interval, " the IMF said in a statement.
The Somalis' fear that Somalia will break into more bits has already caused the president of its transitional government, Sharif Ahmed, to denounce the presence of Kenyan troops inside Somalia, even though the Kenyans say they crossed the border only at the invitation of his government.
"Today, thanks to the extraordinary partnership between the leaders and people of Somalia, with international supporters, al-Shabaab has been driven from Mogadishu and every other major city in Somalia, " Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday following a meeting with Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
In addition to picking a president, Somalia has adopted a provisional constitution, selected members of parliament and appointed that body's speaker -- all in recent months.
He had just been defeated by Bill Clinton it was in that lame-duck period between election and inauguration day and in an act of statesmanship and decency, President Bush ordered American troops into Somalia to control the militias, stabilize the country and distribute food and medicine.
Somalia's president, Sharif Ahmed, the leader of the Islamic Courts Union, is today seen as a moderate.
Involved as it is in the fiendishly difficult process of ensuring a peaceful succession in Ethiopia and choosing a president in Somalia, the West should resist the temptation to look for another Meles.
The latest attack comes two days ahead of a conference on Somalia in London, where Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to present his plans to rebuild the military and the country as a whole, as well as solicit international support.
Kenyan troops are part of an African force trying to wrest control of Somalia from militants for the new United Nations-backed president.
However, early indications were that Mr Kahin, who became president in 2002 when his predecessor died and who once served in the regime of Siad Barre, Somalia's last military dictator, had lost to Ahmed Silanyo.
President Clinton's ultimate defeat on an intervention in Haiti is made even more predictable than in the case of Somalia, though, in view of the object of the exercise: After all, the announced purpose of the U.N.
In the face of its dismal performance on the U.N. front, Clinton Administration officials are putting out the word that Somalia and Haiti are really sideshows and not indicative of the overall conduct of foreign policy by this president.
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