MOGADISHU, Somalia: Witnesses say Somalis in four towns held by Islamist insurgents are protesting a recent decision by East African nations to send 2,000 more peacekeepers to Somalia. The protesters marched through the streets and chanted slogans denouncing the East African bloc and the UN-backed Somali government. They also denounced neighboring Ethiopia, which withdrew from Somalia last year after fighting insurgents for nearly three years. The leaders of the group Al-Shabab called for Somalis to prepare for a holy war against new troops. Yusuf Ali Heydar, an Al-Shabab leader, called for African nations to take back pledges of troops. About 6,000 African peacekeeping troops are deployed in Somalia. The East African bloc this week pledged 2,000 more.
