UNITED NATIONS: Somalia's new prime minister said 8,000 government troops will start waging attacks on insurgents and Al-Qaeda terrorists “very, very soon.” Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali-American educator, also said in an interview Wednesday night that increased US and international support for his government is essential to end Somalia's lawlessness and prevent terrorists from continuing to use the country as a safe haven. He also warned that nearly 2.5 million Somalis in both militant and government-controlled areas are on the verge of starvation and said some have already died. He urged immediate global help to prevent even more deaths than in the 1992 famine when 500,000 people died. Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other, plunging the country into chaos and anarchy. – Agence France
