20100824
africanews

An African Union official said Monday that hundreds of additional troops have arrived in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, to bolster the AU force that supports the Somali government.

The AU deputy special representative for Somalia, Wafula Wamunyinyi, said the troops began arriving on Friday and have already been deployed to different areas.

Ugandan troops make up the bulk of the AU force, which often battles Somali insurgents trying to topple the government. Uganda pledged to send more troops after the insurgent group al-Shabab carried out twin bombings in Kampala last month killing 76 people.

But the insurgents control most of the capital and much of southern and central Somalia. Al-Shabab and fellow Islamist group Hizbul Islam have moved to implement a harsh form of Sharia, or Islamic law in the areas under their rule.

When completed, the ongoing deployment will raise the number of AU soldiers in Mogadishu from 6,000 to 8,000.