US-trained Somali soldiers defect to insurgents

Hundreds of Somali soldiers trained with US funding have deserted, with some crossing over to the al-Qaida-linked militants they are supposed to be fighting, it emerged today. The troops, backed with millions of US dollars, are leaving the ranks because they are not receiving their $100 (£65) monthly wage. The desertions raise fears that an American-backed drive next month to strengthen Somalia's army may increase the ranks of the insurgency. The US has spent $6.8m supporting training for nearly 1,000 soldiers in neighboring Djibouti and about another 1,100 soldiers in Uganda, the state department and western diplomats said. A Somali army officer, Colonel Ahmed Aden Dhayow, told the Associated Press the troops were supposed to earn $100 a month, but about half of those trained in Djibouti deserted because they were not paid. "Some gave up the army and returned to their ordinary life and others joined the rebels," he said. The state minister for defense, Yusuf Mohamed Siyad, confirmed that some trainees had joined the al-Shabab militant group, but he declined to specify the number of deserters. During a recent AP visit, dejected-looking soldiers sat under dust-covered thorn trees at the government's main military base, Camp Jazira, which lacks toilets, a clinic or even a perimeter fence. They had not been paid, some for months, they said, adding that their wages were intercepted by senior officials.