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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - An Islamic leader on a U.S. terrorist list threatened a holy war Friday if an African peacekeeping force enters Somalia to try to install a new government and stop more than decade of clan warfare.
Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former Somali army colonel suspected of having ties with the al-Qaida terror group, told reporters that allowing foreign troops into Somalia was contrary to Islamic teachings. It would be the religious duty of all Somalis to fight any peacekeeping force, he said.
Clan fighters might find God's forgiveness for helping plunge Somalia into chaos if they cleansed "themselves with the blood of the foreign invaders," Aweys said.
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