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 MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - The Islamic militia that defeated U.S.-backed warlords and seized nearly all of southern Somalia held talks Thursday with Somalia's largely powerless government on the future of the lawless nation.
In a surprise, both the United States and the European Union issued somewhat conciliatory statements about the Islamic militia, which has been accused of sheltering al-Qaida leaders and wants to end 16 years of Somali anarchy by installing an Islamic government and court system.
The Islamic Courts Union militiamen still face fierce opposition from a clan-controlled pocket of the capital, Mogadishu, even though they drove out secular fighters Monday. The radical Islamic militia's growing power has forced officials in Somalia's interim government, and around the world, to take notice.
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