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 MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - The hard-line Muslim leaders who have seized control of much of southern Somalia claimed authority throughout the country Thursday in yet another blow to the largely powerless but internationally recognized interim government.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the militia's executive council, made the claim while officially announcing a restructuring of the powerful Islamic Courts Union. The group has changed its name to the Supreme Islamic Courts Council and added dozens of new members who lead Islamic courts throughout Somalia.
The restructuring last weekend also saw Ahmed replaced as the group's overall leader by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is on the U.S. terrorist watch list as a suspected collaborator with al-Qaida.
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