Muslims in Somalia protest enemy of Islam United States

Thousands in Somalia protest against United States . Muslim leader called U.S. an enemy of Islam. Eleven people were killed Friday in the capital's northern suburbs, and four people died in the city when a booby-trapped bicycle exploded.

Photo: Muslims in Somalia protest enemy of Islam United States

The U.S. is widely believed to be supporting the secular alliance, but American officials have refused to confirm or deny that. "We know the enemy of Islam, particularly the U.S. government, is funding the evil alliance," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, said during Friday's protest, which drew 5,000 people. Some carried signs saying: "We need Islamic Sharia law, we don't need a man-made constitution" and "Down with the U.S.!"

Nearly 200 armed members of the Islamic militia provided security at the demonstration. The U.S. administration has avoided direct action in Somalia perhaps because of the failures of the last intervention in the early 1990s, including the deaths of 18 servicemen in a 1993 battle made famous by the film "Black Hawk Down."

In the past few days, hundreds have fled Mogadishu to avoid the violence. Many victims have been civilians caught in the crossfire; more than 1,500 people have been injured, reports the AP.

N.U.