MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys returned to Somalia on Thursday in his first known trip back to the Horn of Africa nation since being ousted two years ago, an Islamist group said.

Aweys, who is on the U.S. list of terrorism suspects for alleged links to al Qaeda, has been an important opposition lightening rod and is believed to have much {www:influence} over some of the Islamist insurgents battling the Somali government.

“(Aweys) will be staying with us, and we shall be having discussions on the current political situation in Somalia,” said Omar Abubukar, leader of Hizbul Islam.

Aweys landed at a small airstrip 50 km (30 miles) from the capital Mogadishu, witnesses said. Abubukar did not say how long Aweys would stay in Somalia. Hizbul Islam is an umbrella group of four organisations including the one that Aweys heads.

Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Aweys — who has been living in Eritrea — denies any terrorism links. The cleric heads the Asmara-based Alliance for the Re-Liberation (ARS) of Somalia, which he took over from current Somali president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

Aweys and Ahmed had worked alongside one another in the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Somalia’s capital and much of the south before being forced out by Ethiopia in late 2006.

The two {www:split} after Ahmed, a {www:moderate} Islamist, went to Djibouti for U.N.-backed talks that saw him elected president.

Islamist-led rebels have continued to {www:battle} the interim government, waging hit-and-run attacks on Somali troops and African Union (AU) peacekeepers in fighting that has displaced one million people and killed thousands.

Donors are meeting in Brussels on Thursday to pledge funds to boost Somali forces and say more than $250 million is needed over the next year to improve {www:security} in a state that has been wrecked by civil conflict since 1991. (Writing by Jack Kimball)

The “U.S. threatens Eritrea over support for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists” article is obviously based on a catchy tittle with no substance of truth. The thought of America invading Eritrea is really poor journalism at it’s best. The reason why other major news sites like BBC, NYT and CNN have not covered this story is because it’s a hoax. The thought of an Obama adminstration invading or even mentioning that they will invade an African country, for something insignificant as supporting a rag-tag rebel group in Somalia, that was invaded by another regime Eritrea is at odds with is really a bad joke. The source of the article is the London Telegraph newspaper, and from reading the article, one can see this is trash. As a journalist, you need to cover both sides of the story and with that article the reporter published, one can see she covers a side created by her imagination. Had the Obama administration suggested war on any nation, it would be breaking news on all the major networks and we’d have a constant bombardment of television news coverage, not to mention Fox News would give Obama an ear full of, “i told u so”… [Read More. Click here]

SAN DIEGO (San Diego Union-Tribune) – Police detectives on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old man as a {www:suspect} in an attack Saturday on a 38-year-old woman in Linda Vista.

Detectives from the sex-crimes unit arrested Mulugeta Hagos, an {www:immigrant} from Ethiopia, as he was walking on Fulton Street near Hyatt Street in Linda Vista, said police spokeswoman Monica Muñoz.

Earlier Wednesday, Hagos was identified as the suspect in the assault, Munoz said.

The incident occurred about 6:15 a.m. Saturday as the woman was walking toward a bus bench on Linda Vista Road near Fulton Street. A man got out of his car, grabbed her from behind, aimed a pistol at her head and tried to force her into the vehicle, Muñoz said.

When the woman fought back, the attacker struck her at least once on the head with the gun, Muñoz said. The gun went off during the struggle, but the woman wasn’t hit.

Hagos will be booked into central jail on suspicion of attempted sexual assault, assault with a deadly {www:weapon} and kidnapping for sexual assault, Muñoz said.

The woman was treated for injuries at a hospital Saturday and released.