Somalian Islamic militiamen arrested some 60 people for watching videos in several overnight raids in the capital Mogadishu, an Islamic court official and residents said yesterday.

Tuesday's arrests follow several cases of the Islamic militiamen who are the new rulers of the Somali capital forcefully applying their strict interpretation of Islamic law. Some worry they want to remake Somalia into a nation resembling Afghanistan under the Taliban including offering a haven to terrorists.

Militiamen, armed with assault rifles, raided five halls in the northern Sinay neighbourhood late on Tuesday and arrested women and men who had paid to watch videos, said Dahir Ali Wehliye, a resident in the area.

In one incident, 20 militiamen in a pickup mounted with a machine-gun raided a video hall in the neighbourhood and detained those found watching a video, said Yusuf Ali, who witnessed the raid.

"They will be rehabilitated and then we will release them after they are told the disadvantages of watching such films and what Islam says about watching such films," said Moalin Shire, an official of the Islamic court whose jurisdiction includes the video hall that was raided.

It is not clear whether the video halls were closed down as neither Wehliye, Shire nor Ali were able to give more details.

On July 4, hard-line Islamic militia fighters shot and killed two people who were watching a World Cup football broadcast in central Somalia. Two of the fighters were later arrested.

Before they took control of the Somali capital in June, some of Somalia's Islamic radicals had attacked drug dealers, raided bars and destroyed video halls that showed risque films.

Gov't agree to attend peace talks

Somalia's transitional government has yielded to pressure from the international community and agreed to attend peace talks with the Islamic militia controlling most of the country's south including the capital, official said yesterday.

Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said the UN-backed transitional government has reversed its earlier stance and would participate in the next round of talks in Khartoum.

"It's true the government has reversed its earlier decision not to participate in the talks. The talks are the last hope and chance for peace and stability," Dinari said from Baidoa in southern Somalia, the current seat of the interim government.

The transitional government earlier had said it would boycott the peace talks scheduled for Saturday in Khartoum, Sudan, saying the militants that have seized control of most of the country's south massacred civilians and wants to topple the government.

The peace talks are seen as a move towards international recognition for the Islamic militia, which the United States accuses of harbouring al-Qaida and wanting to impose a Taliban-style theocracy.

According to Dinari, the government also welcomed efforts by the International Contact Group (ICG) to create an inclusive dialogue to end the conflict in the Horn of Africa country.

"We welcome the call by the Contact Group, and agree that through dialogue we can achieve peace," Dinari said.

(China Daily 07/20/2006 page7)