(8 Feb 2010)
1. Various shots of weapons al-Shabab insurgents claim to have seized from government forces
2. Various of insurgent next to weapons
3. Setup shot of al-Shabab spokesman, Ali Mohamud Rageh
4. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Ali Mohamud Rageh, al-Shabab spokesman:
"We will start to launch attacks on government bases before the government begins a military offensive against us. We hope our Mujahideen fighters will have the upper hand in this fight, and that they will manage to liberate our country from the African Union troops."
5. Setup shot of spokesman for Somali Information Ministry, Abrisaq Mohamed Keylow
6. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Abrisaq Mohamed Keylow, spokesman for Somali Information Ministry:
"Our forces are in full alert at the moment when I am talking to you, they are ready to defend their country from both the foreign fighters and the al-Shabab militias, we hope we will catch them sometime soon. We do not want to set a date for our attack on them, but it can happen anytime and we hope the days of al-Shabab are numbered."
7. Keylow talking on phone
STORYLINE:
Top Somali officials are threatening to begin a military offensive against Islamist insurgents but critics - some of them demoralized soldiers - say a lack of equipment, funds and training put and ultimate success into doubt.
The offensive has been planned for months and has been postponed repeatedly, but questions remain about whether it can bring long-term security in a country suffering from almost two decades of conflict.
It is still unclear when the offensive will begin or what it will entail, but Abrisaq Mohamed Keylow, a spokesman for the Somali Information Ministry said on Monday that forces were on full alert and ready to defend their country from both foreign fighters and al-Shabab insurgents.
Somali forces are hampered by a lack of equipment, late paychecks, and some complain they do not even have enough food.
Somalia''s president and state defense minister have both asserted in recent days that Somali troops - many of whom were trained outside the Horn of Africa nation - are ready.
The offensive is planned against al-Shabab, Islamists with ties to al-Qaida.
The group claimed on Monday to have seized weapons from Somali government forces.
AP Television cannot independently verify the claims.
The group''s spokesman, Ali Mohamud Rageh, threatened it would "launch attacks on government bases before the government begins a military offensive against us."
Somali officials have pleaded with the international community to help defeat militants, saying they pose a threat to world security.
Many countries have pledged funds for Somalia''s security services but are reluctant to release money until they are sure paychecks will not be stolen by commanders.
Other militias allied to the government want their slice of the cash, but are reluctant to sign up to a central command.
The lack of funds has hurt troops.
One soldier, Osman Mohamed Dalaal, a recruit at Camp Jizira in Mogadishu, where the bulk of the pro-government fighters are staying, told The
Associated Press the men there were getting only two meals a day and that morale was low because they were not regularly paid.
A security official and a diplomat told the AP that around 500 fighters who were trained in Djibouti were also in the camp, although two diplomats
said some of the men needed further training and they all needed regular pay and more equipment.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren''t authorized to speak to the media.
The planned offensive comes amid rising concern over Islamic militancy in the region.
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