By Dahir Alasow

MOGADISHU- (Sunatimes) Somalia's extremist group of Al-shabaab has urged Al-Qa'ida network to help them out in fighting the Somali governmentand the AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

speaking to the reporters ata function to announce the merger with Hisbul Islam, the spokesman of Al-Shabab, Sheikh Ali Mahamud Rage says rifts and difference in opinion among the two group's fighters are no more.

" We are appealing our brothers in Alqaeda to help us in fighting the appostate government and the infidels in Somalia" Rage flanked by Hizbul Islam officials said.

He has particularly entreated Al-Qa'idah fighters in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Yemen to support their group.

At the function over the weekend, Shaykh Abdifattah Muhammad Ali, who was the spokesman of the defunct Hisb al-Islam group, read a statement which was jointly written by Al-Shabab and Hisb al-Islam.

The statement said that the TFG and AU peacekeepers have failed in their attacks against their group.

Islamist fighters control much of central and southern Somalia. The transitional government says it controls more than half of the capital Mogadishu, but swathes remain no-go areas controlled by the Shehab.