Somalia claims al-Shabab extremists seek talks for 1st time

By OMAR FARUK
Associated Press

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s government claims that the al-Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations amid a military offensive the government has described as “total war.” There has been no immediate statement by al-Shabab. For well over a decade, the al-Qaida-affiliate has carried out high-profile bombings in Somalia’s capital and controlled parts of the country’s central and southern regions. That has complicated efforts to rebuild the once-failed Horn of Africa state after decades of conflict. The United States has a military presence in Somalia to combat the extremists, along with Turkey and a multinational African Union force.