The interim government has accused the US of supporting warlords financially and militarily. (Reuters)

NAIROBI — The US State Department has relocated the political affairs officer at its Kenya embassy to Chad after he spoke out against bankrolling warlords instigating Mogadishu's worst fighting in decades, diplomats revealed on Tuesday, May 30.

"He really decided to take up the battle. He realized very well what he was doing," a Western diplomat close to the transferred envoy, Michael Zorick, told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Zorick opposed a US intelligence plan to capture a handful of Al- Qaeda suspects believed to be in Somalia, by paying warlords, including government ministers, to hunt them down.

"He felt it was wrong in the sense that it didn't achieve the objectives," the diplomat said.

Zorick was part of the peace process in Kenya to create the Somali government, formed in late 2004 in the 14th such attempt since president Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.

The diplomat could not be reached for comment and e-mails sent to his State Department address, which had previously worked, were returned as undeliverable.

Bob Kerr, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Nairobi, which is responsible for neighboring Somalia, said Zorick was due to leave his post in a few months but left early in April by mutual agreement with Ambassador William Bellamy.

"There were no unwilling transfers from the embassy," Kerr argued.

Frustration

Reuters learnt that various other diplomats involved with Somalia, including those from Washington's allies, have expressed frustration at US aid to warlords.

They believe this has further undermined Somalia's already weak government, seen as the best hope for peace in the African country.

Analysts say Zorick's punishment exposes a rift inside the Bush administration on how to handle Somalia and the effect Washington's perceived role has had in inflaming infighting.

They believe Washington's links with the warlords have had the contrary effect of rallying Islamist groups and increasing support for them among Somalis.

At least 320 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since February in battles between the warlords, who call themselves the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, and gunmen allied to Islamic courts.

Although Washington has not explicitly confirmed its support for the alliance, US officials have told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the group has received US money and is one of several it is working with to contain the alleged threat of Islamists.

The interim government has accused the US of fanning the flames of civil war in the African country by backing the warlords, not only financially but also militarily.

Washington has invested considerable military and intelligence resources in the Horn of Africa, starting with a base in Djibouti, and is known to operate in tandem with local security services.