Mogadishu: Witnesses said that a Somali Islamic militia group has arrested 30 people, including a 15-year-old boy, for watching a World Cup match on television.
The witnesses said that the militiamen stormed two private homes on Sunday night in the town of Afgoye, near the Somali capital, while the football fans watched the Germany-Australia game.
The militiamen were members of the Hizbul Islam group.
Hizbul Islam, just like its ally, the Al Qaida linked Al Shabab group, has imposed a strict version of Islam in the areas they control in southern and central Somalia.
For example, in April, Hizbul Islam banned Mogadishu-based radio stations from playing music, labelling it un-Islamic, in a move reminiscent of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
