Somalian government restores order in capital city

Somalia’s government declared on Friday that the opposition groups that began fighting government forces in Mogadishu on Wednesday after the Parliament’s decision to extend President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed’s term have been “disarmed and removed.” The New York Times reported Thursday that residents called the fighting “the worst violence there in years.” Somalia is strategically located on the Red Sea, and its continuing instability poses an opportunity for Iran to boost its influence in the region.