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Feb 1 (BBC News) - Somali Islamist rebel group al-Shabab has confirmed for the first time that its fighters are aligned with al-Qaeda's global militant campaign.
The group said in a statement that the "jihad of Horn of Africa must be combined with the international jihad led by the al-Qaeda network".
Meanwhile, several people have died in fighting in Mogadishu after government troops shelled militant positions.
Islamist insurgents control much of southern and central Somalia.
The government, which is backed by the UN and African Union, holds sway only in a small part of Mogadishu.
Despite repeated accusations by the US that al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda, the group denied the connection in a recent interview with the BBC.
The BBC Somali service's Mohamed Mohamed says it is the first time the group has officially confirmed its fight is linked to al-Qaeda.
The group's statement also announced that its militants had joined forces with a smaller insurgent group called Kamboni.
The group, based in the southern town of Ras Kamboni, was previously allied to Hizbul-Islam - another militant group fighting the government.
Kamboni is led by Hassan Turki, a militant the US accuses of being a "financer of terrorism".
Al-Shabab said it was trying to unite all Islamist forces to create a Muslim state under its hard-line interpretation of Sharia law.
The group, which controls swathes of Somalia, has carried out public beheadings and stonings.
