Somali minister 'held in Uganda

Somalia's junior minister for defence has been detained by Ugandan security forces during a trip to capital, Kampala, the Ugandan army has said.

Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad, a former Islamist warlord known as Inda'ade, was held while visiting family in the city.

Ugandan army spokesman Lt Col Felix Kulayigye told Reuters news agency the minister had come "for unclear reasons and we took an interest in him".

Uganda provides many of the troops for the African Union Mission to Somalia.

Somali government officials and Mr Siad's relatives had earlier said they believed he had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

Somalia has experienced almost constant conflict since the collapse of its central government in 1991.

It was hoped the election of moderate Islamist Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad as president in January and the departure of Ethiopian troops would stop the violence, but Islamist insurgents are keeping up their attacks and the government's military position has weakened further.

Mr Siad, who became minister of state for defence in June, served as head of security under Mr Ahmad when he briefly governed Somalia as chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006.