At the same time the Al-Itihaad movement was gaining popularity, local sharia court systems were springing up throughout Somalia. These courts had their own militias who defeated clan warlords, thus gaining the support of businessmen and civilians as the situation abated. The courts also brought about stability and security as healthcare and an Islamic education was introduced and crime rates decreased. Eventually, the ICU was able to end the conflict between the clan militias. Many members of the Al-Itihaad joined the ICU to ensure that the courts were retaining an Islamist agenda (Deforche, pg. 113). In 2006, the ICU defeated a warlord alliance in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, thereby unifying Mogadishu for the first time since the
