Somalia: Bombs Away

Ethiopia has upped the ante in Somalia by attacking with its air force.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Ethiopia launched an attack Sunday on Somalia's powerful Islamic movement, sending fighter jets across the border and bombarding several towns in a major escalation of the violence that threatens to engulf the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia confirmed the attacks, the first time it has acknowledged that its troops were fighting in Somalia, though witnesses have reported their presence for weeks.

The Islamists have put word out to their reserve fighters to prepare for war. It appears as though they already have one. The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) claims to have registered over 4,000 reserves. This will be a tough fight, but I wouldn't name my army the ICU ... just sayin'.

The war in Somalia has apparently sparked an internal exodus of refugees. Hundred thousands of civilians have fled their homes in Baledweyn, Idaale, Jawil, Bandiradley and Dayanunay, all locations under excessive forceful duels between the ICU and the Ethiopian military forces protecting the Somali fragile government based in Badiao.

Neither the Ethiopian government nor the transitional government was available for comments.

The Islamic Courts Union spokesperson, Sheik Mohomood Ibrahim Suley, who held a press conference in Mogadishu, said Ethiopian troops began attacking the ICU on the ground and on the air.

"After we have defeated the enemy on a ground battle, they resorted to air raiding, we call on the reserved armies to report to Islamic Courts army centers immediately", he said.

He said the Somali people should not worry, stating the number of people registered for the holy war in the past days were in excessive number. "Now we do not need to recruit new people, but we will say the words when we need more troops", he said.

More at JYB and Gateway Pundit.

Comments

[Purple Avenger]

Heh, we got the Ethiopians to do the heavy lifting for us. I'm betting the Ethiopian airfields are crawling with US advisers, logistics crews, and intel ops guys assisting them right about now.

A month and a half ago I suggested Ethiopia was going to be a key piece of real estate we needed to get heavily involved in.

http://purpleavenger.blogspot.com/2006/11/after-iraq-pullout-then-what.html

[chrys]

Title says everything! Should have done this years ago! Like the Alamo cry! Long Live the Black Hawk!

[Phoenix]

Just heard about this. I have no doubt PA is right with his assessment, and I hope the victory there is swift and dramatic.

Look at a map and see the spitting distance between Somalia, Eritrea and the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Someone is finally caught in the middle....

[Chuck]

I would feel better about this situation if Ethiopia were a decent ally for the West instead of a socialist basket case with a "partly free" rating from Freedom House and a barely there kind of democracy. This whole "lesser of two evils" game is starting to get annoying. Still, if they can do something about the African Taliban then good on them.

[Purple Avenger]

Chuck, Ethiopia is emerging from a surreal couple of years long war with Eritrea. If they know which side their international relief aid bread is buttered on (which I think they do), they're going to be a very reliable ally here.

The place is run by typical style African kleptocrats -- and that's a good thing for the moment. The jihadis offer them nothing to steal and disruptions in their ability to loot international relief aid.

To a large degree this is why Yemen is onboard now.

[Darth Malice]

Way to go Ethiopia!I hope they show us the way to get the job done.

[Liban Ibrahim Osman]

Well, ICU vs Ethiopia. This is a case of two bold men fighting over a comb.

1. Ethiopia is only doing this to get back into bed with the west, as they fell out of love over internal clamp down on opposition parties and harsh dictatorship.

Need I remind you last time american played "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"? Iraq and Afganistan to name but a few.

2. ICU for their part in this madness is just interested in dominating the the Somali landscape, they don't want to see the coalition of Somali warlords back by the UN.

Thank god I am from Somaliland, I am just irrated at ignorance of the regional leaders and the global leaders at failing to avert a needless war.

[Darth Malice]

Osman as long as Ethiopia will help in the War against this Afican Taliban it does not matter the reason.We should provide whatever help they need.It's kinda sad,but it's the bottom line.

[FrickinPhilistine]

Osman,

It seems to me Somalia's primary existence is a chronic state of war. Your cynical attitude is a product of your existence. No one owes you a thing, so shut up and be glad for yet another effort to fix what looks like can never be fixed. That gets boring on the world stage, you know.

[The Apologist]

Osman is a jihadi disinformation agent. The ICU seeks to control all of Somalia and "Greater Somalia", which includes parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The war is anything but needless. It's always necessary to fight Al-Qaeda associates and jihadi governments. Maybe Osman wants the Bloodstained Sword of Islam hanging over his family back in Somalia, but I don't. Both for their sake and ours. Afghanistan anyone?

[Purple Avenger]

"I am just irrated at ignorance of the regional leaders and the global leaders at failing to avert a needless war."

Right. Your fuckups are always our fault. Got it.

[Jamieson Graham Dahl]

The Islamic Courts Union has a similar origin from the Taliban, but the similarities end there. Some things you might want to know.

The "Secular" government of Somalia has Sharia law written into their constitution. The difference being that they appear to be secular because they aren't interested in justice at all. They're just as islamic. Only Gedi, the prime minister, is really dedicated to secular statehood.

The most powerful factor in Somali society is Qabiil, or Clan. Each clan wants to rule Somalia exclusively. Ethiopia has supported the Majerteen Qabiil since 1989, and the leader of the Majerteen Qabiil is currently Abdullahi Yusuf. The Transitional Government was originally founded as a broad power-sharing government amongst the Qabiil, but over time this changed, and now only a handful of Qabiil support the TFG. If the TFG is victorious, these few Qabiil will impose a clan-based dictatorship over Somalia with the Majerteen on top, and making Abdullahi Yusuf the new Siad Barre, but a dictator firmly in the pocket of Ethiopia.

Currently Somalia is divided between the Majerteen Qabiil, who rule over Puntland and the government, the Sacad Qabiil, who are opposed to the ICU for their own reasons (the head of their Qabiil, Abdi Qebdiid, hates them for kicking him out of Mogadishu in June for being a member of the ARPCT), and the Islamic Courts Union, composed of every other Qabiil and ethnic minorities other than Majerteen and Sacad (Marehan, Ayr, Abgaal, Dir, Digil, Mirifle, Somali Bantu, Ayanle, Abiyse, Daud Wabuudaan, Waesle, Agonyar, Murosade, Duduble, Harti, Baadi Cadde, Shiikhaal, Saleebaan, Habar-Gidir, etc).

They ARE jihadists, and some of them are Salafi, but let's not kid ourselves, they won the only battle that counts months ago. There's a reason why noone has managed to get rid of Hezbollah. Somalia IS the Islamic Courts Union at this point, they're not going to just go away, and no amount of dead Ethiopians is going to make it happen.

The ICU is here to stay.

[Purple Avenger]

"they're not going to just go away"

Nobody cares about that. They just want the rabid dog to stay in its cage and not bother the neighbors -- something islamists have historically had a very difficult time doing. Bloody borders and all that...

[Rhod]

Stealing a thought from another poster at Roger Simon's, I agree with her complete indifference to the fate of the Somalis. Knock down two of our skyscrapers and we'll take out two of your countries, drag an American soldier's mutilated body through the streets, and you'll never see another American with an open hand again.

These people are light years from even the simplest terms of Western charity and humanitarianism. As PA says, the only concern is to keep the rabid dog in its cage. If he chews off his own feet, who gives a shit?

[Liban Ibrahim Osman]

Darth Malice, short term solutions result in long term strategic defeat. African Talibans?

Do you guys realise the alledged secular government is nothing more than a coalition of warlords whom did nothing more than extort, rape, murder and pillage. I sincerely wish you guys would do some research before being influanced by the republic outlet FOX News.

FrickinPhilistine, Somali in a chronic state of war? Do you know post the civil war Somali broke into three main areas?

Somaliland, formerly British Somaliland and this has been largely peaceful since 1991.
Putland, this area is largely autonomous, once again entirely peace since 1991.
Southern Somali, this is the area you hear about most of the time. South of Galkacyo, this area was in chaos until the ICU took over.

The Apologist, the dream of greater Somali will always live with all Somali’s. This isn't anything bad, but you have to bare in mind, that this is a by product of British rule of the region. It seems Americans and Europeans have been whipped into a state of panic over Islam. Islam has been here for over 1500 years, it hasn't harmed you yet. Differentiate between Islamist, Jihadist and Al Qaeda. The first two will not harm unless you pose a threat to them, the latter is obviously anti American.
As for me being Jihadist mis-informer, nothing could be further from the truth. I am investment banker, who works for a American Jewish bank.

Purple Avenger, shocking, our fuckups?? Listen lets face it, Somali’s liberated themselves from a dictatorship, post the liberation, the Americans’ being the government being the most tact people in the world decide to deploy a army, when reconciliation would have been far more appropriate. I just wonder, do you guys know what you are talking about?

I post here to tell you all, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Do you own research? Go to the Google and look up ICU's history according to Somali's.

Merry Christmas to you all, I hope the seeds you sow today in Somali, Palestine, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan reap you a great benefit.

[Liban Ibrahim Osman]

Rhod "Knock down two of our skyscrapers and we'll take out two of your countries, drag an American soldier's mutilated body through the streets, and you'll never see another American with an open hand again."

Since when did Iraq support Osama Bin Laden? Since when all Somali's drag an American soldiers through the streets? I group did that, now you purpose punishing an entire nation for the actions of a few?? Ignorance on show here is shocking! No one is asking for America help. However, Somali's resent the fact they are being used as pawn between ethiopia and eritrea. They resent, having a government made out of a coalition of murders imposed on them by the UN. They resent having harsh wahabi interpitation of Islam imposed on them where there used to be sufism.

[Darth Malice]

Well it seems Ethiopia is getting the job done.Mogadishu will hopefully be captured soon,along with all the AQ types.Liban brute force is the ONLY way to stop Radical Islam.

[Phillep]

Purple, international leaders encourage fighting and corruption by throwing money to the winners.

Africa would have shaken down into something a lot more peaceful long ago if no one had been sending aid for them to fight over.

[Poopstain]

I don't want to sound cynical, Osman, but personally I wouldn't give a fuck if every last Somali man, woman, and child dropped dead tomorrow. We get nothing but hatred in spite of killing ourselves trying to pull everyone else's ass out of the fire, You do nothing but sit around whining, moaning, oppressing women, and chopping off people's heads--not to mention dragging dead American soldier's bodies through the streets--and we're supposed to give a crap what you think? Go to hell--and Merry Christmas, head-chopper

[Purple Avenger]

"international leaders encourage fighting and corruption by throwing money to the winners."

??? Yea. And...?

Kelptocrats are the rule rather than the exception in Africa. This is not news.

[Darth Malice]

I really hope this Ethiopian invasion will show President Bush that war must be fought without mercy.If he had remembered that the Republicans would not have lost.I hope he gets it,because in 2008 the liberals might fully take over and defeat will be at hand.He has to stop trying to please the liberals who will always hate him and simply listen to his base.The base wants this WOT won.I guess if he won't,then it is up to Ethiopia.

[Rhod]

Osman:

If you have complaints about the UN, take it to the UN. The place is a cesspool of corruption, international leftism and a safe habor for every dictator on the planet.

Explain to me why Americans were in Mogadishu in the first place, and where the "one group" you refer to was any different than any of the others. How am I punishing Somalis. You don't want intervention but apparently regret the absence of intervention.

The Wahabbism of Bin Laden differs little from the goals of other Shi'a and Sunni Islamists groups, so the skyscraper reference is a distinction without a difference. We haven't even discussed Iran.

You're a clever apologist, Osman, who evades the specific for the general. I do need to prove that Islam is a threat to the West, you need to prove it isn't. And I don't give a shit who you work for.

[Rhod]

Osman:

More to the point, whatever the merits of my reasons for dismissing the travail of the Somalis, the fact remains that I care nothing for what happens there except to the extent that it effects America.

Apart from the abstract, in which no one wishes to see human suffering, only some Darwinian process will save your country and others like it, and no one in The West has the practical power to change that.

If Arabs in general and Al Qaeda specificially have an interest in your country, it's because it's a failed state, and they see an opportunity to impose their brand of Shi'a on an apparently unwilling population. This isn't my problem, it's yours...someone who's native to the country but chosen not to live there.

What you've described, and seem to support, is the bloody and indiscriminate imposition of Islamist codes as a means to national order, accompanied by the natural shuffling and redispostion of tribal interests across artifical borders.

Fine. Have it your way. Blame The West if you wish, but reserve some outrage for the people doing the killing...and acknowledge that we're in the 21st century, and the blame game is making less sense all the time.

[CallMeJustAnotherCrusader]

Quote: "I am just irrated at ignorance of the regional leaders and the global leaders at failing to avert a needless war."

Right! And when will finally killing all these Islamist assholes trying to shove their goddamnned satanic religion down the throat of everyone else in the world, and killing innocent people of every race and color the world over, as in Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, or as in 9/11, Madrid, and London, be considered a "needed war" in your opinion?!?!

Thanks to appeasers like you the cancer only spreads, and will only bring more death, blooshed, and destruction in its wake! You defeatist, pacifst, lout!!!

[seekeronos]

Amen, Rhod. I can't say that I am well disposed to treat a rabid dog with anything short of the mercy of a cold steel bullet delivered from a safe distance, and then burn the carcass so that there is no chance of the disease to spread.

As for this "Osman", quit yer griping. Your countrymen have made your country a cesspit of barbarity and murders; it will take what few good Somalis that may be left in that accursed land to correct it. But I am not holding my breath on that one. Once radical Islamism grips hold of a land of degenerated and decultured people trapped in the crumbling remains of a refugee state, it is like a foul cancer that does not let go until it consumes it host.

Sorry for those of you out there in Allah-land - but America's number one concern should be America. We have our own issues-a-plenty to deal with, and God help us to wake up and resolve them, lest we fall into a similar fate. Godly men who still know their Lord still abound, even if many are asleep.

It would not be a good thing for the Islamic world though, if that wake up becomes fueled by a drive for retribution. The last war of retribution we fought did not end well for the nation that started it (Imperial Japan).