Things continue to go poorly for the Islamic Courts. "Islamic forces on the retreat in Somalia," by Salad Duhul for Associated Press:
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic fighters were in a tactical retreat Tuesday, a senior Islamic leader said, as government and Ethiopian troops advanced on three fronts in a decisive turn around in the battle for control of Somalia.
Somalia's internationally backed government called on the Council of Islamic Courts to surrender and promised them amnesty if they lay down their weapons and stop opposing the government, spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said from Baidoa, the seat of the government.
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, leader of the Council of Islamic Courts' executive body, said the group had asked its troops to withdraw from some areas.
"The war is entering a new phase," he said. "We will fight Ethiopia for a long, long time and we expect the war to go everyplace."
Ahmed declined to explain [his] comments in greater detail, but some Islamic leaders have threatened a guerrilla war to include suicide bombings in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
Patrick Mazimhaka, the deputy chairman of the African Union Commission, expressed support for Somalia's government and defended Ethiopia's military advances.
"If Ethiopia feels sufficiently threatened, then we recognize the right of Ethiopia to defend itself if it thinks its sovereignty and its security are under direct threat."
[...]
Some analysts also fear that the courts movement hopes to make Somalia a third front, after Afghanistan and Iraq, in militant Islam's war against the West.
[...]
But Ahmed rejected any suggestion of resuming peace talks and appeared unbowed by his group's losses.
Skirmishes were continuing on Tuesday, with a witness in Bur Haqaba reporting that he heard explosions nearby after two Ethiopian jets flew overhead.
"I saw two helicopters, I heard the sounds of bombs at Lego village," said Mohamed Abdulle Siidi by telephone. The account could not be immediately confirmed.
Islamic troops withdrew more than 50 miles to the southeast from Daynuney, a town just south of Baidoa. The retreat along the western front follows the bombing by Ethiopian jets of the country's two main international airports.
Advancing government and Ethiopian troops captured Bur Haqaba, one of the Islamists' main bases after it was abandoned early Tuesday.
"We woke up from our sleep this morning and the town was empty of troops, not a single Islamic fighter," Ibrahim Mohamed Aden, a resident of Bur Haqaba said.
Islamic fighters were also reportedly retreating on two other fronts. On the southern front, government troops captured Dinsor, Dinari said.
On the northern front, government and Ethiopian troops entered the town of Bulo Barde, where just two weeks ago an Islamic cleric said anyone who did not pray five times a day would be executed.
Government and Ethiopian troops were headed for Jowhar, 55 miles north of Mogadishu, after driving Islamic troops from Bandiradley, Adadow and Galinsor.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi announced on Saturday that he had sent troops into Somalia to fight international terrorists, defend Ethiopian interests and prop up the besieged U.N.-backed government, which only has a very small military force.
[...]
Many Somalis are enraged by the idea of Ethiopian involvement here because the countries have fought two wars over their disputed border in the past 45 years. Islamic leaders have repeatedly said they want to incorporate ethnic Somalis living in eastern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya and Djibouti into a Greater Somalia.
The Somali mullahs seem to be forgetting that the Ethiopians are also black. This means they are just as brutal. Attack their capital? Heads will roll for that. Ethiopians aren't bound by "moral supremacy" or "political correctness".
"Islamic forces on the retreat"
That has such a nice ring to it. The Islamic beast must be defeated wherever it raises its horned head.
A.P. newswire
"The Arab League, which has mediated several rounds of talks between the Somali government and the Islamists, called on Monday for all parties involved to "immediately hold a comprehensive cease-fire."
Imagine that? The peace loving Arab League wants peace.
Yup, time to regroup and reload.
Some more good news.
"ETHIOPIAN troops are advancing on the Somali capital and could seize it within two days."
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/ethiopian-troops-advance-on-mogadishu/2006/12/26/1166895296725.html
Ethiopians fired missiles at retreating jihadis, and the arab league is howling for a "comprehensive ceasefire".
All the press coverage I saw over the past two days (from ABC, BBC and other MSM) treat this without background on what had been happening in Somalia to Somalis by the Islamics since the summer. Instead, these broadcasters and their 20 second sound bytes made it sound like Ethopia got up one morning and decided to make war against its peace loving neighbor.
The comment that really got me was the broadcaster with the posh accent saying that officials "warn" that this conflict could erupt into a "wider war". HELLO HELLO REALITY CALLING THE BBC! This IS a WORLD WAR chaps.
"Islamic forces on the retreat"
Ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Ethiopians aren't bound by "moral supremacy" or "political correctness"."
Posted by: loler
Right on target! Lock and Load!
You notice they don't say anything about ROP and Islam being equal etc.
They are just laying down some medieval whoop ass...
Go, Ethiopia, go, and clean out the vipers nest of Jihadis. Show the West how it is done. Thank God for the Ethiopians, for they put our spineless PC morons to shame here in the West. Are you watching America, Britain and Israel? Its time to take lessons from Addis Ababa.
The real test will be if Ethiopia decides to take the fight to Mogadishu. Rooting out your enemy in the rathole city isn't as easy as driving tanks across a desert to declare victory.
If the Ethiopians are smart and decide to do just that then a swift offense will be their best plan. Less time for the world to react and less time for the radical muslims to go bring the war to the Ethiopian capital.
Does anyone else find the hypocracy in the words of the islamic courts masters? They say that ethiopia is afraid to fight them face to face and use thier air force,yet they turn around and state ( basicly)that they will now turn to suicide bombers to do thier dirty work.
In the dictionary by the word and definition of hypocrite is a big fat picture of islam.
the difference yet again is that ethiopia didn't go in to kill the innocent people of somalia.You can bet your 401 k that the islaic courts will send thier murderous bombers in to do just that and kill as many innocents as possible.
One more thing i noticed is that the islamic courts were very quick to point out that ethiopia had killed 50 innocent villagers in thier attacks.My only hope is that in thier future attacks they leave thier phones off the hook so nobody can reach them about it.In fact i would be happy with no reports of innocents killed in the islamic courts side by the media,enough aid and abetting the zombie propaganda machines already unless you make it a two way street.
I only wish i were there to pray over each and every ethiopian bomb.
On a sad note ethiopia will have to dig in deep because the zombie horde,the ones brainwashed beyond repair will be walking allahs will down the throats of it's innocent people.
What the world (mainly the press and media)needs to do is lose the word fear,the zombies feed off this word.They would do greater service to oppose the deaths and destruction caused by these imbeciles and place the blame on them ( you know the ones doing the actual killing and torture)instead of the ones trying to protect from such deeds.
Im with you R.S. (Robert Spencer)lets get out of Iraq and let them all kill themselves to sleep.Allah buddy i hope you had the foresight to put an expressway into your heaven,gotta feeling your vacation is about up,you are about to shift from overtime to double time.Then again by the great inteligent being allah that gave the world the wonderful koran and the dumbass i mean the perfect prophet muhammad you knew that,huh?
Say no to hypocrites and biggots,say NO to islam.
In the kingdom of islam ignorance is bliss and they celebrate thier blissfulness,daily.
Standing in the light till the day of days.
penned by the sword of Dar al -harb
I just wish the Ethiopians the best of luck. I am not sure how far they should take this. It's possible the Arabs may send additional troops and even fighter planes to help the Islamists. I don't know how well equipped Ethiopia is to handle this.
I am sure our press will discuss how the Ethiopians are miserable people for bombing the poor defenseless Somalis. Hopefully, the Ethiopians will gain the upperhand and not worry about the bad publicity. They do have to worry about the Arabs attacking them though.