Somalia Jihad Update. "Somali town captured by Islamist fighters," from Agence France-Presse:
Mogadishu - Islamist militia on Friday took control of a town in south-central Somalia after Ethiopian soldiers withdrew overnight, witnesses said.
No word on the reason for their withdrawal, either in this story, or one from the BBC. The AFP article continues:
The Islamists, who briefly controlled much of south and central Somalia before they were ousted by Ethiopia-backed Somali government troops early this year, have since been waging near daily attacks against the joint forces.
"The Ethiopian forces withdrew from the town overnight and now I can see the former Islamic courts fighters," said Mohamed Haji Elmi, a local elder.
The Islamists took over Guriel, 300km north of the capital Mogadishu, which they had previously controlled.
BBC and the Guardian did many pro-ICU stories. They provided that modicum of order, the theocracy which allows society to get going but never advance. Coming soon to a town near you! I hope the Brits find it as enjoyable in the UK as they do in Somalia.
Bad, bad bad news. Where is Ethiopia when you need them? The entire army owes its excistence to Sir Bob Geldof anyway...No?
More despair. One can only chuckle and smile. Your worst nightmare has come around and will not leave, ever.
Breezy,
Take solace in the arms of this pedagogical site and use the knowledge that Robert, Hugh and Marisol put forth on a daily basis. The truth, as painful as it seems at times, is still the truth.
Transfer this knowlwdge to all who will listen. That is the validity of Robert's hard work, and he is far from alone. Together we take our stand.
Indulge in intermittent breaks, for it is nearly unbearable to deal with this subject matter 24/7, unless you are Robert, which you and I are obviously not.
This is a long war and we need all abled bodies and minds to fight it to successful completion.
Are you game?
And, as a side note, are you from Queens?
Regards.
Ethiopia has been subject to jihad attacks from this region for a good long time. That is why they are trying to be proactive in their struggle today.
Check out the story of the muslim invader Ahmed Gragn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Ibrihim_al-Ghazi
He was a Somali who Invaded the Ethiopian Orthodox kingdom.
The wiki article has pictures of the monuments to this invader that still stand in Mogadishu Somalia today. These monuments leave little doubt about how the RoP is really spread.
Ethiopia needs help. The Portuguese helped them then, but all non-muslim nations should consider helping them now.
"but all non-muslim nations should consider helping them now.
Posted by: tger "
....all non-muslim nations should quit sticking their thumbs up their arse....they should immediately unite and pool their resources to combat a common Enemy......their first step should be to Ban Muslim Immigration...
....hmmmm....it is very easy to "capture" a town when the armed forces have left it.......
A further observation - Ethiopia, when Ayaan and her mother and sister came there after living in Saudi Arabia, was terribly poor, corrupt and in disorder. Nevertheless, she found it a better place to be.
The child Ayaan had chafed under the restrictions placed on women and girls by Saudi law. She had been repelled by the pervasive cruelty of Saudi society.
In majority-Christian Ethiopia - though there were beggars, and terrible poverty - she found something different. She writes:
"My mother's face contorted with disgust. She despised Ethiopia. But despite the beggars and the dirt, I adored it. THE PEOPLE WERE KIND. The teachers didn't punish anyone much. I had friends for the first time. We never had to wear headscarves or long robes; we could run, and did run, for the first time in years."
There is a child's perception of the difference between societies suffused with Islam (to use Hugh's phrase) and a society not thus suffused. The former - cruelty and confinement; the latter - kindness, and freedom.
@ Awake: Excellent Post!
A common calumny directed at jihadwatchers is that we love to hate.
Nothing could be further from the truth, unless hating and resisting evil is wrong.
I for one get no pleasure coming to this site except to learn and share in the company of others who understand the profound danger we face and have the bravery to resist. And some occasional black humor in the face of it all.
Half the time I come on here I'm utterly exhausted from what i have to do in my own life to support my family and keep the ship on course.
NONE OF US asked for 9-11-01. But SOME OF US aren't going to take it without fighting back!
This is for my two young daughters who MUST NEVER live under Islam's medieval yoke.
I would love for there to be NO reason at all to come to this site. I would love it if Islam was content to live side-by-side with other faiths and other ways of life, harmony and peace abounding.
Unfortunately that is not the situation in the world today. Nor (I've since learned) was it ever so on Islam's bloody borders.
Wishful thinking isn't going to make the reason for this struggle go away. Some of us are trying to deal with the reality and fight the evil.
Others prefer to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that there is no cause for alarm. Nice for them; Bad for the rest of us.