"The presence of the Ethiopian troops, whom many Somalis see as occupiers in their land..." Occupiers. And yet they will not stop fighting when the "occupation" is over. They will keep fighting until Islamic law is implemented. That, of course, is exactly the same situation with Israel and the jihad groups that threaten it, but the State Department, and Bush and Obama, continue to imagine that a Palestinian state will solve the problem there. In reality, a Palestinian state will simply become a base for continued jihad attacks against Israel, until the Jewish state is eliminated and Islamic law is implemented where that state had once been.
Somali Jihad Update. "Somali insurgents vow to keep fighting," by Mohamed Olad Hassan for AP, December 31 (thanks to James):
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A powerful insurgent group poised to take over Somalia said Wednesday it will fight until the country is ruled by Islamic law, even as Ethiopian troops who have been propping up the government packed up to leave.The presence of the Ethiopian troops, whom many Somalis see as occupiers in their land, has been a rallying cry for the insurgents to gain recruits even as the militants' strict form of Islam terrified people into submission.
But on Wednesday, the most powerful insurgent group said the departure after two years will not be enough to stop them fighting the government.
"We will not stop fighting even if the Ethiopian troops withdraw because our aim is to implement Islamic law across Somalia," said Sheik Muktar Robow, leader of the most aggressive Islamic insurgency group, al-Shabab.
The Ethiopian troops were packing up to leave Wednesday amid fears their departure will allow the strengthening Islamic insurgency to take over. But it was unclear when the thousands of soldiers would actually depart. They are expected to leave in stages, not all at once....
Note the byline of the AP report: "Mohamed Olad Hassan".
Somalis are not just fighting Ethiopians. This next was sadly predictable:
NYT--Infighting among Somalia's Islamist militants
Over the weekend, the group, the Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jama, killed more than 10 fighters from the Shabab, a rival Islamist faction that was known as one of Somalia's toughest.
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Why is Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jama fighting the Shebab? Because they consider the Shebab--what else?--"un-Islamic".
In my favorite bit, the new group is described in the article as "moderate Islamist"--you know, as opposed to "extremist Islamist".
Here's a link:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/29/MN9U1506DT.DTL&hw=rivals&sn=007&sc=669
Islamists are getting stronger in Southern Somalia. But southern Somalia does not mean much strategically. The worst it could do is hide few AQ fugitives and these are instantly sold by the locals to the CIA for couple thousand dollars per head.
The most important bit of Somalia is controlled by Somaliland which is free, democratic, peaceful and stable. Crucially it is also secular and pro US and Israel.
So peaceful and secular in fact that Islamists have recently paid them a visit with their trademark simultaneous suicide attacks killing 30 poor, innocent Somalilanders. The Somalilanders call the Islamists `Al Shayatin' which means the `Satans'
Somaliland has been seeking recognition as a seperate independent country for 18 years. Guess the European response? Go back to Somalia! I am not kidding you. And Washington's? oh well, the Euros know best about these things since they colonised Africa in the past.
Israel sympathisese with embattled little Somaliland but if it recognised it Egypt and saudi Arabia will go ape as they both hate the very idea of Somaliland because they see a united Somalia as a bulwark against Christian Ethiopia.
Result? `The Satans may eventually takeover a Red Sea territory only few hundred miles South of Eilat and Suez. Just imagine a place ten times the size of Gaza run by Islamists that make Hamas look like a bunch lily-livered hippies.
If Egypt and Saudi succeed in their plan to kill off Somaliland, my prediction above will come to pass. And Israel will have yet another enemy on on the Red Sea. Mark my words.