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Ethiopia clearly stands to lose a great deal if what's left of the UN-backed Somali government in Baidoa should fall. With the exception of Kenya to the south, the loss of the Baidoa government would leave it largely surrounded by hostile Islamic governments (including Sudan and breakaway nation Eritrea) and popular elements keen on strangling the country and obliterating its non-Islamic and pre-Islamic heritage.
Somali Jihad Update from AP: "Ethiopia prepared to invade Somalia"
NAIROBI, Kenya - Ethiopia is prepared to invade neighboring Somalia to defend its U.N.-backed government against what appeared to be an imminent attack by Islamic militiamen, a government spokesman said Wednesday.
The militiamen, who hold most of southern Somalia, deployed hundreds of fighters outside the town where the largely powerless government is based and said they planned to seize it.
"We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government.We will crush them," Ethiopia's Minister of Information, Berhan Hailu, told The Associated Press.
Seizing the town of Baidoa would give the Islamic militia -- which the United States has linked to al-Qaida -- the uncontested authority over most of Somalia.
Somali transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is allied with Ethiopia, and has asked for its support. Ethiopia has intervened militarily in Somalia in the past, and hundreds of Ethiopian troops have been spotted along the countries' border in recent weeks.
The Somali Islamist militants are allied with Muslim separatists in the Oromo region of Ethiopia.
Updates from AP in the past few hours report that the Supreme Islamic Courts Council militia has decided to pull back from Baidoa for the moment:
Senior officials of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council have decided to withdraw, a day after their deputy defense chief said they planned to take the only town held by Somalia's internationally recognized interim government.
[...]
Officials of the Islamic group had given conflicting accounts of their intentions after seizing the town of Bur Haqaba Wednesday and moving toward Baidoa, 40 miles away. Janaqaw said Thursday the forces would return to Bur Haqaba.
They may be offering the Baidoa government one last chance to surrender, or perhaps elements in the SICC may be pondering ways to extort money or other incentives. At any rate, "War is deception," according to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and neither Ethiopia nor Baidoa know what lies ahead for them at this point.
"Nothing will stop us from going into Baidoa," Sheik Muqtar Robow, deputy defense chief for the Islamic group, said Wednesday. He gave no timetable for an attack. He said more than 130 fighters who were loyal to President Abdullahi Yusuf had defected to the Islamic group's side.
But the head of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council's executive body, Sheik Shariff Sheik Ahmed, told local radio stations: "Our intention was not to attack Baidoa."
He said that the forces had only wanted to capture a nearby village because it was the home village of one of their officials.
Another Islamic official, Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, who heads the local militia that seized control of Bur Haqaba, had said their only aim was to persuade people to implement Islamic law in the region.
That's all? Gee, what a relief.
Posted by Marisol at July 20, 2006 7:44 AM
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One can see how islam spread in its early years. The pattern of growth is like a tumour. Now that somalia is almost a beautiful islamic paradise, they want to spread the darkness er.. light in the neighbouring regions. And they are not going to stop at Ethiopia either. This cancer wants to go all the way. Until everything is a desert like most of the islamic countries are, including afghanistan, which was lush green before the islamic hordes came in a millenia ago. Nothing is immune to them, including flora and fauna, leave alone signs of non-islamic civilizations.
Ethiopia also has a 'freedom' movement going ?
Posted by: arjun.sevak![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 20, 2006 8:09 AM
He said that the forces had only wanted to capture a nearby village because it was the home village of one of their officials..............
..
R-I-G-H-T.. I'm sure there were a lot of little girls there. And a lot of people who don't adhere to the head banging moonrock cult. They needed more militia victims/soldiers plus new breeders.
.
had said their only aim was to persuade people to implement Islamic law in the region......
Yes, there needs to be stonings, beheadings, hand and feet chopping EVERYWHERE!! People musn't do without savagery and violence.
Africa has a lot of problems without the islamics adding to it.
Posted by: freewoman at July 20, 2006 8:47 AM
"Yes, there needs to be stonings, beheadings, hand and feet chopping EVERYWHERE!! People musn't do without savagery and violence."
Brought to you by the merciful Allah and his messenger boy Mohammed.
at July 20, 2006 9:16 AM
"When will there finally be a Western leader who will identify the real enemy---Islam and Muslims? How long are we going to dance around the issue, and use meaningless expressions like "tiny minority of extremists" and "religion of peace" to pacify our implacable "staunch friends and allies" just to continue driving SUV's?"
US_infidel: In my opinion, the answer is 'until the next big event on U.S. soil.' Then the choice for the american public will be simple and clear for most everyone.
at July 20, 2006 9:49 AM
Read about Somalia's Islamist leader here:
http://www.hiiraan.com/news/2006/jun/somali_news27_4.aspx
at July 20, 2006 10:00 AM
You are not quite right. Eritrea is not a Muslim country; it is divided almost exactly fifty-fifty between Coptic Christians (with their own recently independent Patriarchate) and Muslims. However, the leading classes, including the tyrant "president" Issaias Afewerki, are of Christian extraction, and most of the more advanced urban and peasant classes are Christian - many of the Muslims are desert nomads, some of Somali extraction. The point however is that Ethiopia and Eritrea hate each other, and that Eritrea is ruled by a one-party tyranny of the most appalling Stalinist cast. It has already managed to try and force its own men on the Ethiopian Coptic Church, it persecutes other religious bodies, and it is, in general, as disgusting a Communist tyranny as any this side of North Korea. As far as Ethiopia is concerned, the result is the same: with Sudan to the west, crazed Islamists in Somalia and militant Communist aggressors in Eritrea, its choices are few and nasty. There is only one thing that goes against that: historically, the Ethiopians have always been among the finest fighting men in the world. If they had not been, they could not have fended off repeated Egyptian, Turkish and Italian assaults.
Posted by: Paolo at July 20, 2006 10:29 AM
"Nothing will stop us from going into Baidoa," Sheik Muqtar Robow, deputy defense chief for the Islamic group said.
"Well, nothing except the arrival of a proper army that we would probably lose against". The Shiek probably said.
"Anyway Mohammed and his cronies allowed us to behave in any way we like when they wrote the rules of war, oops sorry Allah(swt),Koran. So we'll go kill a few football supporters and have a think about it" The Shiek possibly said while shaking with anxiety.
"Who knows we might be able to come up with an idea to cheat em out of it! Praise Allah". He was heard muttering.
Another report might state that when it was pointed out that Iran and Syria was a little busy to come to help defend his crappy little backwater, the Shiek was heard on the telephone asking the Ethiopians if they would not mind leaving him alone for abit.
Posted by: Mert at July 20, 2006 11:03 AM
Somali islamists declare jihad on Ethiopia.
Is it just me or is the conflict spiralling very fast. Worldwide.
Posted by: arjun.sevak at July 20, 2006 12:31 PM
Arjun, August 22 is fast approaching.
Posted by: freewoman at July 20, 2006 1:45 PM
I wouldn't take their word on that date. Knowing them, they'll act before that - unless action is taken against them now.
Posted by: freetoBEfree at July 20, 2006 3:40 PM
What is bothering me is the 7 August, 06. Writing in dd/mm/yy format, we get 7/8/6. 786, written in arabic, is regarded as sacred by muslims. Some say it reads like 'allah', some say that it points to verse no. 786 in the quran that calls for killing infidels. In any case, this number is regarded VERY 'sacred' by muslims. (sacred and holy according to muslim standards). This is scaring me more than August 22, the date set by ahmamightynutjob for the reply to the world.
Posted by: arjun.sevak at July 21, 2006 1:19 AM
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