Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

A visit to charming Somalia


Since the Islamic Court guys seem to have gotten controlof the Somali pirate factions, I haven't been spending too much time on Somilia's internal struggles However, the Islamic Court guys seem to be rattling a few sabers, including declaring a "jihad" on their neighbor Ethiopia as noted here:
The Islamic courts have declared “a holy jihad war” on Ethiopia in what it being described as an Ethiopian invasion of Somali territories, threatening to launch a counterattack on President Abdullahi Yusuf’s interim government’s base in the southern city of Baidoa. In the first military counterstrike between the Islamic forces and the government forces, the latter allegedly supported by the Ethiopian army, the Islamists seized and regained control of Buur Hakaba city, which lies 30 km from the interim government’s base in the Baidoa. Earlier, an approximated 200-man joint force of the Ethiopian and Somali armies seized the city, which the Islamic forces had vacated, leaving it under the control of allied militias. However, this occupation did not last long as the Islamists quickly pushed into the city hundreds of fighters, supported by large caliber weapons, combat vehicles, and rocket launchers. Military and security sources from the Islamist militia, which has been in control of approximately 70 per cent of the Somali territories for over three months now, confirmed that they regained control of the city after a short battle. One of the militia members was killed and three others wounded as a result.

I'm a little curious about this jihad thingie, which I assumed was a "holy war" sort of deal but, in fact, seems to be something that you do pretty much when someone ticks you off and you need a religious backing for smacking back at them. So I'm declaring a jihad on my neighbor whose dog barks late at night, and at the guy across the street who mows his lawn early on Saturday morning and on the driver who cut me off in traffic and...

And, if I understand the Somali tribal culture thing, it'll be my tribe against the tribes of the offending persons.

Pretty much forever.

Hatfields and McCoys got nothing on these boys.

But I guess if you live in a few thousand miles of sand and rock you've got to find someway to amuse yourselves.

Death to ______! (fill in your own blank)

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