Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Somalia: Insurgents Defeated?


I have not been posting on Somalia recently because, quite frankly, the reporting on the situation there has been awful. Now, however, appears this headline Somalia says it has defeated insurgents.
Somalia's prime minister claimed victory Thursday over Islamic insurgents in Mogadishu, where nine days of battles using tanks and artillery left hundreds dead.

Western diplomats were skeptical of the claim. The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of damaging relations with Somalia's interim government, said the insurgents had suffered many casualties and were running low on ammunition, but were not yet defeated.
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The insurgents are linked to the Council of Islamic Courts, which was driven from power in December by Somali and Ethiopian soldiers, accompanied by U.S. special forces. The U.S. has accused the courts of having ties to al-Qaida.

The militants reject any secular government, and have sworn to fight until Somalia becomes an Islamic emirate.
I hope it's true, and also hope that the West is smart enough to provide immediate aid to Somalia as part of a plan to revive Somalia.

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