MM, ALi was the son of his time. Though what he did was not the norm, it was how many poets of his time operated. But you are absolutely right in that he lost the moral summit of that literary contest. Especially his clannish insults which he aimlessly spewed. That’s precisely the reason I think he squarely lost in many areas. The reason so many poets engaged him was not because of a particular interest of his stanzas but it was primarily out of defense of the honor of their clan. It’s not unique for some poets to resort into a wholesale dual to make a political point. I think late Khalif did the same thing. Another reason he went down as a poet without durable wisdom and left a legacy of depressing verses. Having said all of that, let us be fair and say Ali was one of the greatest poets in Somali history. If Somalis were fortunate enough to be a society of pen, his would’ve been imprinted in stone—somewhere in Hawd region. Yes he was harsh and ruthless in his literary shootout. But his were the heavy stuff—not the amateurish kind. Sharmarkow, correct me if I am wrong but that poem was the only contribution Salaan made to the Guba series. One more reason he got my vote. He defended his clan, boasted and bragged about his talents, and put down Ali’s challenge. Shuqul nin weyn; he left the scene while he was ahead. Raggeedii indeed, I say.

Sophistow, remember it’s a personal judgment of mine that Salaan won the Guba contest. Though Ali Dhuux admittedly played the lead role and served as its literary stud, he fell short in many critical areas of great moral concern. Salaan on the other hand, save his introductory verses, which were full of boastful extravaganza, came out as a measured and a rational fellow. Perhaps time had given him the upper hand. I gathered it was Ali who provoked him to participate in Guba when he cited Salaan’s clan in a demeaning metaphorical manner: Harraadkiyo ragggiii aan aqoon hawdka maridiisa Kolay Habar-jecliyo Ciise tahay waa ka helayaane’e Haweenkuna hadday doonayaan in hadoodaane.. And boy look how Salaan responded with a barrage of historical anecdotes decorated with his clan’s camel-wrestling success. You excel in the ceaseless sophistry, he seems to be saying to Ali, but the facts are not with you this time around. Embarrassingly you can’t affect a favorable change to the kin in whose grief you dwelled. Keep talking in vain, Salaan concludes, as angels record your banter. Haddaad ficil haraatiday asaad hiilin kari weydey Ma afkaad ku hawl bixin cidlaad ka hanjabaysaaye’e …………….. Iska hadal aakhiraba waa lama huraankiiye’e This is not to conclude that Salaan owned the literary thrown of that emotional contest but it’s to say he quelled Ali’s uncalled insults. Hence he won in that regard.

If this news is indeed true, then the TFG will suffer self-inflected wounds. I predict that the Sharif and likeminded MPs will either defect to Mogadishu or make Geedi’s job a complicated one: prolonged in fighting. On the other hand, this will practically give ICU a diplomatic win from the Arab world. Interesting to see how things progress from here.

^^Good rhetorical question @Mise aniga iyo nin iga diircadba damac-heshiinayna! Sharmarke, you are a literature repository. Caadi ma tihid saaxiib. These are good stuff. Keep it coming. Kashafa, I think good Baashi has answered your question.

JB, though marked by ostentatious parade of rosy scenarios, your imagination about the possibilities of life after death is nonetheless strikingly marvelous. But for a flaming atheist to entertain such possibilities is a mischievous prank. These are the stuff of the faithful: generous rewards for the believers and fitting, but unpleasant, penalties for the disbelievers. There it is. To deny the existence of the One who dispenses these retributions, on a one hand, and to naively hope for the best if He indeed exists, on the other hand, is simply unsupportable proposition. Either you believe or you don’t saaxiib. If it was because of my absence, however, that you’ve indulged into this unbecoming levity then perhaps mine was an injection of a dose of reality and good Cara’s livid response was unwarranted. Plain speech, as it were, has been my Achilles’ heel. You are a doubtful faithless who routinely questions the most fundamental tenets of your follow SOLer’s faith. I respect your curiosity and appreciate your interest but this habit of yours renders your whole effort to a no more than a ceaseless bantering. The fact that intelligent and secularly educated folks choose to believe in God whose existence is scientifically indemonstrable seems to be a source of astonishment for you and your fellow atheist. It shouldn’t be. As you happen to choose to live in a singularly secular life, so others, my good friend, happily live and enjoy in a spiritual life. It’s high time JB-yow to accept and be in sink with that reality. Cara, clearly you are fleeting with uncertainty. As I said before the topic of death and what comes next exposes atheist’s vulnerable heel. I know you would be tempted to eloquently explain it away but the fact you will die and leave everything and everyone behind must be a fearful scenario. If it is human to be desirous and wishful-thinking, it’s also human to fear the unknown and ponder the endless possibilities it may entail. You normally come across as a cautions and wary person and it’s perplexing to see you recklessly bank you future, rather liberally, on a mere if-else scheme. Are you implying that you have no control over your fate? If yes, then who has? It’s not rhetorical statement to say everyone comes merrily alone to this world and leaves in a state of a sheer singularity and disappears in a dark grave. That ultimate departure comes rather sadly for some, for others; however, it brings a joyous closure to their spiritual life. Common sense tells me that the wise would choose the latter. While he/she could, that is. Simplistic as it may sound, what is to be gained from rebelling to that common sense then, I ask.

^^Markaan Puntland waa loo baqay wallee . If this is true, it’s a clear departure of what Puntland stood for: peace and stability. Relatively speaking of course. I have been uneasy about Cadda’s utter incompetence. The ramification of this is really bad. Just do the basic arithmetic. Incompetence plus glaring immorality and the result is a calamity. But as always lets stay with questions and reserve judgment as this news is rather raw.

I gather no one is disputing death as a pending reality. What comes after death and beyond is not a matter of preference, you may agree, and hence broadcasting your first choice is utter frivolity. Considering reward and punishment beyond death and altering your acts and attitudes based on it is a matter of faith. But it’s also the faithless’ vulnerable heel. It’s natural for man to fear the unknown. That’s even truer when the stuff he fears is closely knotted with a looming reality whose certainty he painfully confesses. Death. Whether JB ends up in hell or heaven is a knowledge that I do not have. But I sure know that it’s not wise to doggedly deny the existence of something whose absence you can’t prove. It’s not bliss, needless to say, to see your fellow brother baked in hell. But reading some poster’s thoughts here, Qur’anic threats, I must attest, for severe punishments are quite proportional to the Atheist’s mulish resolve. The faithless team seems to have grown imaginary wings and flew too close to the sun…interesting to watch how close they get though.

The word is out that Mr. Raage Shiiraar and M Dheere are in Puntland. Mr Shiiraar has been seen in Boosaaso while Mohamed Dheere has been spotted in Gaalkacyo. Both men are remnant of the now bankrupt and the defeated Mogadishu’s so-called Anti-terror Coalition. Most Somalis welcomed the demise of these warlords when defeated by Mogadishu’s Islamic Courts. Good riddance, we all said. Even their supporters were ashamed to publicly admit the financial backing and military support they gave to these mercenaries. When heard reports that Mohamed Dheere and Mr. Shiiraar are in Puntland, I couldn’t help but struggle to understand the wisdom behind inviting men who not only obstructed the birth of Somali state but also attempted to enslave fellow Muslims in return of meager financial sum. Why? Could it be because Puntland is about to be used as a staging area for exporting fellow Somalis? If that is the case what are they to gain from it? Or is it possible since these men are shunned by most of the neighboring countries, interested parties want to use Puntland as a platform to organize them in a bit to recapture Mogadishu…and continue the business of fighting terror! Once again, what is in it for Puntland in that venture? Or am I reading too much in to this whole saga and the men whom I am discussing about are no more than fleeing refugees. I wish that was the case, but even if it’s why Puntland risk taking warlords whom even Ethiopia is, at least publicly, avoiding to harbor? Perhaps the ultimate question is whether Puntland is independent! It should be. It’s an invitation for a moral defeat to harbor these men. Puntland is committing a vital error if it truly intends to support them or offer its land as a staging area for them. It’s wrong and untimely, I say. What do you say?

Ma laxiibto geelaba hashi lahantay jiilaale Ku laabudan shisheeye ninkii Laxawsi moodaaye Hadba waxan lacaab riday ragbaa laastay yaradkiiye.. ^^Tells it like it is..and he had unique chioce of words. Thanks Sharmarke.

Generale, you keep talking (correctly at that I may add) about Indhacadde and the injustices he committed in the south. But I suspect that you also know that there are equally wrongheaded men in the TFG. There’s the Barre, the man whose illegal hold on Kismayo is to be soon blessed by the old man’s approval as a regional entity. Unless you resolved to disagree with these Islamic Courts you can’t be serious in wanting them to exact swift justice and solve decade old conflicts in the south. But at least I don’t expect them to legitimize these illegal gains. I am not asking Indhacade’s head and if they can peacefully wrestle control from those areas I would welcome it. The TFG and the Courts need to talk and bring some settlement to the Somali civil war. That much we agree adeer. Where we part ways is the fact that you have unfortunately fallen for these cheap cyber half-truths and refused to even give them the benefit of the doubt. You are adamant about your support for the TFG with all its questionable characters and you want to trash Islamic Courts for Indhacadde is part of it. How judicious yaa Generalle? True that the Courts are primarily from one clan but how relevant is that? I don’t believe that they claimed the control of Somalia. It’s incorrect to interpret the formation of Courts congress as declaration of government. It’s not a provocation to unite people and form a platform through which they give voice to their concerns instead of using violence. In Court's case, it’s rather necessity to avoid war and try to breach differences through peaceful means. That’s exactly what they did. The appointment of Xasan D, especially the political sagacity of it could be a point of moot. But the Courts congress was both needed and timely. Now the question of Kismayo in particular and that of the Shabbeellooyinka in general is a legitimate concern for many of us. Ideally the TFG should have seen the significance of it and instead of taking page out of Aqasim’s duplicitous tactic and resorting in to a game of political seduction, they should have appointed region’s respected elders and mandated them to bring resolution. That didn’t happen and thus the Courts have opportunity to prove that they are different. As men of religion, and when the political convenience ends, I expect them to deliver. Finally, let us hope Somalia avoids another civil war and all parts see how historic this moment really is. Let me also remind you that I can’t be more royalist than the king, and, when the bush comes to shove, my loyalty lies with the faithful rather than the clan. I suspect you would do the same.

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: Xiinoow, the Courts should not waste the opportunity to make peace with the TFG, and bring ultimate peace to the country. The same old “anti-Yeey†rhetoric will not bring peace to this suffering nation. What the courts need is to go beyond this narrow playing meadow and into a more broad thinking about the future of this country. They have a tremendous opportunity to, in good time, govern this country. Such priceless opportunity shouldn’t be wasted on the same old mindless games of “Yeey-hating†as that is becoming more and more evident. It will eventually turn into a tribal squabbling, and that is no progress ... back to square one. The ICU has done an excellent job in cleaning up Mogadishu. Let them now shift the game and work with all the parties (the TFG being first) to construct a lasting peace. The Courts, good Lion-teaser, stated their support for this TFG. They correctly see it as a framework to start with. Since Khartuom agreement, I have seen nothing that would indicate that the courts mean otherwise. With blessing of mediating parts, and as an effort to basify troubled Mogadishu, Islamic Courts established legislative assembly that encompasses all the major players of Mogadishu groupings. Some have interpreted it as declaring parallel government with the one in Baidabo! I see none of that. They promised to open Mogadishu seaport and airport. If they do, they would reach a milestone. They have shown interest to serve some justice on the shabeelooyinka and Jubbooyinka. I welcome that. They have also shown political sagacity in communicating to the interested world, e.g. UN, EU, and USA. Obviously these men want to change how things have been. Naturally some, including TFG seem to want to resist these looming changes. That’s not to say that these courts are all dandy and good. They are not. It’s to say, however, that these Courts have a chance to succeed where others failed, and we should support them toward reaching that goal. As you can see, the TFG is loosing the plot and, quite ironically, reducing it self to no more than an obstructionist entity that can’t affect progress. As you know the TFG is full of men like Aydiid Jr, Caato, and co who see these developments as a threat to their role as the sole reps of certain communities. Geedi also falls in that category as well. Needless to say that there is a persistent foreign hand that serves interest that’s not ours. But despite all of that, not to mention hostile media coverage, these men maintained their posture and stayed on message. They are making progress. Though it may not sit well with some, they determine to unite broken communities between Hobyo and Mogadishu and fully represent them, and I welcome that. See, good Libaax, either we want Somalia revived and law and order restored in those regions as we proudly supported regional entities like Puntland and alike, or we should readily admit that we are clannish beings that can’t see beyond tribal equations. We accepted criminals whose hands stained with blood for the sake of piece and stability. Why not accept these men of faith if they dared to table a solution--a rhetorical enquiry, bay the way, which you need not answer. Reaching out to the Diaspora and tabbing the help of educated Somalis is not akin to TFG bashing. Perhaps the mere mention of such names like Galaydh and Samatar spell danger to some circles. The fact that they disagree with certain policies of this TFG should not be interpreted that they are against it. Besides, preserving the TFG, though ideally is the safest outcome, should not be the goal. Reaching a reasonable framework by which Somalia could be born again should be. P.S. good to see you saaxiib.

Marka, Bravo and Kismayo are problems (opportunities!) for the Courts to handle! After Mogadishu, these robbed cities should be their target to clean and restore some justice. Given the relationship between warlord Barre and TFG leaders, Kismayo natives should choose Islamic Courts. That’s the way to go forward-------->.

Mas’uuliyiinta midowga maxaakiimta oo Muqdisho ku casuumay aqoonyahano caan ah, si ay ugu talo-darsadaan isbedelada Muqdisho Muqdisho Waxaa maalmihii u danbeeyey soo gaarayey magaalada Muqdisho siyaasiyiin, aqoonyahano & dad magaca ku leh Soomaaliya oo ka kala yimid dalalka Yurub, W/Ameerika & dalalka Carabta, waxaana imaatinka shaqsiyaadkaasi uu yimid markii ay casuumaad ka helaan mas’uuliyiinta midowga maxaakiimta Islaamiga ah ee Muqdisho oo doonaya in ay kala tashadaan qaabka ay u wajahayaan isbedelada ka jira magaalada Muqdisho. Xubnaha soo gaaray Muqdisho ayaa waxaa ka mid ah Prof. Cabdi Ismaaciil Samatar, halka xubnaha la sugayo uu ka mid yahay Dr. Cali Khaliif Galeyr, waxaana la filayaa in 15-ka bishan Muqdisho lagu qabto kulan ballaaran oo ay isugu imaanayaan mas’uuliyiinta maxkamadaha & aqoonyahanada dibedda ka yimid, iyadoo wararkuna ay sheegayaan in qaar ka tirsan xubnaha Muqdisho yimid ay qorsheynayaan marka ay ka laabanayaan magaalada in ay ka duulaan garoonka dayuuradaha oo shalay laga billaabay howlo nadiifin ah. Waxgaradka & aqoonyahanadan oo 15-kii sano ee la soo dhaafay intooda badan aan Muqdisho imaan, waxaana la filayaa in tallooyin wax ku ool ah ay u gudbin doonaan midowga maxaakiimta Muqdisho. dayniilecom @hotmail.com

Xagaygii wax dhigo haatanaan kaa xaliil jabaye ^^Raggeedii. Sallaan wuxuu ka mid yahay ragga aan sida gaarka ah gabayadooda u jeclahay. I personaly thought that he won Guba contest. Gabay waxaa jiray uu seedigii oo xoolo usoo doontay u tiriyey. Sharmaarkow kaa mahaysaa? Waxaa ka mid ahaa: Wiil labaatan kowsaday adduun waa lagdamayaane Haddaan anigu lawfari aqiin haatan lawlabaye Lixdan labiyo toban baan kormaray waana la hubaaye....

Xagaygii wax dhigo haatanaan kaa xaliil jabaye ^^Raggeedii. Salaan wuxuu ka mid yahay ragga aan sida gaarka ah gabayadooda u jeclahay. I personaly thought that he won Guba contest. Gabay waxaa jiray uu seedigii oo xoolo usoo doontay u tiriyey. Sharmaarkow kaa mahaysaa? Waxaa ka mid ahaa: Wiil labaatan kowsaday adduun waa lagdamayaane Haddaan anigu lawfari aqiin haatan lawlabaye Lixdan labiyo toban baan kormaray waana la hubaaye....

Somalia's interim government in Baidoa says it will send a senior-level delegation to the capital Mogadishu in the coming days to meet with Islamic leaders, ahead of a second round of peace talks on July 15 in Khartoum, Sudan. The speaker of Somalia's Transitional Federal Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, tells VOA that he will lead the 15-member delegation to Mogadishu. A departure date has not been set. But the speaker says the trip will take place because it is vital that each side knows what will be expected from the other before meeting again on July 15. Aden says his delegation is committed to finding ways to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Islamic leadership in Mogadishu, so that a broad-based, permanent government can be set up in the capital without bloodshed. The country's interim government, composed of members from two dozen major factions in Somalia, was formed 19 months ago in neighboring Kenya and is internationally recognized. But it has not had enough security to enter Mogadishu. For the past year, the government has been based in the town of Baidoa, 250 kilometers northwest of the capital. Its authority has recently come under threat from the country's Islamic courts, whose militias seized Mogadishu from a self-styled, anti-terror alliance of factional leaders early last month. After its initial victory, the Islamists moved swiftly to take control of other towns in southern Somalia, alarming the transitional government, Somalia's neighbors and the United States. The United States believes Muslim extremists inside the Islamic courts are harboring al-Qaida operatives, including those responsible for the 1997 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. To defuse rising tensions, the Arab League, led by Sudan, succeeded in arranging a meeting between the interim government and the Islamists. On June 22nd in Khartoum, the two sides agreed to recognize each other and to meet again in July. But soon after the agreement, the Islamic courts replaced their more moderate chairman Sheikh Sharif Ahmed with radical cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who vowed to extend the court's authority throughout the country. Aweys said he would negotiate with the interim government, but is demanding that its constitution reflects Islamic laws called Sharia. Former Mogadishu-based factional leader and current interim Minister of Interior, Hussein Mohammed Farah Aideed, tells VOA that he will travel to the capital, ahead of the delegation, to ask for clan elders' help in reining in the Islamists' ambitions. "Everybody says Sharia courts control Mogadishu," he says. "That is false. The sub-clans control. When the Sharia courts said, 'We want to control Mogadishu,' the tribes sitting in Mogadishu blocked them. I know that. The control is with the tribes." The interim government has ruled out negotiating with hardliners in the courts, but says it believes there are many moderate members, with whom it can work now and in the future. Source: VOA, July 4, 2006

^^Xoogsadow, it has become quite fashionable for some to argue for the sake of argument and to convince some sisters has proved to be a challenging task. No amount of pragmatism could sway these girls, I tell you. Last time I checked being spinster (or bachelor for that matter) wasn’t a source of fame. To the single-and-not-so-happy folks, get married before you vanish in the gloom of singledom, I say. You are living an incomplete life. If you know it and plan to change it, you are on the right track. If you don’t know that and still continue to shop in the teen’s section, however, you will probably need more lectures from Xoogga ! As far as cooking is concerned, I think it’s quite natural for girls to cook. No girl is born with it and it takes practice to perfect it. But raising objection to it defeats the purpose, I say. If some girls don’t want to do it out of antagonism against male folks, they must’ve picked the wrong function to betray. Most girls I know cook with pleasure. So as I said before get on with the program and enhance your cooking skills.

This is a very useful discussion indeed. I hope the original poster benefited from it and any confusion she might had cleared. JB, how did you fail to use scarecrow argument as a rhetorical technique? It didn’t stick adeer .

Courts and Xsan Dahir are the greatest danger to peace ^^How so? Some times words should mean something!

Single and happy? Isma raacaan! There's a gaping hole in singleton's life! That void could only be filled when you meet your calaf. How to get there is a combination of chance and knowing how to compromise. To feel satisfied with being single is accepting defeat of sort, i say.

Although it may be premature to crown Mogadishu Islamic Courts with laurels, the eviction of warlords from Mogadishu, nonetheless, is a success story whose value could only escape from the tribalist among us. Some of us have resolved to disagree with this movement from the get-go. Others have opposed them for the Courts have not met with their narrow clannish goals. Still many are willing to give these Courts benefit of the doubt: they recognize that the security mess and social breakdown caused by decades of anarchy could not be fixed overnight. Understandably, to reverse the culture of warlordism will take time. Moreover, they (the supporters of the courts) see the genuine efforts of the courts to restore law and order in Mogadishu. When the TFG at Baidabo chose to voice hostile thoughts against the Islamic Courts instead of welcoming the change, we saw how the Courts responded with words of reconciliation and peace. These courts are trying to better the situation of their people and they deserve the support of every reasonable man/woman, I say. Now it’s needles to say that Islamic Courts is not perfect entity. To criticize it, constrictively, is not akin to harboring clannish thoughts against it. To voice concerns about potential missteps they could make and point out obstacles that could hamper their effort is not clannish. Indeed it’s those who want them succeed, as I suspect sophist is, who are most concerned. Those, in my opinion, are valid concerns. Theirs are not unfounded fears. Contemporary history of Islamic movements attests to the probability of the failures their fear. Lets pray that history does not repeat itself this time. For those of you who made a peculiar habit of highlighting the failures of these Courts and are unfortunately blindfolded about this movements glaring successes, stop it and grow up I say. It’s a sheer negativity and it’s unconstructive. Realize that the courts are political reality on the ground and to hope that they just vanish is a wish that can’t be granted. So where will the ship dock? I don’t know. But I certainly hope to a better platform.

Sheekh Shariif: "Waxaan diyaar u nahay inaan dowladda federaalka la galno wadahadallo aan shuruud...? Posted to the Web Jun 18, 14:26 Jowhar (PP) - Guddoomiyaha Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga ah ee Magaalada Muqdisho Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed oo maanta ku qabtay Shir jaraa'id gudaha Magaalada Jowhar ayaa kaga hadlay arrimo dhowr ah. Sheekh Shariif ayaa sheegay in hadalkii Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya ee ahaa in maxkamadaha islaamiga ah ay aqoonsadaan dowladda uu ahaa mid aysan filayn in la oranayo, waxaase uu sheegay inay dhankooda diyaar u yihiin inay waanwaan la galaan Dowladda Federaalka Soomaaliya. "Annagu waxaan awalba diyaar u ahayn inaan waawaan la gaarno dowladda Federaalka Soomaaliya welina waxaa diyaar u nahay in wadahadal aan shuruud ku xirnayn aan la galno dowladda federaalka Soomaaliya, waana aqoonsannahay Dowladda Federaalka" ayuu yiri Sheekh Shariif oo sheegay in ay dhankooda diyaar ka tahay in la gaaro heshiis dhab ah. Sheekh Shariif wuxuu sheegay in dowladdu ay tahay hormuudka dalka isla markaana aanay ahayn wax la inkiri karo ama hadda u baahan aqoonsi, balse annagu waxaan ka soo horjeednaa go'aankii Baarlamaanka ee ahaa in dalka la keeno ciidammo nabad ilaali ah oo ka socda safka hore. Sidoo kale Sheekhu wuxuu ka hadlay maamul u sameynta Gobolka shabeellada dhexe, wuxuuna sheegay inay dhammaadeen wadahadallo lagu doonayay in lagu sameeyo maamulkaas, hadda wixii ka dambeeyana lagu dhawaaqayo maamulka Gobolka Shabeellada dhexe. Sheekh Shariif ayaan isagu haba yaraatee soo hadal qaadin dhac ay xalay u geysteen ciidammo ka amarqaata Yuusuf Indho-cadde oo ka tirsanaa Maxkamadaha xaruntii hore ee Dowladda federaalka Soomaaliya, halkaasoo ay ka qaateen qalab kala duwan.

Somalia gov't says Islamists plan to attack base. 18 Jun 2006 10:59:59 GMT More By Andrew Cawthorne MOGADISHU, June 18 (Reuters) - Somalia's interim government on Sunday accused Islamists who have become a major threat to its limited authority of lying about an Ethiopian troop incursion as a pretext to attack its headquarters. The Islamist militias, who have rapidly seized a strategic swathe of Somalia and flanked the government's temporary base in Baidoa, said on Saturday 300 Ethiopian troops had crossed into the country. That has raised fears the Islamists -- who say they only want peace -- have plans to keep seizing new territory and establishing sharia courts as they grow in strength against a weak government with little territorial control. Addis Ababa vigorously denied the invasion charge by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, head of the Islamic Courts Union that led the militias. Somalia's government said on Sunday that accusation was "absolutely baseless." "It is a new strategy that the sharia courts are using as an excuse to attack Baidoa. But they (Ethiopia) have mobilised their own border because of the changing situation in Somalia," government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said. "They have the right to mobilise their own troops if they fear trouble." Ethiopia, a strong backer of interim President Abdullahi Yusuf that was instrumental in his election at peace talks in Kenya in late 2004, has said it was watching the border closely. It has not hesitated before to enter Somalia to fight Islamic forces. Earlier this month the Islamists routed from the capital Mogadishu and other key towns a group of warlords who have presided over much of the anarchy in Somalia since the 1991 ousting of Mohamed Siad Barre. The fighting has killed 350 people in street battles since February. "I fear conflict if they will not stop their expansion and attacks," Dinari said of the Islamists. The Islamists say they have no plans to seize more land nor impose Islamic rule. Although both sides said they wanted dialogue immediately after the Islamists took control of Mogadishu, the public tone has worsened since the government approved a plan on Wednesday to bring in foreign peacekeepers opposed by the Islamists. The courts say they are willing to talk but not with any pre-conditions. "We are ready if the sharia courts recognise the government, and are ready also," Dinari said. Despite the government's international support and legal authority, the Islamists have popular support for restoring order and firm military control of the capital and other key points. The top sharia court hierarchy was meeting in Jowhar on Sunday to plot strategy with sources saying a split was emerging between moderates and hardliners, who want the Islamic militia to move towards Baidoa. "In the next few weeks, I think you will see a split -- some say we should continue the fight, others say let's consolidate what we have and seek dialogue," said one Somali analyst, who asked not to be named. Source Reuters

Islamists Sow Calm, and Concern, in Southern Somalia. Islamists who replaced warlords brought calm to the south. But some fear a religious iron fist. By Robyn Dixon Times Staff Writer June 17, 2006 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Rolling along the sandy, yellow road from the seaport to a city that has been called the most dangerous place on Earth, the most telling sign of change is a candy-striped boom gate lying askew and half-torn from the ground. Up until a few weeks ago, you approached a place like this with fear. Or you hired a pickup truck bristling with automatic weapons and skinny young warriors, their torsos draped with belts of ammunition like pythons coiled around sapling trees. But the roadblocks have been abandoned, and the militias that ran them have departed, at least for now. A murky alliance of Islamic militias has taken control of Mogadishu from the warlords who dominated Somalia's capital for 15 years. Residents say the change in atmosphere on the streets is striking. "There are no guns," said Khadija Ossoble Ali, a PhD student in conflict resolution at George Mason University in Virginia who divides her time between her Somalian homeland and the U.S. She said no one had actually ordered people to stop carrying weapons. "People just did that themselves." Sheik Abdukadir Ali Omar of the Islamic Courts Union, the alliance whose militias drove out the warlords, said Friday that there were still many guns in Mogadishu, but that after 15 years without a functioning government, people now felt safe enough to walk the streets unarmed. "Now they have confidence, they can move without guns. If they see there is security, there is no reason to carry guns," Omar told foreign reporters who had been invited to the city by the Islamic militias. The defeat of the warlords who ruled and quarreled over Mogadishu has also ushered in a seismic change in the nation's political landscape, and for the first time in years, some Somalis nurture a fragile hope for peace. Omar said the Islamic Courts Union considered the establishment of peace, stability and security its primary goals. Despite the palpable relief, some Somalis chafe at the restrictions imposed by the city's new rulers and worry that a fundamentalist Islamic state may follow. Some members of the Islamic Courts Union have imposed punishments such as cutting off convicted thieves' hands or executing killers. The rise of the ICU, a loose, clan-based alliance, has Western analysts puzzling over the divisions, power plays and rivalries within the group, and the potential for an extreme Taliban-style wing to emerge on top. Under the warlords, Mogadishu was sliced into small fiefdoms divided by roadblocks just streets apart. The smallest imagined affront to Kalashnikov-toting teenagers, who had known neither peace nor a government, often led to deadly standoffs. "Many people died by mistake, by misunderstandings and problems at roadblocks," said Abdulkadir Mohammed Nur, chairman of the Benadir Maritime Port Operation, a private beachfront facility an hour's drive north of Mogadishu. Several businessmen said they supported the ICU and counted the benefits of the warlords' defeat in the piles of Somalian shillings that once went to pay a "tax" of about $50 per truck at every roadblock. Now the ancient, battered trucks that sit around the port like weary soldiers can ply the roads all the way to neighboring Kenya without being stopped. ICU militias have taken control of much of southern Somalia and several key towns to the north. The streets of Mogadishu have been shattered by years of war, decorated with the rusty metal lace of bullet-riddled signs and shipping containers. A dull layer of dust clings to everything, and shredded plastic bags are tangled on any stick or shrub, fluttering like ribbons in the wind. On Friday, driving along roads lined with dense prickly pear into the once-stylish boulevards of the city, the atmosphere seemed relaxed, almost festive. Women moved about gracefully in their traditional full-length garments, swaying like bright hibiscus flowers in a neglected garden. But a few have begun donning black Islamic full-body coverings, with only slits for their eyes. At Friday prayers at the Kilometer Four mosque, considered one of the most hard-line, Sheik Hassan Awil protested a decision several days ago by Somalia's weakened transitional government — based in Baidoa to the northwest — to call for foreign peacekeepers, and urged the faithful to take to the streets in a mass protest being organized by the ICU. "We shall never give in to the infidels and their stooges," he said, calling on followers to "fight the enemies of Allah." "We will sacrifice our souls for our religion. For the sake of our religion, we will die," he said. But even the noisy rally of several thousand protesters organized by the ICU was peaceful and free of guns, with only a small contingent of armed guards to usher the foreign journalists to the stage and then back to their cars. Women, most of them with their faces covered, stood on one side, with men on the other, waving their arms and shouting, "No foreign troops!" and "God is great!" "Democracy go to the hell," a banner read in English. Another said, "America, open your ears and eyes." The Bush administration, concerned that Somalia could become a stronghold for Islamic militants, has allegedly backed the warlords in an effort to keep the Islamic Courts Union from taking the city. On Thursday, it convened an international "contact group" to seek ways to stabilize the country and disarm the Islamic militias. Although Friday was the Muslim sabbath, work at the Benadir port continued under the broiling sun. Hundreds of sweating men, bent under sacks of rice, toiled up the beach unloading barges. At the other end of the beach, tractors offloaded Chilean lumber, to be put on trucks and driven to Mogadishu. Piracy at sea and extortion on the roads used to add hundreds of dollars to the cost of each load. Ships were hijacked and kept hostage until huge sums of money were paid. Ahmed Moalim, 52, head of the heavy cargo section of the port, said piracy had reached the point of nine or 10 attacks a day. Just over a month ago, the port set up its own maritime security force of 150 small, heavily armed boats to escort ships in and out of the port. He credited the rise of the Islamic Courts Union for a sharp decline in crime. "Because of the courts, the pirates are now scared of being captured. We have our own army, and they heard the courts were becoming active and they know what the punishment is if they're caught," Moalim said. "I'm prepared to catch them and kill them," he added. Asked whether he was happy with the ICU, he replied, "One hundred percent." A short way up the coast, an oil tanker was unloading gasoline via a pipeline to trucks lined up along a sandy stretch of beach. Sayid Ali Moalim, 30, a slight figure with a cellphone earpiece dangling from one ear, bought his first truck at age 15 and now owns 10. He said that he ships 10,000 to 12,000 metric tons of gasoline a month but that the constant fighting in Mogadishu had made it impractical to build up a supply, out of fear it could be taken or lost in war. According to local accounts, the battle for the city that resulted in the defeat of the warlords began with a conflict over control of the road from the port. One warlord tried to seize it but faced resistance from the ICU. The resulting confrontation led to battle. "They took down the roadblocks and now the trucks can travel freely," Moalim said. "We can get all the way to the Kenyan border." In the past, the number of roadblocks on the 350-mile trip to Kenya was "unimaginable," he said, with a stop every six miles or so. "Now our profits are high and the prices will go down. The people will benefit," he said. The poor have their own reasons for supporting the ICU. For Roble Hassan, 14, shining the shoes of militiamen employed by the warlords was a terrifying ordeal. "Once when I asked for the money, a gunman shot me in the leg. Once they raped my cousin. Now they've gone away, so we are happy to live with the system of the Islamic courts. We want everybody who comes to restore security," he said. In the warlord era, getting up at dawn to trade tea on the streets was a frightening prospect for Halima Yusfu, 32, a single mother. "I feel the security now, because I get up early and sometimes the militias used to rob me. But now I don't see them around the streets." But one young man, Yusuf Mohammed, 22, said security and peace had come at a price. Ten days ago his area was taken over by an ICU militia that imposed Islamic law, or Sharia, and closed down the open-air cinemas, preventing people from watching the World Cup soccer games. "The Islamic court already banned cinemas. They interfered with our haircuts. They interfered with our style of dressing, and we feel as if we are under unwanted pressure," he said. "Now we feel peace, but it's peace without freedom." Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times. More news ---------- Ethiopian troops reported crossing border to back president. Islamic takeover seen good for Somalia business.

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