Somalia divides the EPRDF Indian Ocean Newsletter N° 1190 22/07/2006 The possibility of a military intervention to support its allies in Somalia is dividing the EPRDF. The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, governing coalition) is split over the idea of a military intervention in Somalia to support its allies of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The militia of the Islamist Courts Union (ICU) are preparing for military actions in the direction of Baidoa, the stronghold of the Somalian TFG and warlords who oppose the Islamists. The question of Ethiopian aid for the TFG forces is on the cards, but is dividing the Ethiopian authorities. According to information obtained by The Indian Ocean Newletter, the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, supported by Bereket Simeon, is considering a direct and decisive intervention against the Islamists. But the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Seyoum Mesfin, as well as Sebhat Nega and Abay Tsegaye advise him to take a more cautious approach. There are similar divergences within the army, with the Army Chief of Staff Samora Yunis along with some Tigrayan generals in favour of a strong intervention in Somalia. On the other hand, other generals, whether Tigrayan, Oromo or Amhara, are opposed to such intervention. They are wary that it may be exploited by Eritrea as in this case the EPRDF forces would be divided on two fronts a long way from each other. According to sources in the Ethiopian opposition, several hundreds of combatants of the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF, opposition), armed and supported by Eritrea, have already infiltrated these last few weeks via Djibouti into the Ethiopian region of ******, in the hope that an Islamist victory in Mogadishu would favour the development of their own breakaway struggle in Ethiopia. Another topic of discussion in the EPRDF leadership concerns the idea of changing the name and the manifesto of this coalition. Certain nostalgic people, such as Adissu Legesse, are strongly opposed to such a change. Meanwhile, the EPRDF is setting up a committee to celebrate the millennium (according to the Ethiopian calendar, the first day of the New Year 1999 will be on 11 September). Mulugeta Asrat Kassa, son of the late Asrat Kassa, was called to Addis Ababa from his home in London to be one of the executives of this committee. The EPRDF wants to still be in power when it celebrates the first day of the year 2000 (according to the Ethiopian calendar) and hopes that by that time the unrest in the opposition will have dissipated. Particularly as the big shots have not entirely cut off links with the radical opponents. Hence, the Norwegian authorities have passed a message to open negotiations on to the government in Addis Ababa, from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD). Meanwhile, the Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Girogis, currently undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia and whose mandate ends in October, could be replaced by the present Minister for Water Shifferaw Jarso.

Indeed very colourfull!Not only wadaado, but the whole city is in celebratory mood, Ilaahaa mahadleh. We know Ethiopia and its alies the west does not want to see united Somalia, also Kenya is also coming out of the closet. May allah unite Somalis and Muslims as well agains the shirqool of the enemy of Allah.

Islamists close in on Somalian government By David Blair in Baidoa (Filed: 14/07/2006) The ruined town of Baidoa, where ragged gunmen roam bullet-scarred streets, is Somalia's alternative capital. Pulverised buildings, choked with weeds, house the country's official government, which has a president, cabinet and 275-member parliament. Somali Islamic fighters in Baidoa Barely 150 miles away, Islamist extremists have seized most of Somalia's real capital, Mogadishu, and the surrounding territory. Baidoa, where the "transitional federal government" clings to notional power thanks to international sponsorship, may be the Islamists' next target. It took 14 peace conferences to create this threadbare administration and, until last year, fighting prevented it from even entering Somalia. The government has spent only four months in Baidoa - and already the clock is ticking. Hussein Mohammed Aideed, the deputy prime minister, said the Islamists "pose a real military threat not only to Baidoa but to our neighbours". He added: "I don't think our government has the capacity to withstand the forces now being massed in Mogadishu." Only some 3,000 motley militiamen are loyal to the Baidoa administration. Mr Aideed, who is also interior minister, has recommended evacuating the government. He advised Abdullahi Yusuf, the transitional president, to leave Baidoa during a meeting of the national security council on Sunday. "If I was the president I would have got out of here," said Mr Aideed. "But he is a military man, he will not relocate easily." So far, Mr Yusuf has declined to move his administration to his home region of Puntland in northern Somalia. But Mr Aideed predicted that an Islamist assault on Baidoa would come in a "maximum of one or two weeks". He added: "Already there are training camps hidden near Baidoa. They will bring weapons, stockpile them inside the town and create insecurity here. " The Islamists, styling themselves the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts, captured most of Mogadishu last month. If Baidoa falls, they will have eliminated their last significant rival in southern Somalia. The way will be open for them to control a strategically vital area bordering Ethiopia and Kenya, containing dozens of ports and airstrips. One of the Islamist leaders, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, appears on an American "wanted list". He was linked to a Somali militant group, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, which may have aided the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Western governments fear that an Islamist takeover of southern Somalia risks creating a haven for al-Qa'eda terrorists. The anarchic country, which destroyed its central government when President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, is already believed to harbour several al-Qa'eda suspects. But the Islamists have significant popular support. By imposing Sharia law, they have brought a semblance of order to Mogadishu. One of their last warlord opponents surrendered his forces in Mogadishu on Monday. Control of the port was handed over to the Islamic forces on Wednesday after heavy fighting, while gunmen affiliated with two warlords turned in arms caches yesterday. Mr Aideed, 44, who spent 10 years in the US Marines and holds dual American-Somali citizenship, blamed American errors for the rise of the Islamists. By funding a coalition of warlords to fight terrorism, the US made it easier for their Islamist opponents to raise money in the Muslim world, he said. America also failed to build the army, police and intelligence services of the transitional government, he claimed. Some 1.7 million Somalis rely on international aid. If Baidoa falls, the relief effort could be threatened.

Good news. This is the property of the Somali nation and anyone who lives from Raascaseeyr to Raascaambooni should expect to benefit the opening of the port.

Yesterday he said Maxkamadaha don't even control 20%of Mogadishu. Walaahi A/Yusuf needs to sack this guy ASAP or is he ok with his off key comments? Dubad sxb, Geedi or Yusuf, both are criminals that have no credebility in the eyes of the Somali people thats why they desperately need outside force.

If anything, to want this man gone and out of the picture is for one to love their own people. [/quote I get where you are going with this, laakiin don't embarrass yourself (in fact we go as close as sub-sub clan)- but woman, not everybody is busy aligning themselves based on qabiil. Some of us are more civilised . Very well said Lets keep it civilized and respect one another. This is the end of an era of a short lived Fake Islamic Courts rule. Huuno you dont mess with Qeybdiid and live to tell the story. Recently the talk from Riyaale house was, "its good news for "Somalilands'" bid for recognition as long as south stays unstable and in the hands of ruthless warlords aka Qeybdiid like warlords, Xaragoos new favourite star.

Sxb C/Qeybdiid is a coward who always uses the tribal card for personal gains and the time is right to take him out.

What After Somali's Courts-Government Deal? Date Monday,Jun 26 ,2006 Time Makkah From... 08:00...To... 14:00 GMT From... 05:00...To...11:00 Name Amad - Ethiopia Profession student Question I have very reliable sources indicating that Ethiopia will do anything, literally anything to defeat the possibility of Islamic Administration taking roots in Somalia because it fears the same might happen in its Oromia and ****** regions. What is the Union of the Shari'a Courts doing to resist Ethiopia's attack? Are they prepared for that? Answer what we are ready is for good neighbourhood, but when it comes for an attack the whole Somali society is ready to defend both its faith and country. Name Muhammed fadhl allah - Italy Profession Question Could you mention the outcome of the deal signed by the Islamic Courts and the government in Khartoum? and what will be the power's division for each side ? Answer Thank you for your question, and your interest of Somali affairs. the agreement was just a beginning one the details will start later in July 15th. There are four basic rules agreed: 1.To recognise one another, the government and the Islamic courts that they are two powers existing in the country. 2.To stop radio propoganda. 3.To start negotiations without conditions. 4.To meet again on July 15th in Khartoom, to reach final agreement. Power share will be discussed later in the next meeting. Name Ali Idrissy - Austria Profession Question Are there communications between US and Somali's Islamic courts regarding handing over what Americans say Al- Qaeda suspects? Answer Thank you for your question and it's very important question. Americans have used to claim that there are some Alqa'da suspects in Somalia and there are no proof about that yet. It was just before Khartoam meeting that the Amerca's deputy of foreign ministry for Africa miss Freizer mentioned the names of three individuals. I'm prooving that those individuals are not known in Somalia and not hiding. We invited The Americans to come and investigate freely. We believe that is just like Iraqi nuclear allegations. Name Zahra - United States Profession Student Question Assalamu aleykum Sheikh, I think that Islam in government is a great thing, but what is your opinion on the islamic leaders that are coming to power in Somalia? How do you think their leadership will change Somalia? JAK Answer Islamic leaders to come to power to somalia is the best way because they have idealogies. It will bring peace and stability becauce we are muslim society and muslim people. Name salamy muhammed - Profession Question Did Arab League succeed to bring unity in Somalia after sponsoring the agreement between Somali factions? and do you rule out a further US intervention in Somalia after failing to put its foot there ? Answer If you mean Khartoom conference between the goverment and the Islamic unions,that is just a beginiing and we cannot say it has succeeded we will know that later in July conference. But we thank the Arab league whom we are a member of. If we talk about American intervention: It is possible to intefer politicaly but I don't think that Americans will send any other troops after 1993 failure. Name Maulay Muhammed - Ethiopia Profession Question How does Islamic Courts in Somalia ensure that it is moderate and eill not act like Taliban? Answer We are ensuring to the international community that Islamic courts in Magadishu are not like Taliban and will not behave the same as fomer Taliban for many reasons: Somali islamic courts are composed of different sectors of the society,like doctors,teachers and returnees from the Diaspora. A good example of that is the the delegation they sent to Khartoam consisting all corners of the civil society. Name Abdulrasheed Abubakr - Bahrain Profession Question Which side will rule Somalia.. the interim government or Islamic Courts Union? Answer Now the islamic courts countrols south somalia except Biodopa. but, they will control the somalia both the government and the Islamic courts after july agreement if Allah wills. Name Ejaz Khan - South Africa Profession Producer - Radio Station Question We would like to interview an english speaking member of Islamic courts on our Radio Station, Channel Islam International, is it possible ? Answer Thank you we would like to give an interview with radio. when you become ready give us the notice through Islamonline. And also we have your E-mail. thank you Name Musadiq - Chad Profession Question Do you expect that Islamic Court's militia will join the army with the Government militia ? Answer It depends on after the agreement on 15th july in khartoum.

Its the end of weak Tigrean regime if they try to enter Somalia.

BEIJI, Iraq - A group of American soldiers in an insurgent-riddled town allegedly noticed a young Iraqi woman when on patrol and later returned to rape her, according to U.S. officials Friday. In an apparent cover-up attempt, she and three members of her family then were killed and her body was set on fire. Five U.S. troops are being investigated, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press. It is the fifth pending case involving alleged slayings of Iraqi civilians by U.S. troops. The suspects in the killing, which took place in March, were from the same platoon as two soldiers kidnapped and killed south of Baghdad this month, said the official, who is close to the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. One soldier was arrested after admitting his role in the alleged attack on the family, the U.S. official said. The official said the rape and killings appear to have been a "crime of opportunity," noting that the soldiers had not been attacked by insurgents but had noticed the woman on previous patrols. One of the family members they allegedly killed was a child, said a senior Army official who also requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Some of the suspects allegedly burned the woman's body to cover up the attack, the U.S. official said. In Baghdad, the U.S. military issued a sparse statement, saying only that Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged slaying of a family of four in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad. However, the U.S. official said the soldiers were assigned to the 502nd Infantry Regiment. The official told the AP that the suspects were from the same platoon as two slain soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found June 19, three days after they were abducted by insurgents near Youssifiyah southwest of Baghdad. The military has said one and possibly both of the slain soldiers were tortured and beheaded. The official said the mutilation of the slain soldiers stirred feelings of guilt and led at least one member of the platoon to reveal the rape-slaying on June 22. According to the senior Army official, the alleged incident was first revealed by a soldier during a routine counseling-type session. The official said that soldier did not witness the incident but heard about it. A second soldier, who also was not involved, said he overhead soldiers conspiring to commit the crimes and then later saw bloodstains on their clothes, the official said. Before the soldier disclosed the alleged assault, senior officers had been aware of the family's death but believed it was a result of sectarian violence, the official said. One of the five suspects has already been discharged for unspecified charges unrelated to the killings and is believed to be in the United States, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The others have had their weapons taken away and are confined to a U.S. base near Mahmoudiya. The allegations of rape could generate a particularly strong backlash in Iraq, a conservative, strongly religious society in which many women will not even shake hands with men who are not close relatives. The case is among the most serious against U.S. soldiers allegedly involved in the deaths of Iraqi civilians. At least 14 U.S. troops have been convicted. Last week, seven Marines and one Navy medic were charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an Iraqi man near Fallujah west of Baghdad. U.S. officials are also investigating allegations that U.S. Marines killed two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians Nov. 19 in the western town of Haditha in a revenge attack after a fellow Marine died in a roadside bombing. Other cases involve the deaths of three male detainees in Salahuddin province in May, the shooting death of unarmed Iraqi man near Ramadi in February, and the death of an Iraqi soldier after an interrogation in 2003 at a detention camp in Qaim. The allegations have aroused public anger against the U.S. military presence at a time when the new Iraqi government and U.S. authorities are trying to reach out to disaffected Sunni Arabs to quell the insurgency and calm sectarian tensions. On Saturday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki leaves for a whirlwind trip to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to seek support for his national reconciliation initiative, which includes an amnesty for the mostly Sunni insurgents. Al-Maliki is also expected to brief the Sunni leadership of those three countries on his efforts to deal with the divisions between Shiites and Sunnis. Iraq's neighbors in the Persian Gulf fear sectarian tensions will spill over into their countries, which are dominated by Sunnis but have large Shiite minorities. On Friday, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rejected al-Maliki's initiative because it does not include a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops. "We demand the occupation forces to leave the country, or at least a timetable should be set for their withdrawal," al-Sadr said during a sermon. Despite al-Maliki's efforts, there has been no letup in Iraq's violence. The U.S. military reported four more American service members have died, including a Marine killed Friday in fighting west of Baghdad. Three Army soldiers died in combat the day before, the military said.

^Cajiib, dadkan ineey Dirty Amxaars kaa xoreeyaan ayeey rabaan.

Somali Islamists suggest talks with Ethiopia over territorial dispute 06-28-2006, 16h26 MOGADISHU (AFP) Powerful Somali Islamists have suggested talks with arch-foe Ethiopian to resolve a lingering territorial dispute thas has been a source of animosity between the two impoverished Horn of Africa nations. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the supreme leader of Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts that controls swathes of southern Somalia including the capital Mogadishu, said Wednesday he was ready to "negotiate" with Ethiopia on the status of the contested **** region. "We are ready to negotiate," he told AFP by phone from central Somalia's Galgudud region, where he has been establishing Islamic tribunals. Relations between the countries have been frosty since they fought in 1977-8 over the ownership of the barren **** region(*Somali galbeed*) in southeastern Ethiopia, which is largely inhabited by ethnic Somalis who claim that the land was handed over to Ethiopia by the former colonial powers. "Ethiopia mistreats the Somalis under their administration. The land was given to them by colonialists and we will seek justice to resolve the crisis that is dividing the two countries," Aweys told AFP. "The land taken by Ethiopia cannot be forgotten because it is attached to our blood and nationalists," he said, referring to troops and civilians who died during the 1977/78 war. In the past Addis Ababa has accused factions in Somalia of fueling tension in the ***** region,(*Somali galbeed*) a dry belt that is believed to be lying on large quantities of gas, but further exploration is needed to verify the exact amount and develop the fields. On Tuesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi accused arch-foe Eritrea and Somali Islamists of destabilizing the Horn of Africa and warned his country would defend itself against any threat. Since the Islamists routed US-backed warlords early this month, Ethiopia has reinforced its defences along the border with Somalia and warned the Islamists against provocation. Analysts have said that efforts to settle the border dispute faces challenges, notably because Addis Ababa is a key ally of Washington in its "war against terrorism" and the Somali Islamic supremo Aweys is a hardline cleric who has been designated a terrorist by the United States. In addition, Ethiopia supports Somalia's largely powerless transitional government, which is at odds with the Islamists, they add. AFP

Beware, From Mogadishu to Miami Al-Qaeda now Wears a Black Face The Monitor (Kampala) COLUMN June 27, 2006 Posted to the web June 27, 2006 By Vukoni Lupa Lasaga/Third Eye Open The television footage of keffiyah-wearing members of the United Islamic Courts (UIC) prowling the streets of Mogadishu with AK-47 rifles has caused something of an earthquake in Washington DC. But the Americans have only themselves to blame for finding themselves on the wrong side of history 13 years after they abandoned Somalia. The country is what it is today partly because of the myopia of U.S. policy makers. That short-sightedness was in plain view once again when the Islamic Courts militia routed the CIA-financed armies of the discredited warlords. Meddling in the affairs of other nations is bad enough, but when it is so ineptly done by a country with the resources that the U.S. has, the result is more than embarrassing. It is pathetic. What's even more astounding, the Islamic Courts provided an escape hatch for the U.S. State Department, writing twice that they were not terrorists but only wished to bring peace and security to their land. Which is a fair thing to ask for. But the U.S. is now issuing more threats against the new rulers of Mogadishu. Before the world fully digested the absurdity of the U.S. sponsoring the very warlords whose forces had shot the American army's Black Hawk helicopter down in 2003, the FBI was making a spectacle of itself on national television. So, I had the surreal experience of watching television and finding that from Mogadishu to Miami, Al-Qaeda now wears a Black face like mine. All this happened because last Friday, Americans woke to the news of crime-busters announcing that they had foiled a terrorist plot to blow up the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the country, and the second tallest in the world. Not that Black folks cannot plan or execute terrorist acts. But the strange thing in this case is that the suspects had neither arms nor bombs. They were not even militarily trained, although it seems they were dabbling in some martial arts training. As a result, many African American media outlets are scoffing at the charges leveled against the suspects by the Justice Department. The online Black News Weekly said: "They didn't have any money! They didn't have a plan! They didn't have guns or bombs; in fact they are poor Blacks trying to live a decent life in a racist country. My God -- the seven young men can't even spell Al-Qaeda -- and they didn't even have shoes!" That much may be true, but prosecutors have been quick to arraign the alleged plotters in court. Very quickly, much of Black America has dismissed this case as good old racism looking for an excuse to bust some Black *** . Already, allegations are swirling that the Miami arrests are a media diversion from Bush's low ratings in opinion polls. A friend wrote to me, pointing out that armed and dangerous white hate groups have been given free rein by the Bush administration. The Miami mafia is so tame when compared to these Aryan groups that snurtured the white terrorist Timothy McVeigh and his murderous band of delusional but deadly white supremacists. These groups run riot around the United States, openly training militias, trading bomb-making recipes, and buying powerful assault rifles at gun shows without any background checks exposes the real agenda driving the so-called war on terror. This isn't the first time that terrorism has won a Black face here. For example, Zakaria Moussaoui, the Black Morrocan, has been controversially convicted for being a mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Some of the inmates at Guantanamo Bay are or were Black. A year or so ago, two African American brothers were arrested in Manila, Philippines, and paraded before the cameras as supporters of Al Qaeda. But the Miami case is the first one in which a band of brothers within the United States have been arrested on terrorism charges. The way this situation is unfolding, Africans would be unwise to assume that all is well in their world -- that Somalia is a fluke, and no more Blacks will be summarily arrested without proper prosecutorial evidence. Although only a tiny fraction of the African elite shows any sense of awareness and concern, Black people on the mother continent are very much on target too. The CIA's counterproductive activities in Somalia are a symptom of expanding U.S. meddling in Africa. Sooner rather than later, the African Union will have to prove its relevance by making a declaration on keeping foreign troops (with the exception of properly vetted UN missions) away from the African soil. African outposts Diego Garcia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are already hosting U.S. bases. The Pentagon is furiously scouting for places in West Africa from which the U.S. military can launch rapid reaction to any threats to the empire's interests on our continent's Atlantic coast. Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe are now earmarked as prime candidates for U.S. bases in that region. The pattern is clear. Target small, autocratic, or dysfunctional African states. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, which have been appropriated for the Euro-American imperial project, Islam is proving to be a very powerful tool of counter-hegemony. The U.S. establishment's response to this development is so paranoid that it instinctively opposes any political movement that floats an Islamic banner. All militant, political, or socially conscious Islam is now conflated with terrorism or Al Qaeda regardless of the casus belli. This is a replay of the Cold War framework, except that Islamic terrorism has replaced the communist bogey. In this poisoned atmosphere, to be classified correctly or wrongly as Black and Muslim is as deadly as it once was to be Black and Communist. --

^Atheer, try harder.

Duke, USA and Ethiopia, who else will protect your ailing uncle.

Somalia: We Call the President Withdraw His Militiamen From Bay And Bakol - Clerics June 23, 2006 Posted to the web June 23, 2006 Mogadishu Religious and intellectuals from Bay and Bakol Regions have vowed President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed to withdraw his militiamen from the area otherwise will meet dreadful consequences. In a press release here at Mogadishu after intensive meeting, intellectuals urged Somalia government members from Bay and Bakol regions to stop supporting the evil acts against their fellow whom for the sake of them gained ranks including Ministers and lawmakers. "We are very sorry about the killings and other inhumane acts by the militiamen from punt-land in bay and bakol regions" the press release read. "The people in Bay and Bakol regions have welcomed the government with olive branches but unfortunately they are dealt with inhumanely in return" Molain Osman Sheik, one of the Intellectuals said. "They have killed elder, business men and other innocent civilians indiscriminately" he added. "We call them to leave Bay and bakol regions other wise the matter will be dealt as they need" he said Relevant Links East Africa Civil War and Communal Conflict Somalia They also said that the idea of foreign troop's deployment in the country is some thing they disagreed vowing an Islamic court should soon be implemented in the area. In their press release the intellectuals also condemned the closure of Radio Shabelle Station in Baidoa by the government and asked the radio must regain its rights back and transmit programs. Finally they asked justice for the recent victims saying Abdulahi Yusuf should bring those assailants otherwise he will meet a blow.

Is Warlord AbdiQeybdiid[the criminal who was once arrested in Sweden]behind the the killing of the Swedish born journalist? Read this article. http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0606/article0606231.htm

Very ugly seen I must say. The bullet killed only the intended target. Abdi2005, another possible killer could be the guy with the cow-boy hat or sniper from near by buildings.

By Hassan Tahsin Arab News, June 23, 2006 Any casual observer of international developments understands that the United States seeks to take full control of the world in the guise of promoting democracy and peace or fighting terrorists. Such an observer will also note that the US has not only failed over the past several decades to resolve international disputes but has created new ones through its unreasonable foreign policies. Its war against North Korea about half a century ago turned out to be a colossal blunder. Worse still, North Korea later emerged as a major arms producer including nuclear warheads. The war the US launched in Vietnam was invariably the most catastrophic and shortsighted — causing untold miseries to the people of the region as well as in the US. The US strategy in Lebanon and East Timor also proved to be total failures. The American administration coerced Indonesia to cede the Christian-dominated Far Eastern island as though it was the only solution to the issues plaguing the region. Now the region is passing through a deep internal strife. The US has also been encouraging the Christians of southern Sudan to break away from Sudan, besides attempting to blow the Darfur issue out of all proportion. There are two objectives behind this strategy: First, to pave the way for external intervention and second, to separate the region from Sudan. The US had intervened previously in Somalia both militarily and politically and later fled the country after plunging the land into a state of utter lawlessness. The US intervention in Afghanistan has only made things worse there. Iraq is the latest in a line of failed US adventures. Despite the elimination of Al-Zarqawi, a symbol of international terror, the US has begun to realize the truth that it has failed in Iraq. The hurried installation of a government will provide the excuse for the US to exit if it really wanted to do so. The failure of the US policy in Somalia has been sealed with the Islamic Courts Union gaining control of Mogadishu and defeating the US-supported warlords. The warlords were never been in a position to form a government even if the US wanted them to do it. Reacting to the recent developments in Mogadishu, President George Bush spoke as though the events were taking place in Washington. Expressing his fears about the Islamic initiative, the president said he would devise plans to confront the Islamists and pre-empt any possibility of the Somalia becoming an “Al-Qaeda havenâ€. The US has been playing an extremely dangerous game in Somalia throwing to the wind all international conventions by supporting the warlords to foil the efforts to restore peace in the land. While keeping its own soldiers safe from the quicksand of Somali politics, the US is virtually making it impossible for any group to form a strong central government. Warlords have no code of conduct and behave as they want to pave the way for the disintegration of a Muslim nation — something the US devoutly wishes. President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo Republic, the current head of the African Union, has criticized the US for its support to the warlords that would only prolong the miseries of the people of that country. The AU chief expressed the hope that Washington would support the Somali people and not the warlords. Somalia has been thrown into a state of chaos since 1991 after President Siad Barre was forced to step down. Many wonder why the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, is not making any effort to stabilize the country. The situation has been allowed to worsen because the world body has been behaving as US lackey. Though the initial objective of the Islamic Courts Union founded by Shareef Sheikh Ahmad in 2004 was to provide the people with essential services such as education, health etc., it has to enter the politics with the intention of saving the country from total collapse. Washington has rejected the ICU government because the union derives its strength from the Islamic ideology. The US justifies its hostile stand saying that the ICU government would threaten Somalia’s Christian neighbors Ethiopia and Kenya. While most of the US strategies put in operation with the ostensible aim of establishing peace and promoting democracy were bound to fail, all its plans to attack Muslim nations have, unfortunately, been very successful. But this is not because of the brilliance of the US policies but because of the negative and shortsighted policies of the Arab and Muslim leadership. Hassan Tahsin, hassan_tahsin@hotmail.com

Booming time @ Elm'an port Boys play football on the beach at El Maan port, just north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu source:bbc.com

Somalis relieved at warlords' defeat By CHRIS TOMLINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER The chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, left , has talks with the ambassador of the Arab league to Somalia, Abdalla Mubarak,Wednesday, June 21, 2006 in Mogadishu. Representatives of Islamic leaders who are consolidating control over the Somali capital and much of the rest of the south flew out Wednesday for Arab League-mediated talks with the country's transitional government. Sudan, current chair of the Arab League, was mediating and hosting the talks, said Abdi Rahiin Iise Adow, an official with the Somali Islamic group.(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor) MOGADISHU, Somalia -- For a Mogadishu port worker, an Islamic group's takeover of most of southern Somalia means he can haul cargo without fear of rampaging militiamen. At the other end of the economic scale, a Coke executive is just as eager to grasp a chance at normalcy in a country that has known little but violence for more than a decade. The Islamic militia's victory this month over the warlords who controlled Somalia's capital for 15 years has brought together clerics interested in enforcing Islamic law, secular business people looking to reach international markets and civic leaders anxious for an end to chaos. But no one can say for sure what will come next. In Mogadishu, supporters of the Islamic Courts Union, the umbrella group behind the militia, reject comparisons with the Taliban, the hard-line Islamic militia that united Afghanistan and gave refuge to Osama bin Laden. The union's leaders deny U.S. accusations that some members have been harboring al-Qaida suspects. Instead, they describe a popular uprising against the warlords, who had divided the capital. When the warlords began fighting again, the people called on the Islamic courts, which had for years provided the only semblance of law and order in Somalia, supporters said. "There was no other option," said Khadija Ali, a Somali-American doctoral student in conflict resolution at George Mason University who spends part of the year in Somalia. The president of Somalia's weak transitional government, Abdullahi Yusuf, and representatives of Islamic militias that control most of the warn-torn country arrived for peace talks in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday under the auspices of the Arab League. "The goal of this meeting is to save Somalia," Amr Moussa, the head of the Arab League, told The Associated Press. He said a one-day meeting is scheduled for Thursday. The Islamic militiamen's rapid advance across most of southern Somalia surprised even them, said Ali, who has been advising the courts union on international relations. "These guys were not prepared for this change, they did not have a plan, so it is overwhelming," she said. "They don't have much experience internationally, so they don't know what the West expects them to do." For the most part, Somalis have welcomed the elimination of roadblocks manned by drug-addled teens who extorted money on warlords' orders and robbed, raped and killed with impunity. Elmer Mahmoud Mohammed, a 52-year-old worker at El-Maan port, said he was thrilled that the warlords and their militiamen were gone. "It is much better, it is quiet, there is no war," he said, standing on the beach where almost all of Somalia's imports are brought ashore by small barges and more than 10,000 laborers. At a new $7 million Coca-Cola bottling plant, acting general manager Mohammed Hassan Awale said the end of the warlord era was good for business. "Before we had gunmen accompanying our distributors, now no guns are needed," he said. "If there is peace, there is opportunity for work, for business and people will have money to buy Coke." The chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, has said the group does not intend to form a government. "The final solution is with the Somali people, they are the ones who are responsible for the future," he said. On Wednesday, he sent delegates to Arab League-sponsored talks with the U.N.-backed transitional government based in Baidoa, 155 miles northwest from Mogadishu. Many Somalis expect little from the Arab League initiative because their weak transitional government and the Islamic leaders have taken sharply opposing positions. Somalia's transitional president has claimed the courts union is backed by international extremists, echoing U.S. accusations some of its leaders are linked to al-Qaida. "We have to make concessions for the common good of Somalia," Ahmed told The Associated Press. But he said his group will not accept government plans to welcome foreign peacekeepers. However, there are many fault lines in Somali society. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Many Somali clerics disagree on the proper interpretation of Islam. And there is also a wide gulf between the elite with foreign passports and the poor who are happy if they can manage a meal a day. The courts union so far has appealed to almost all of them. But in a country where anarchy and violence have been the norm and many issues remain unresolved, most Somalis are waiting to see whether the country returns to civil war. Ali said the international community must demand peace talks that include the transitional government, the courts union, the business community and civil society. Now that the warlords have been defeated, all Somalis must work together to form a new government, she said. The courts union "couldn't do anything without the business sector and civil society. Now the movement should have the face of all three sectors of society," she said. "If it is only the Islamic courts who have power, then the radicals will succeed." Ali said she has been trying to recruit business people and civic leaders to join the courts union, but it's been difficult. "I talked to some of my friends in civil society and they say, `I run a non-governmental organization, I don't want to get involved in politics,'" she said. "I say to them, `This isn't about politics, this is about survival, this is about saving Somalia.'"

^^ Call it exploitation or shaqo la'aan, but the fact remains, warlords including warlord Yusuf and their Amxaaro masters will not be allowed to keep us hostage anymore. ^Amxaaro lovers bring yur masters and yourselves to the battleground.

Adaa cirka roob ku og if you though warlord Yusuf cares about Somalia.