Originally posted by mystic: He probably got a back-eye and got his behind kicked. The only one who got a beat down is him. Don't live in that City, Live in the NorthWest of the United States. I have alot of relatives who live there thou. I would never get a black-eye from any one who supports the done for Clan Courts!!!

BY MARY BAUER Pioneer Press Friday, December 29, 2006 After news hit that Somali government forces and their Ethiopian allies marched into the capital city of Mogadishu on Thursday, Somalis in the Twin Cities flocked together — but in two camps. Many of those who supported Ethiopia's response to an "invitation" from Somalia to restore order went first to the Somali Justice Advocacy Center on Selby Avenue in St. Paul, then to a Starbucks in Minneapolis. "People are celebrating," said Abdulahi Ahmad of Minneapolis inside a Starbucks packed with Somalis. "The Ethiopians are there for our safety and order." Those opposed to an Ethiopian "invasion" gathered at the Village Market at 912 24th St. E. in Minneapolis. Men crowded around a wide-screen TV in a coffee shop, listening to news reports from Al-Jazeera. "We don't need Ethiopia," said Nimo Abraham, 54, of New Hope, who lost her father and brother to fighting between the two nations. "They are there to attack and kill our people and to commit genocide." Many, like Abraham, said decades of animosity and bloodshed between the two nations cannot be forgotten. Others said they've lost family to Ethiopian wars, too, but that Ethiopia is Somalia's best chance for stability. Emotions among local Somalis, who number as many as 25,000 in the Twin Cities, are running high. Minneapolis police were called to the Village Market on Tuesday to quell fighting between the two camps. Opinions diverge along lines of clan loyalties, religious leanings, political alliances and personal losses. Opponents of any Ethiopian role in Somalia speak of relatives cowering in their homes for fear of being murdered for a cell phone. Supporters said the looting was limited to a few hours before troops arrived. Deep divisions lead many of Minnesota's 20,000 Ethiopian immigrants to believe that any involvement by their homeland is a waste of time. "Most Ethiopians support the military but not the government," said Moges Kebede, comparing the situation to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Kebede, editor in chief of St. Paul-based Mestawet Ethiopian Newspaper, a monthly publication with reporters in Ethiopia, said many believe the invasion is intended to provide political cover for problems within Ethiopia's borders. "People are starving, people are dying because of disease, and (the government is) buying ammunition," said Amano Dube, a Champlin resident granted political asylum from Ethiopia 12 years ago. "If you ask any Ethiopian, the majority will say they're not happy about this because they ought to be helping their own citizens." Area Somalis agree it would have been better if the United States or Europe had answered Somalia's cry for help. But they disagree on whether Ethiopian aid is better than none at all. "I think this is great," said Omar Yusuf, 48, of Minneapolis. "The government will make it fair and equal for everyone." He said he hopes Ethiopian troops and the transitional government reverse the appropriation of homes, businesses and farms that happened during the 16 years Somalia was without a government. "But how will they make it equal?" said Mohamed Hussein, 38, of Minneapolis, one of the few invasion opponents to venture into Starbucks. "By force?" Hussein said many people fear the invasion is a ruse to divide Somalia into several smaller countries. Invasion supporters said Somalia needs Ethiopia's help to eradicate al-Qaida militants who flooded into the country under the six-month rule of the Union of Islamic Courts. "People were tired of Islamic extremists," said Mohamed Hassan, 32, of Minneapolis. "These people brought in foreign jihadists. People are happy this is changing." But change could bring a return of the warlords under whom lawlessness flourished, said Abdul Ahmed, 24, of Rochester. Meetings in recent days between the transitional government and Ethiopian officials with the warlords do not bode well, he said. "There will be more tribal civil war," said Ahmed, a member of the Minnesota National Guard. "The Islamists united people. Ethiopia depends on the warlords or worse." Mary Bauer can be reached at mbauer@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5311. COMING EVENTS Protest: The Somali Institute for Peace and Justice in Minneapolis is hosting a protest against the presence of Ethiopia's army in Somalia. Protesters will gather at 9 a.m. Saturday at Franklin and Chicago Avenues in Minneapolis. Debate: Omar Jamal of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center is trying to organize a formal debate between Somalians on Saturday. Details have yet to be worked out. Source: Pioneer Press, Dec 29, 2006

You guys are funny walahi. What are you guys so pissed about?

what part of Al-ittihad is finished from Somalia don't you understand?

Mr. Gedi also gave a short news conference on the outskirts of Mogadishu in which he reached out to the Somali diaspora, saying: “We need your help. It’s time to come home.” I hear the PM Gedi call mine ticket is ready.

"In A Matter Of Five Days, The So Called Weak Government Managed To Captured The Formidable Capital And Most Of Somalia" Newyork Times. NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 28 — Just hours after Islamist fighters abandoned Mogadishu, the capital from which they ruled much of Somalia, thousands of troops of the transitional government marched into the city on Thursday in a stunning reversal of fortune. The government soldiers and the Ethiopian infantrymen who have been backing them poured in from the outskirts, residents said. The only gunshots fired were long celebratory bursts into the air. In a country with such a troubled recent history, including famine, anarchy, isolation and war, a potentially viable government has suddenly emerged. In a matter of five days, the internationally recognized government, a fledging authority that had been so weak it was marooned in a provincial market town, captured the formidable capital and most of Somalia — with more than a little help from Ethiopia. The Islamists, whom many Western nations had considered a grave and growing regional threat with terrorist connections, were vanquished faster than anyone had expected, or at least removed from power. “We always knew these Islamists weren’t all they were cracked up to be,” said Abdirizak Adam Hassan, chief of staff for the transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. “And now we are where they used to be, in control of Mogadishu — well, as much as anyone can be in control of Mogadishu.” On Thursday morning, before most of the troops arrived, the city exploded in anarchy as armed bandits rushed into the streets and fragmented militia units began to fight each other for the spoils of war. Witnesses said that an intense gun battle raged around a former Islamist ammunition dump, and that clan warlords instantly reverted to setting up roadside checkpoints and shaking down motorists, reminiscent of the years of chaos before the Islamists pacified the city in June. Still, Mogadishu has been almost a holy grail for the government. For months, leaders cooped up 150 miles inland in the market town, Baidoa, had spoken of their dreams of returning to the once-beautiful (and now bullet-pocked) city by the sea. But they were blocked on all sides by the Islamist forces, which dominated most of south-central Somalia, including the capital, their stronghold. All that changed on Sunday when Ethiopia, with tacit approval from the United States, carried out an aggressive counterattack against the Islamist forces. Ethiopia sided with the government because the Islamists had vowed to invade Somali-speaking areas of Ethiopia and wage a holy war against it. By Wednesday, the Islamist military had been decimated by Ethiopian airstrikes and mass desertions. Clan elders, traditionally the pillars of Somali society, pulled their troops and firepower out of the Union of Islamic Courts, or U.I.C., after a string of back-to-back military loses in which more than 1,000 fighters, mostly teenage boys, were quickly mowed down by the better-trained and equipped Ethiopian-backed forces. “Our children were getting annihilated,” said Abdi Hulow, an elder with the powerful ****** clan. “We couldn’t sustain it.” By Thursday, government officials said, many of the Islamist leaders had fled into the thickly forested areas to the south, where the government plans to hunt them down. But there were also worries that the Islamists would wage guerrilla warfare, as they have threatened. “The U.I.C. may have decided not to fight the Ethiopians and their allies this time around,” said Ted Dagne, an Africa specialist for Congressional Research Service. But he added: “This does not mean the U.I.C. is finished. The U.I.C. fighters simply changed their uniform to a civilian cloth.” Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, an Islamist leader, said Thursday that his forces had surrendered Mogadishu to avoid a bloodbath. “We don’t want to see Mogadishu destroyed,” he told Al Jazeera television by telephone from an undisclosed location. Even before the government troops had planted themselves in downtown Mogadishu, the political negotiations began. Mr. Hulow and other elders said they had asked transitional leaders for positions in the new government in exchange for support. Ali Mohammed Gedi, the prime minister, told the elders that first he needed help in disarming the militias. Mr. Gedi also gave a short news conference on the outskirts of Mogadishu in which he reached out to the Somali diaspora, saying: “We need your help. It’s time to come home.” One group was noticeably absent from all these talks: conservative clerics, who seemed to have overplayed their cards.

Today is a great day I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight because I and the Somali nation are full of joy and happiness. Our beloved Capital Mogadishu has been liberated from Alittihad. The Somali Government has delivered. Ladies and Gentlemen Somalia has awoken up from the coma it has been in the last 17 years. Ladies and Gentlement there is only one Power in South Somalia today and that power belongs to the Somali people.

What Do You Guys Think About The Martial Law That Is Going To Be declared? Martial law to be declared in Somalia Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamad Gedi said parliament will declare a period of martial law to maintain control of the country after Ethiopian and government troops wrested the capital from rival Islamists. The fall of Mogadishu came after a 10-day offensive by government and allied forces to reclaim much of the territory seized by the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) since June. While Mr Gedi celebrated a triumphant return to his home village outside Mogadishu for the first time since 2002, he acknowledged the chaotic country was far from stable. "This country has experienced anarchy and in order to restore security we need a strong hand, especially with freelance militias," he said of the country which has not had an effective government since the 1991 ouster of a dictator. He told reporters in Mundul Sharey, a dusty village some 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, parliament would declare martial law on Saturday for a period of three months. The flight of the Islamists was a dramatic turn-around in the Horn of Africa nation after they had spread across the south imposing sharia rule and confined the interim government to its base in Baidoa until less than two weeks ago. Terrified of yet more violence in a city that has become a byword for chaos, some Mogadishu residents took to the streets to cheer government troops, while others hid. Some SICC fighters ditched their uniforms to avoid reprisals. Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said the Islamists had fled to the southern port city of Kismayu and that the administration now controlled 95 per cent of Somalia. But analysts said a government victory was in no way certain and that the conflict could be about to take another turn.

Oh yes, the sun is shining in Somalia once again!!!

Let's call it the end of Somali myham and misery.Indeed it is new era. New Somali history chapter has just began.No more warlords(thanks to IUC), and no more ragtag-she-goat-bearded-wadaad running around(thanks TFG and Meleze).And please don't you be ashamed to kiss Melez's stinking Tirgre *** because he will go down on as Somali Messiah in the history books. What about Ina yey?. Well, what kind i say, He is our Moses! and of course Gedi is Aaron(haaruun borther of Nebi Muse). For those of you mourning for the loss of IUC era, have good long mourning for I don't give rat's ***. The sooner you realize that this Government is your saviour, the sooner your mourning ends. Now if you folks don't mind, i get some breaking news to digest!

Originally posted by Brown: quote:I also hope that all those foreign fighters that came to devastate our country that the ICU brought in to just leave our country and do not blow themselves up in our cities. Yep! Let the Invading Ethiopian Army stay but the "terrorists" leave their homeland. Great idea walle Ethiopia is our neighbor and is a Friend of this Government what is your problem? Don't compare Ethiopia to the terrorists!!! Thanks to Malez , USA and the TFG for ending 17 years of anarchy. Finally , the black flag of Al-ittihad is removed and the blue -and-star Somali national flag is now raised to glory.Peace, freedom and democracy are finally on the march in somalia.We don't say allahu akbar like the jihadi wanna-bes, we say long live freedom, long live democracy and long live somalia. Secularism for today , secularism for tomorrow and secularism for ever.

Ethiopia is our neighbor and is a Friend of this Government what is your problem? Don't compare Ethiopia to the terrorists!!! Thanks to Malez , USA and the TFG for ending 17 years of anarchy. Finally , the black flag of Al-ittihad is removed and the blue -and-star Somali national flag is now raised to glory.Peace, freedom and democracy are finally on the march in somalia.We don't say allahu akbar like the jihadi wanna-bes, we say long live freedom, long live democracy and long live somalia. Secularism for today , secularism for tomorrow and secularism for ever.

I can't believe how things had changed in a snap, many news headlines around the world said: the Islamists had vanished in thin air!!Alxamdulilahi. I just can't keep up the good news, PM Gedi & other have already arrived in Mogadishu. Lets pray and hope that Somali people will sick together and help this Gov't to finish what they have been created for, peace and reconciliation, setting up next stage of democratically elected Gov't. Oh yes, the sun is shining in Somalia and the mayhem in the capital the article refers to will promptly come to an end. Those who aspire for guerilla style warfare I tell them this is neither Vietnam nor Iraq. The people of Somalia had enough with violence and it’s time to bond together to build one country. I also hope that all those foreign fighters that came to devastate our country that the ICU brought in to just leave our country and do not blow themselves up in our cities. Let freedom ring my friends throughout our country because it is a new day. What we are witnessing is the resurrection of a new nation and those who do not like it should have their devotion to their country questioned. The UIC have handed over their guns to members of their clans who support the government, this is the best situation that the government can hope for as it now looks like there is not going to be a fight for Mogadishu . I think the government did a good thing by offering amnesty to those who worked with the UIC because this is the way forward and its time to welcome the Somali Government to Mogadishu so that all Somalia’s abroad can visit their capital without fear anymore. it is time that the militia of the UIC are retrained and be part of the Somali securty services such as the police, army, ect. it is a new day for Somalia and the government that all Somalis were waiting for has finaly arrived. Somalis can now concentrate on how get ahead in terms of education, economy, healthcare instead of focusing on qabiil and everything which tore us all apart. some of our brothers and sisters are in mourning about the end of Itahad Al Islam and their friends in Somalia. Today we can finally write the long awaited obituary for those people.

^^^

Ali Mohamed Gedi, the Somali transitional government prime minister, says troops have entered Mogadishu after the Council of Islamic Courts abandoned the city. Gedi, who met with clan leaders to discuss the handover of the city, said, "we are co-ordinating our forces to take control of Mogadishu". Gunfire could be heard and looting has been reported in the power vacuum that has followed the departure of the Islamic courts fighters on Thursday. Mohammed Adow, Al Jazeera's Somalia correspondent, said the Islamic courts' decision to pull out was unexpected. He said: "They had promised the Somali people to defend Mogadishu to the last man, but this hasn't happened. "As they head for the south, the chances look very remote for the Islamic courts to assemble their fighters again in order to be able to wage any war against the Ethiopian and Somali government fighters." Power vacuum One former Islamic courts fighter said: "We have been defeated. I have removed my uniform. Most of my comrades have also changed into civilian clothes." "People are cheering as they wave flowers to the troops," said one resident of the Somali capital, adding that scores of military vehicles had passed the Somalia National University. Mohamed Jama Fuuruh, a member of the Baidoa-based Somali parliament, said: "The government has taken over Mogadishu. We are now in charge ... There will be no problems and everything will be fine." Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, confirmed that Somali transitional government forces and Ethiopian troops would pursue the Islamic courts leaders. "We are discussing what to do so that Mogadishu will not descend into chaos. We will not let Mogadishu burn," he said in Addis Ababa. Speaking for the transitional government spokesman, Abdirahman Dinari said that it had some way to go towards taking over. "We are taking control of the city and I will confirm when we have established complete control," he said. "Our forces effectively control Mogadishu because we have taken over the two control points on the main roads outside the city." Later Dinari told Al Jazeera the government had declared a state of emergency "to control security and stability". 'Old anarchy' The Islamic courts' chairman has said that his side's hasty withdrawal was a tactical move in a war that began last week against Ethiopian troops defending Somalia's weak government. One resident said: "Uncertainty hangs in the air." "My worst fear is the capital will succumb to its old anarchy. The government should come in now and take over - this is the best chance they have before the city falls into the hands of the warlords again." Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow said that local commanders have already begun taking over parts of the city. "It looks now that the government has on its hands a very difficult task in pacifying Mogadishu ... It looks like Ethiopian troops will be here for some time to come".

Mogadishu residents took to the streets to cheer government troops, while others hid. Scores of government military vehicles had passed the Somalia National University west of the city center, resident Abdikadar Abdulle said. Prime Minister Ali Mohamad Gedi arrived in the capital later and had dinner with his deputy and former faction leader Hussein Mohamed Aideed, presidential envoy Abdirashid Sed told Britain's Channel 4 television. Parts of Mogadishu shook with the sound of gunfire and there were outbreaks of looting after leaders of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) fled its base early in the morning. Some fighters ditched their uniforms to avoid reprisals. "We have been defeated. I have removed my uniform. Most of my comrades have also changed into civilian clothes," one former SICC fighter told Reuters. "Most of our leaders have fled." The fall of Mogadishu came about 10 days after the Islamists sought to march on the government base of Baidoa. That prompted Ethiopia to come openly into the war. Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said the Islamists had fled to the southern port city of Kismayu and the administration controlled 95 percent of Somalia. It was unclear what the SICC's next step would be and analysts said they could launch a protracted guerrilla campaign. Experts also questioned whether the weak Somali government could maintain security if the Ethiopians left. "The idea that the Ethiopians can just bring this government from outside, plonk it down in the capital and walk away and everything will be solved -- I think that's very, very unrealistic," Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society, told Sky News in London. TACTICAL MOVE The SICC had brought a semblance of stability to Mogadishu after chasing U.S.-backed warlords from the city in June. Residents said order had collapsed with their departure. "Mogadishu is now in chaos," Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Al Jazeera television. Islamist defense lines were routed by a joint force of Ethiopian armor and government fighters. Ahmed said the Islamists were united and determined to push out Ethiopian forces, but retreated to avoid more bloodshed. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi vowed to pursue the Islamist leaders. "We will not let Mogadishu burn," he added. While the African Union (AU) has called for Meles to withdraw his forces "without delay," he has the tacit support of Washington in his push against the Islamists, analysts believe. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the situation in Mogadishu remained pretty fluid and the United States had no observers or official presence in the country. "We don't believe that the ultimate solution to the situation in Somalia and the ultimate way of achieving everyone's goal in this, which is to have a functioning, stable government for the Somali people, can be achieved in the long run through violence," Casey told reporters in Washington. The U.N. refugee agency said on Wednesday thousands had fled and were in a "desperate situation." On Thursday it said at least 17 people died and about 140 were missing after boats in which they were fleeing capsized off Yemen. With Eritrea accused of backing the Islamists, many had feared the conflict would engulf the Horn. Ethiopia, like the United States, says the Islamists are supported by al Qaeda. U.N. experts have accused 10 nations of providing arms, expertise and men to both sides. An al Qaeda-backed group in Iraq posted a statement on the Internet this week urging Muslims to support the Islamists. The SICC has depicted the conflict with Christian-led Ethiopia, which has one of Africa's most effective armies, as a holy war against "crusaders," tapping into decades of rivalry. Source: Reuters, Dec 28, 2006 "Now Mogadishu is safe. The people are coming out... the government forces as well as the community leaders are now in full control," he said.

IT was a really nice interview. Gheedi is going to be a great leader from what I can tell. He is full of Somalinimo.

Welcome come back sky!!! used to be knowed as Milk around here when you should to come on. But now I am ....... once again Welcome back and stay tune.

That's why they call it an all out War.

Thanks for the updates waryaa.

Originally posted by Kamalu Diin: be it Somalidoon and USC/ICU basher. Right on Kamalu Diin right on! Joint the Team the winning team, no one wants to be a losser right? May I add if you can't beat us joint us!!!

Originally posted by General Duke: The minister Salaad Ali Jale said on Friday that more than 700 of the fundamentalist force fighters were killed while more than 1,000 injured by the defending TFG force. ---END--- WOW! WOW! WOW! I can't believe the Clan Courts are still around after that!!! oo well.............

Dude do you expect anyone to read that? It's like 10 pages long.

edited post...................

Khalaf I and the TFG and even the Ethiopians respect the Dead but can't say the same for the Clan Courts AKA USC. Now Taliban you dam well know what I mean there is no need for me to explain further. Mujahideens my ***!!! Most of them don't even know what they are fighting for.........lol