Week's toll may hit 1,000 as bombs pound Somali capital

[Castro]

By Sahal Abdulle in Mogadishu

Published: 22 April 2007

 

Shells pounded Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, yesterday, killing at least 73 people to swell a death-toll already in the hundreds after battles pitting militias and Islamists against Somali and Ethiopian troops.

 

The escalating war has also sent more than 321,000 residents fleeing in the biggest refugee movement in Somalia since the 1991 fall of a dictator ushered in 16 years of anarchy. The UN and aid agencies say the exodus is creating a humanitarian catastrophe, with diseases already spreading.

 

"I counted 20 dead in the street and on the pavement. Some were missing heads, others were so mutilated you couldn't tell if they were men or women," Suleman Mohammed said from the Al Barakah market area, where more than seven mortars landed.

 

Residents and medical staff confirmed a minimum of 73 casualties from the incessant shelling and gunfire across the city, adding to an estimated 131 others from the previous three days' violence.

 

The week's final death toll is expected to soar, and may come close to the estimated 1,000 casualties from a similar four-day flare-up at the end of March. Most of the victims are civilians. (Reuters)

 

Independent

[Castro]

Mogadishu 'is real hell'

 

21/04/2007 22:29 - (SA)

 

Mogadishu - Mortar shells and machine gun clashes between Ethiopian soldiers and Islamist insurgents killed at least 55 civilians on Saturday and swelled the exodus from the Somali capital.

 

Renewed fighting that has convulsed Mogadishu has now claimed at least 168 lives since Wednesday, according to a human rights group that tracks casualty figures.

 

Residents predicted the civilian toll would rise as many people were believed to have died in areas now cut off by the fighting. Four days of fighting early this month killed at least 1 000 civilians.

 

The Ethiopian army fire mortar and rocket rounds from the presidential palace in southern Mogadishu at several rebel hideouts, sparking a volley of retaliatory fire from insurgents, residents said.

 

"As of this evening, we have 55 people confirmed killed. But this is not the final figure, there are areas that we have not visited," said Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairperson of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation.

 

The organisation has collated casualty figures from hospitals, other humanitarian groups and bodies left in the streets.

 

He said there was also a "very high" number of wounded. "What we are seeing in Mogadishu is unspeakable, unbelievable ... it is real hell."

 

Witnesses said several dismembered bodies were strewn in the battle zone.

 

Islamist insurgents and some clan warlords have vowed to oust the Ethiopians who helped Somalia's UN-backed government in January to expel the Somali Council of Islamic Courts from Mogadishu.

 

The rivals exchanged heavy machinegun fire in several neighbourhoods, where insurgents in modified pick-up trucks and Ethiopian tanks made deadly forays accompanied by reckless shooting.

 

News 24

[Tahliil]

War bay maxeey galabsadeen....Is it all because they defeated and chased away the warlords. cleaned up their towns, and brought law and order to mogadishu and to their neighborhoods that they are being bombarded today....???

 

See this once more:

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4139134285433724955&q=Somalia+unreported+channel+4&hl=en

[Castro]

^^^^ No, it's because unlike their cousins in the Northeast and the Northwest, they're not subservient to master Meles. Of course, I'm talking leaderships here and not the people. The latter are, for the most part, all the same wherever they are: easily manipulated, ignorant and helpless.

[KEYNAN22]

Islamist insurgents and some clan warlords have vowed to oust the Ethiopians

Yeah, by attacking behind civilians and increasing the body counts of innocent somalis.

 

These losers are filled with air and pompous rhetorics, real men (atleast those men with brains) would avoid as much as possible their love ones to be anywhere close near the line of fire.

But not the Moqdishu "fighters", they obviously can't think that far, their strategy is the absolute opposite, using their logic the more you bring the fight to the living room and the family the greater success you might obtain.

 

They don't even fight for an idea, its all for the sake of fighting with no vision or plan of what they want after victory.

No respect what so ever for their mothers/sisters/elders either, the epitome of cowardism is being revealed for every day that goes, their nonsensical behaviour is and has always been unprecedented.

It's now clear that their strategy all along was about attacking behind the safe distance of women, children and elders, can't get more careless and pathetic than that!

The most funny twist of all this is that some people have the audacity to call these brainless carcasses "brave".

[KEYNAN22]

Castro:

^^^^ No, it's because unlike their cousins in the Northeast and the Northwest, they're not subservient to master Meles. Of course, I'm talking leaderships here and not the people. The latter are, for the most part, all the same wherever they are: easily manipulated, ignorant and helpless.

Puntland and Somaliland are not really subservient to Meles, it's mostly based on strategic manouvers, i'm sure Meles and Ethiopia will be sacked as soon these entities get the possibility to stand on their own feet.

The creation of these "states" are only reaction to the savagery witnessed from the capital.

As far as truth goes Meles and his U.S backing would have never had any case on Somalia had the Somalis taken care of their business internally in a smart way as soon as they liberated the country.

Had the Moqdishu people taken the chance in 1991 and governed Somalia towards the right path after the victouris ousting of Siad barre then for sure none of this would have ever happened, there wouldn't be any chance of it happening if the right coordinations were on place.

 

*********** ******** ********

 

So it's natural that the best possible civilised entity grabs the opportunity if the previous entity couldn't bare to manage the task.

______________

 

First warning: If you do not stop referring certain clans 'savage' and 'primitive,' you will follow the footsteps of others. Baliis, stop insulting some Soomaali clans and its members.

 

[ April 22, 2007, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar ]

[Sayid]

Many Somalis recall with regard on to their own horrors committed to them and would never set foot again to defend it. The sad thing is all are just looking while historical enemy is shelling indiscriminately on the innocent.....

[Socod_badne]

Originally posted by KEYNAN22:

Puntland and Somaliland are not really subservient to Meles,

 

Then why do they hop to Melez's tune at every chance to the bemusement of other somalis? How come neither of them came out to denounce Melez for his crimes against Somalis and others in Ethiopia?

 

What has Melez done for either party to warrant the "strategic maneuver", whatever the hell that means?

 

 

The creation of these "states" are only reaction to the savagery witnessed from the capital.

What brought about this "savagery" in the first place? People didn't wake up one morning and decided to take up "savegery" as habit.

 

BTW, for the better part of the last 17 years southern Somalia and the capital have been as peacefull as anywhere else in Somalia. This is what has allowed the city to grow, flourish with more hospitals/clinics, schools, universities, more primary school enrollment, greater acces to clean drinking water, more reliable power supply and higher life expectancy than during Siad years (World Bank, 2003).

 

 

As far as truth goes Meles and his U.S backing would have never had any case on Somalia had the Somalis taken care of their business internally in a smart way as soon as they liberated the country.

 

Melez's Tigreys already occupy other people's lands and are accused of horrible human rights violations. So if people minding their business in their traditional lands can be subjects of vicious and unprovoked attacks by Melez, what makes you assert he needs reasons to invade Somalia? Why not Kenya? Why not Yemen or Djebouti? They're all affected by Somalia's lawlessness.

 

 

Had the Moqdishu people taken the chance in 1991 and governed Somalia towards the right path after the victouris ousting of Siad barre then for sure none of this would have ever happened,

 

The leaders of Mogadishu, among others, asked Barre to leave the city peacefully before a single USC rebel set foot in it. Everyone knew the USC was going to take over the whole place and so to avert unnecessary suffering and fighting in the city many notable figures politely asked Barre to be a statesman and let others lead the nation for a change. Some of these leaders included respected former President Adden Cadde. No USC rebel would have set a foot in Mogadishu if Barre and his clan militia vacated the city. Unfortunately for everyone he decided to fight, reputedly saying "if I leave Mogadishu I'll take it down with me" and he got his wish. Even after getting outsted from Mogadishu Barre and his clique lingered on to terrorise and pillage communities in Bay and Bakool. Ironically Barre turned into what he chided against most: rebel leader of a clan militia with his augustly named Somali National Front. A year later after he was ousted from Mogadishu he was resoundly defeated in Afgoye while attempting to retake Mogadishu. That and the vicious power struggle (similar to Tuur vs Egal and Yuusuf vs J. ali jama) between Ali Mahdi and Ceydiid destroyed any hopes of government promptly establishing itself. Further add to the mix the US debacle and the fallout from it. Under those circumstances it was next to impossible to have any sort of government.

 

 

But the mindless carcasses started attacking the capital itself and also destructing themselves after their primitive minds had nothing more to chew on.

 

Of which calibre? Abdullahi Ciisse or Aden Cadde?

 

 

So it's natural that the best possible civilised entity grabs the opportunity if the previous entity couldn't bare to manage the task.

To be honest I never came across any Somalilander with your views. Neither have I came across any1 from Bay and Bakool regions or the Jubbas or Kilinka 5naad or the NFD. They're almost always exclusively limited to particular subsect of Somalis with ax to grind. I suggest you speak for yourself only.