Somalia
Somalia doesn’t make the news cycle too often, but it probably should. It is currently the 3rd most important front in the Islamic War, behind Iraq and Afghanistan. Somalia has been in a state of civil war for more than 15 years and recently it was almost taken over by a group of Islamic fundamentalists known as the Islamic Courts.
The Islamic Courts is similar to the Taliban. It is a group dedicated to re-establishing the caliphate and ruling it under Sharia Law. It wants to spread Islam worldwide through force and coercion.
The Islamic Courts took control of most of Somalia over the summer, including the capital city Mogadishu. I remember Mogadishu as the place where an American helicopter (“Blackhawk Down”) was shot down in the early 1990’s and the bodies of American soldiers were dragged through the streets. This was my first introduction to al-Qaeda, but I didn’t learn the name until September 12th, 2001.
Somalia is so important to al-Qaeda, that one of Osama’s deputies (we haven’t heard from bin Laden himself in a long time…) issued a statement to the Muslim world to take jihad to Somalia. Apparently, they are tired of getting their asses kicked in Iraq and Afghanistan and want to go someplace where the enemy has a bit less firepower. It almost worked.
For a variety of reasons, the world ignored the war in Somalia. The US has its hands full, the UN is mostly on the side of the enemy, and the Europeans just want keep their heads planted firmly in the sand. With the soldiers and weapons supplied by al-Qaeda, and the money supplied by the Arabs, the Islamic Courts nearly turned Somalia into another Afghanistan (pre-October 2001).
However, they went a step too far. Encouraged by their gains in Somalia, the Islamic Courts began trash-talking Ethiopia. I personally thought at the time that they would succeed in expanding their territory into regions of Ethiopia. They were meeting little resistance and how tough of an army can the Ethiopians have? Apparently, tough enough to kick the shit out of the Islamic Courts.
The followers of Mohammad (may piss be upon him) are in full retreat, after losing over 1000 soldiers in less than a week. The Ethiopians say they will withdraw after accomplishing their objectives and we shall see how this plays out. It is likely that the Islamic Courts will regroup and fight a guerilla war, but it is unlikely that they will take control of cities as they had until just recently.
The Ethiopians have delivered a decisive blow against the enemy in the Islamic War.
The Islamic Courts is similar to the Taliban. It is a group dedicated to re-establishing the caliphate and ruling it under Sharia Law. It wants to spread Islam worldwide through force and coercion.
The Islamic Courts took control of most of Somalia over the summer, including the capital city Mogadishu. I remember Mogadishu as the place where an American helicopter (“Blackhawk Down”) was shot down in the early 1990’s and the bodies of American soldiers were dragged through the streets. This was my first introduction to al-Qaeda, but I didn’t learn the name until September 12th, 2001.
Somalia is so important to al-Qaeda, that one of Osama’s deputies (we haven’t heard from bin Laden himself in a long time…) issued a statement to the Muslim world to take jihad to Somalia. Apparently, they are tired of getting their asses kicked in Iraq and Afghanistan and want to go someplace where the enemy has a bit less firepower. It almost worked.
For a variety of reasons, the world ignored the war in Somalia. The US has its hands full, the UN is mostly on the side of the enemy, and the Europeans just want keep their heads planted firmly in the sand. With the soldiers and weapons supplied by al-Qaeda, and the money supplied by the Arabs, the Islamic Courts nearly turned Somalia into another Afghanistan (pre-October 2001).
However, they went a step too far. Encouraged by their gains in Somalia, the Islamic Courts began trash-talking Ethiopia. I personally thought at the time that they would succeed in expanding their territory into regions of Ethiopia. They were meeting little resistance and how tough of an army can the Ethiopians have? Apparently, tough enough to kick the shit out of the Islamic Courts.
The followers of Mohammad (may piss be upon him) are in full retreat, after losing over 1000 soldiers in less than a week. The Ethiopians say they will withdraw after accomplishing their objectives and we shall see how this plays out. It is likely that the Islamic Courts will regroup and fight a guerilla war, but it is unlikely that they will take control of cities as they had until just recently.
The Ethiopians have delivered a decisive blow against the enemy in the Islamic War.
posted by BoiseJag at 5:42 AM
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