Africa News
Ethiopian troops move within 50 kilometres of Mogadishu (Roundup)
Dec 27, 2006, 14:15 GMT
Mogadishu - Ethiopian-backed government troops came within 50 kilometres of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday and took the last remaining large town before the capital Mogadishu, residents said.
Government troops fought their way into Jowhar, some 90 kilometres north of Mogadishu early on Wednesday as Islamist fighters in the town retreated to the capital, after orders by the Islamist chairman, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
'We attack Mogadishu Thursday. We will catch and behead all the terrorists and militants as they behead the innocent people,' said Mohamed Dhere, a former warlord who once controlled Jowhar and marched into the town with the government forces on Wednesday.
Residents of Balad, 30 kilometres north of Mogadishu said the Ethiopian-backed forces were 20 kilometres away from their town, while all Islamist troops had retreated from there to the capital.
In Jowhar, Dhere told residents they would now be able to watch movies and football, which the Islamists had banned.
'Now the people of Jowhar are free. Open your cinemas, open your businesses. You are under the care of the national forces of the transitional government,' he said from a pickup truck mounted with audio speakers.
Almost immediately, kiosks were reopened for the sale of khat, a popular stimulant leaf which was banned by the Islamists. Cinemas opened and radios blared music, some playing Ethiopian hits.
Ethiopia officially admitted to its presence in the conflict- ridden country on Sunday, declaring war on the Islamists, who controlled much of south-central Somalia.
On Tuesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his troops had half completed their mission - to protect the country's transitional government and Ethiopia from terrorist attacks.
The past few days have seen Ethiopian airstrikes on two main airports, with the foreign troops seizing several Islamist-controlled towns. The Islamists, using pickup trucks strapped with machine guns, seem no match for Ethiopia, the greatest military power in the region.
The Red Cross said it was treating some 800 wounded in hospitals around south-central Somalia due to the fighting.
'We can assume that hundreds have been killed with the various information we have from the ground,' said Pascal Hundt, the head of delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for Somalia.
He said ICRC flights into the country were continuing, and that both sides of the conflict had given the group assurances they were safe to fly. The UN's World Food Program said on Wednesday it had temporarily suspended flights into southern Somalia for security reasons.
Zenawi gave a higher casualty number on Tuesday, saying some 1,000 Islamist fighters were killed, many of whom were foreigners from neighbouring Eritrea, and that 3,000 had been wounded.
Islamist officials have said they killed hundreds of government troops.
The Islamist retreat has raised fears that a new phase of the war could begin, bringing guerilla tactics and attracting jihadists into the one-week-old fighting.
'Our forces are coming back for a tactical retreat. We will change the war into a guerilla war, and our forces have a mandate to ambush the enemy forces in every place,' said Islamist spokesman Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Suley.
The African Union was set to meet on Wednesday to discuss a solution to the fighting.
Experts warn the Somali conflict could escalate into a regional war and a UN report has said some 10 countries were somehow meddling in the country's affairs.
Somalia has been without strong central rule since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre plunged the country into anarchy.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
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bomb these islamic morons into submission..they'd rather ride in the back of a truck waving guns and killing innocent people..rather than wave a shovel and feed their families...besides Muslims are like a see-saw..they change sides to who's winning...so no doubt half these morons are now waving the 'pro goverment' flags.
Finally a leader who is willing to use a level of aggression and brutality needed to beat the Islamists back.
'We will catch and behead all the terrorists and militants as they behead the innocent people'.
Goods news
This is not going to end well for either side, and the people will get caught in the crossfire again...
'Almost immediately, kiosks were reopened for the sale of khat, a popular stimulant leaf which was banned by the Islamists'
U.S. soldiers protecting UNOSOM reported that many of the Islamist fighters who attacked them were high on khat. It has a pain-numbing side-effect that fighters use to their advantage.
The Islamic Courts Union may have banned khat use for the general public, but it is prolifically consumed by their rag tag army.
the islamists will win and we do not want ethipia its got the most aids in the regoin all muslim we come to fight jihad all christan will die and who ever is with them jihad is the most importants thing in our life right now christan are dirty dogs they need to be killed before the give everyone a disease
let's hope that at least this war is a war to end all wars.not the beginning of a new one.particularly since it is against the Islamic terrorists.I find that some of the commentators have taken this opportunity for Muslim bashing.Though they form the majority of terrorists, its not good at generalizing.
Ethiopia should be determined enough to solve the situation with the peaople of somalia and the 'uic' backed 'onlf' and 'olf'
'Kill them all and let God sort them out'! None of these people know how to live
they love living in their own filth. It is time to get rid of these Muslim Rats and let the power of God and Christian Law take over. Then and only then will these people blossom
Media reports say the U.S. is giving support to the Ethiopians. Fresh from victories in Iraq and Afghanistan, George W. Bush continues to lead the White-supremacists Christians in their neo-Crusade against Islam. The Christians must win so the world will be free to drink liquor, fornicate, gamble, abuse drugs, watch pornography, have abortions, be prostitutes, homosexuals and pediphiles.
I am so sick of the Jihadist and the Islamist crap that they espouse, the west needs to get on board and back the ethiopians and the rightful government in Somalia 100%. Give them aid militarily and food, but stay out physically.
Who are we kidding this is the new front.
Unfortunately, the War Lords of southern Somalia only know how to communicate with violence. This fight was inevitable, but it is good that Ethiopia is helping the TFG to establish some sort of national government. If they didn't, some other warlord would be trying the same thing a few months down the road.
I think the hardest part of this fight will not be taking the city, but breaking the people’s loyalty to the court system, which is religious run, not government.
It SHOULD become a regional war, this playing around in various areas is a waste of time. If so-called moderate Muslims are unwilling to contribute to the eradication of so-called radical Muslims then they are no better than the radicals. Time to get this show going, if it means
Is everyone missing the point here?: Ethiopia is now becoming both a serious power in the Horn of Africa and has a leader that's willing to use his military with power and precision.
I think all african leaders will be watching how Ethiopia is saving the beleagured Somali government from the Islamic Courts. Either way, it's win-win for Ethiopia.
Good to see the Islamo-Facists bullies getting a taste of their own medicine. Beheading's, murder, and starvation of 'non-believers' is all too easily passed off by the West & Euro's as “tribal fighting”….its genocide plain and simple and just look at Darfur today. The message to Islamo-Facists has been its OK to slaughter Christians and non-Muslims. Islamo-Facists won't stop at the Somalia borders so it’s already a regional conflict in part of a global conflict. Somalia has been a shelter for genocidal warlords so the sooner they are driven out the better. Thanks Ethiopia
say what u want, but true will come n melez wilbe defeated.
haa haa the islamic courts will won soon insha'allah troops of ethopian will lose thousand of soldiers in somalia if else they have to retreat back in their home habash city addis ababa meles zenawi he will see what will happen next few days as i hope the islamic courts have a power still they didn't improved if they will not retreat towns they said we owned like jauhar beledweyne etc allahu akbar MMI will won insha'allah
I always wondered where the hatred that exists between people of different faiths comes from- reading the comments left behind this post leaves me quite terrified (and disgusted). I didn't think people with such irrational and prejudiced opinions existed in such numbers, yet virtually everyone who has left a comment is a complete fanatic. Any moderate Muslim or Christian reading such comments would be justified in feeling hateful.
The issue here is one of an extremist group acting contrary to the wishes of a sensible and approved government and from what I have read, acting against the wishes of the population of Somalia as a whole. The religious element is meaningless. This conflict can only ever be destructive and to read people begging for the murder of innocents through this war is sickening.
I note a message from the moderators threatening to remove bigoted/racist comments- it would seem they are not doing their job.
'osma binladinDec 27th, 2006 - 15:19:23
the islamists will win and we do not want ethipia its got the most aids in the regoin all muslim we come to fight jihad all christan will die and who ever is with them jihad is the most importants thing in our life right now christan are dirty dogs they need to be killed before the give everyone a disease'
Come get some big man, your Jihad won't save your sorry butt.
The developed Nations never helped the poors to develop in technology &to live advanced civil life ,but rather ,always provoke ,help them to fight eachother ,& let them back to the Adam time .The poors,we, are sleeping never to work .What is going on? ,we should concentrate in our works rather than fighting and enjoy life as the developed are working & enjoy their life of God given .
if only african people had an understanding of democracy with the rights of individuals to believes and religion being respected none of these wars in africa will be prevailing. We are daily becoming more of a joke to the world, power mongers who beleive in the shed of blood for any thing.why fight to lead people if the leadership qualities are a scarce resource in you. may be is time the people of somalia fight for their emancipation from any religious group and ensure the establishment of a government of the people by the people.
The west should support Ethiopia in their war against the islamic terrorists who are terrorising the world with their criminal tactics. This common criminals are also killing their own people and brainwashing ignorant people to fight their wars that only serve to benefit their hunger for power and not their love for god and faith.
Hear, Hear, Englishman! Religion is the Opiate of the masses. Money is not the root of all evil, radical religion is. The hate comes from believing you are better than anyone who doesn't believe as you do, and for that reason are willing to maim, torture and kill innocent people in the name of your religion. Disgusting - we still are lower than animals.
Surely these are the same people who murdered Haile Selassie and then sent Ethiopia into poverty with corruption at its highest. They do not even believe in free voices (opposition is banned). So how can you trust them that the Ethiopian PM of today is not the Saddam of tomorrow. Should the US be more careful over who it supports?
The only thing that makes the world safer is to terminate all Muslim if they can not be converted, their thinking is barbaric and nothing is smart on their reason of thinking.
if the new goverment is for the people,why couln't they do anthing before. now when islamic court is giving order and peace to the land and their ppl. now the new goverment, usa, ethiopia, are 'concerned and wanted to help'
Mix a 6th century idelolgy with 20th century weapons and this is what happens. Great. What's a real shame is that so many people think as a group and not as individual beings. Ship the Muslims back to the desert and sink it halfway. Yeah, sink the desert. Then drop C-130-loads full of bacon on Mecca.
Aww, they ran out of Jihad.
Shaka Zulus Traybsman
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nozogDec 27th, 2006 - 14:59:15
'Almost immediately, kiosks were reopened for the sale of khat, a popular stimulant leaf which was banned by the Islamists'
I see everyone has their priorities. Sell, use drugs.
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