SOMALIA, REDUX EDITORIAL (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, JUNE 13): Desperate Somalia may find that the new order is even more chilling than the old chaos.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion...newsopinion-hed
SETBACK IN SOMALIA - JOHN B. ROBERTS II (WASHINGTON TIMES, JUNE 13): It is crucial for the CIA-backed warlords to succeed in containing al Qaeda. But the
odds have been made much more difficult by State Department disclosure of the
covert program.
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20060612-093253-7262r.htm
Full Version: Somalia
Common Ground Common Sense > National & International News > Daily National and International News > International News Archive
Islamists Take Another Key Somali Town
JAWHAR, Somalia-Islamic Courts Union drives warlords out of Jawhar
and warns its residents. Transitional government calls on the
African Union for help. By Abukar Albadri and Robyn Dixon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e4A...Io30G2B0HcrQ0E8
JAWHAR, Somalia-Islamic Courts Union drives warlords out of Jawhar
and warns its residents. Transitional government calls on the
African Union for help. By Abukar Albadri and Robyn Dixon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e4A...Io30G2B0HcrQ0E8
Islamist militias capture Somali town:
Somali Islamist militias have seized the town of Jowhar from regional commanders, whom they unseated from the capital last week.
http://tinyurl.com/hlp6s
US opens new war front in North Africa:
Despite a setback in Somalia, where anti-Islamist warlords recently lost control of the capital, Mogadishu, to a jihadist militia, the United States is plunging into a far vaster set of commitments, stretching across the "Wild West" of Saharan Africa.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HF14Aa01.html
Somali Islamist militias have seized the town of Jowhar from regional commanders, whom they unseated from the capital last week.
http://tinyurl.com/hlp6s
US opens new war front in North Africa:
Despite a setback in Somalia, where anti-Islamist warlords recently lost control of the capital, Mogadishu, to a jihadist militia, the United States is plunging into a far vaster set of commitments, stretching across the "Wild West" of Saharan Africa.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HF14Aa01.html
Guns Finally Silent In Somalia's Capital
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 16 -- The thugs manning the roadblocks are gone. The warlords are on the run. And the guns in a city long regarded as among the world's most heavily armed have fallen silent. Most, in fact, have disappeared from view.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 16 -- The thugs manning the roadblocks are gone. The warlords are on the run. And the guns in a city long regarded as among the world's most heavily armed have fallen silent. Most, in fact, have disappeared from view.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
Islamists Sow Calm, and Concern, in Southern Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia-Islamists who replaced warlords brought calm to
the south. But some fear a religious iron fist. By Robyn Dixon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e4E...Io30G2B0HdIA0El
MOGADISHU, Somalia-Islamists who replaced warlords brought calm to
the south. But some fear a religious iron fist. By Robyn Dixon.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e4E...Io30G2B0HdIA0El
http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/Archive/200.../16-962658.html
Situation in Somalia Very Dynamic, Frazer Warns
Somalia Contact Group urges "unrestricted access" for humanitarian relief
By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Citing a "very dynamic" situation in Somali, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says there is a critically important need for dialogue and the international community has "been engaged" to address the issue.
Briefing reporters June 16 at the State Department, Frazer said, "We have to reserve judgment about … the ultimate intent of the Islamic Courts Union [ICU]," which recently claimed to have taken control of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following weeks of fighting.
Continuing, Frazer noted that at a June 15 inaugural meeting in New York of the Somalia Contact Group, the United States stressed, "It's critically important for the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) [Somalia's nominal government] and the chairman of the ICU to begin a dialogue to … decide for themselves what role the ICU would play."
Frazer described the TFI the only form of government that can be found in Somalia, which she called a "failed state."
Initial indications, she said, were that the ICU was not interested in taking over the government or even being in government. But she called the situation there "dynamic, [and] fluid."
Somalia has lacked an effective central government since early 1991, when largely clan-based tribal leaders overthrew President Mohamed Siad Barre, a Marxist dictator who seized control in a 1969 military coup. An interim government formed with United Nations support has not been able to enter Mogadishu, and instead has been stuck in Baidoa, about 240 kilometers away.
SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP
The United States joined with other interested states and international organizations in convening the Somalia Contact Group "to coordinate our common efforts and support positive developments in Somalia," according to a June 15 communiqué released by the group.
The communiqué from the group -- which met in New York -- said the situation in Somalia represents a "range of challenges" related to the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions, governance, human rights, security and terrorism factors there.
The goal of the Somalia Contact Group is "to encourage positive political developments and engagement with actors inside Somalia," according to its communiqué.
The Contact Group said it "will seek to address the humanitarian issues of the Somali people, establish effective governance and stability and address the international community's concern regarding terrorism. There is an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance and improved protection of the civilian population."
The document also called on "all parties to give unrestricted access for relief agencies to vulnerable communities."
Members of the Contact Group include the European Union, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other interested parties such as the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the League of Arab States will be invited to participate as observers, according to the communiqué.
Briefing reporters June 14, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States is ready to work with all parties to promote peace and the re-establishment of effective governance in Somalia.
"We are committed to working with our local and international partners to assist in addressing our common concerns regarding terrorism, alleviating the growing humanitarian emergency in Somalia and helping the people of Somalia regain political and economic stability," McCormack said.
TERRORISM CONCERNS
Additionally, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, Henry Crumpton, and Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, briefed lawmakers June 13 on the latest developments in Somalia.
At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Redd cautioned the committee not to make premature conclusions with regard to developments in Somalia. "I would not jump to the conclusion … that al-Qaida now owns Somalia, by any stretch of the imagination," he told the lawmakers. (See related article.)
Redd was referring to recent developments in which local tribal leaders were driven out of Mogadishu by Islamists believed to be harboring al-Qaida operatives.
"Somalia is clearly one of the key areas … which we worry about and is an ungoverned state," he added. "The bottom-line objective," he said, "is to deny that [Somalia] as an effective safe haven for al-Qaida or for terrorism in general."
Crumpton told the lawmakers that in addition to working to deny al-Qaida a safe haven in Somalia, the United States also is seeking to "work with a very weak, nascent, transitional government to see if they can gain traction." The United States also is seeking to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to the Somali people, he said. In 2006, the United States has provided more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia, primarily in the form of food and health-related assistance.
Crumpton classified Somalia as a "fractured political entity" with competing, conflicting tribal leadership.
"A lot depends on the Somali people themselves," he said. "Probably the most immediate challenge [is] to see if this fledgling government can establish some degree of legitimacy and some power. And right now they have very little."
Situation in Somalia Very Dynamic, Frazer Warns
Somalia Contact Group urges "unrestricted access" for humanitarian relief
By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Citing a "very dynamic" situation in Somali, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says there is a critically important need for dialogue and the international community has "been engaged" to address the issue.
Briefing reporters June 16 at the State Department, Frazer said, "We have to reserve judgment about … the ultimate intent of the Islamic Courts Union [ICU]," which recently claimed to have taken control of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following weeks of fighting.
Continuing, Frazer noted that at a June 15 inaugural meeting in New York of the Somalia Contact Group, the United States stressed, "It's critically important for the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) [Somalia's nominal government] and the chairman of the ICU to begin a dialogue to … decide for themselves what role the ICU would play."
Frazer described the TFI the only form of government that can be found in Somalia, which she called a "failed state."
Initial indications, she said, were that the ICU was not interested in taking over the government or even being in government. But she called the situation there "dynamic, [and] fluid."
Somalia has lacked an effective central government since early 1991, when largely clan-based tribal leaders overthrew President Mohamed Siad Barre, a Marxist dictator who seized control in a 1969 military coup. An interim government formed with United Nations support has not been able to enter Mogadishu, and instead has been stuck in Baidoa, about 240 kilometers away.
SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP
The United States joined with other interested states and international organizations in convening the Somalia Contact Group "to coordinate our common efforts and support positive developments in Somalia," according to a June 15 communiqué released by the group.
The communiqué from the group -- which met in New York -- said the situation in Somalia represents a "range of challenges" related to the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions, governance, human rights, security and terrorism factors there.
The goal of the Somalia Contact Group is "to encourage positive political developments and engagement with actors inside Somalia," according to its communiqué.
The Contact Group said it "will seek to address the humanitarian issues of the Somali people, establish effective governance and stability and address the international community's concern regarding terrorism. There is an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance and improved protection of the civilian population."
The document also called on "all parties to give unrestricted access for relief agencies to vulnerable communities."
Members of the Contact Group include the European Union, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other interested parties such as the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the League of Arab States will be invited to participate as observers, according to the communiqué.
Briefing reporters June 14, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States is ready to work with all parties to promote peace and the re-establishment of effective governance in Somalia.
"We are committed to working with our local and international partners to assist in addressing our common concerns regarding terrorism, alleviating the growing humanitarian emergency in Somalia and helping the people of Somalia regain political and economic stability," McCormack said.
TERRORISM CONCERNS
Additionally, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, Henry Crumpton, and Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, briefed lawmakers June 13 on the latest developments in Somalia.
At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Redd cautioned the committee not to make premature conclusions with regard to developments in Somalia. "I would not jump to the conclusion … that al-Qaida now owns Somalia, by any stretch of the imagination," he told the lawmakers. (See related article.)
Redd was referring to recent developments in which local tribal leaders were driven out of Mogadishu by Islamists believed to be harboring al-Qaida operatives.
"Somalia is clearly one of the key areas … which we worry about and is an ungoverned state," he added. "The bottom-line objective," he said, "is to deny that [Somalia] as an effective safe haven for al-Qaida or for terrorism in general."
Crumpton told the lawmakers that in addition to working to deny al-Qaida a safe haven in Somalia, the United States also is seeking to "work with a very weak, nascent, transitional government to see if they can gain traction." The United States also is seeking to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to the Somali people, he said. In 2006, the United States has provided more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia, primarily in the form of food and health-related assistance.
Crumpton classified Somalia as a "fractured political entity" with competing, conflicting tribal leadership.
"A lot depends on the Somali people themselves," he said. "Probably the most immediate challenge [is] to see if this fledgling government can establish some degree of legitimacy and some power. And right now they have very little."
Somalia - al-Qaeda new safe haven?
Frank Gardner
BBC security correspondent
The United States is warning of a new threat from Al-Qaeda - in the war-torn state of Somalia.
In the past few days an alliance of Islamic militias - the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) - has routed a loose alliance of US-backed warlords and seized control of the capital, Mogadishu as well as several other towns.
On Thursday, the militias pressed home their advantage, advancing northwards towards the Ethiopian border and the refuge of the weak transitional government in Baidoa.
Meanwhile, in New York the US State Department convened a crisis meeting of several countries to form a Somalia Contact Group in an effort to work out a solution to the country's security problems.
Afghanistan revisited
After a brief gun battle, the lightly armed but well-motivated militias of the Union of Islamic Courts drove out the warlords from Jowhar just north of the capital and have since been consolidating their grip on the town.
The US seems to think that they can be involved wherever and whenever they choose despite not taking the trouble to understand the underlying issues
Martin Hudson, UK
They've been quick to impose a curfew as well as Islamic Sharia law.
Surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic locals, militia leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed announced:
"We want to secure law and order then no one can take a gun inside Jowhar town except security people, and from today, from 8pm to 5am (1700-0200GMT), there is a curfew in town."
The residents of Jowhar seem to be welcoming their newfound security.
A similar scenario was played out in Afghanistan 10 years ago when the Taliban swept away the anarchy and violence associated with that country's own warlords.
US fears
But the US administration, which has long been worried about al-Qaeda cells sheltering in Somalia, is clearly troubled that by backing the unpopular Somali warlords, it appears to have backed the losing side.
The US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told the BBC:
"We do have concerns about the al-Qaeda presence in Somalia, and specifically individuals and their presence in Somalia.
"Nobody wants Somalia to become a safe haven - well, maybe there are some: those terrorists, but the international community does not want it to become a safe haven."
Washington has good reason to worry about al-Qaeda activities in the region.
Somalia is widely believed to have been the base for the cells that blew up the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam simultaneously in 1998.
It is also believed to have been the source of the al-Qaeda attack on an Israeli-owned hotel near Mombasa and a failed attempt to shoot down a nearby Israeli airliner in 2002.
Policy backfires
In order to prevent al-Qaeda establishing itself in the region, the US set up base in neighbouring Djibouti in late 2002, as part of the Combined Joint Task Force: Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).
With nearly 2,000 troops based in an old French Foreign Legion camp, as well as naval and air patrols involving other western nations, Washington is trying to keep tabs on the region.
But the Pentagon is reluctant to return in force to Somalia after two of its helicopters were shot down by Somali gunmen and 18 US Rangers killed in 1993 in what became known as the Black Hawk Down incident.
Instead, the CIA has widely reported to have been secretly funding Somali warlords with cash since February, operating out of the US embassy in Nairobi and flying the money into remote Somali airstrips.
John Prendergast, who served on President Clinton's National Security Council (NSC) and who now works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) says this policy has backfired.
"They've just picked a few warlords to pursue a very narrow military strategy of capturing al-Qaeda suspects and ignoring the context that they were swimming in. And the result is that we now have no access whatsoever to Mogadishu and the situation has gravely deteriorated."
Today, America is not loved in Somalia.
But nor is al-Qaeda.
Washington and the West will have to find a way to deal with the new status quo there, or risk driving moderate Islamists into the arms of the very people they're most afraid of.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ica/5086712.stm
Published: 2006/06/16 12:05:01 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Frank Gardner
BBC security correspondent
The United States is warning of a new threat from Al-Qaeda - in the war-torn state of Somalia.
In the past few days an alliance of Islamic militias - the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) - has routed a loose alliance of US-backed warlords and seized control of the capital, Mogadishu as well as several other towns.
On Thursday, the militias pressed home their advantage, advancing northwards towards the Ethiopian border and the refuge of the weak transitional government in Baidoa.
Meanwhile, in New York the US State Department convened a crisis meeting of several countries to form a Somalia Contact Group in an effort to work out a solution to the country's security problems.
Afghanistan revisited
After a brief gun battle, the lightly armed but well-motivated militias of the Union of Islamic Courts drove out the warlords from Jowhar just north of the capital and have since been consolidating their grip on the town.
The US seems to think that they can be involved wherever and whenever they choose despite not taking the trouble to understand the underlying issues
Martin Hudson, UK
They've been quick to impose a curfew as well as Islamic Sharia law.
Surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic locals, militia leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed announced:
"We want to secure law and order then no one can take a gun inside Jowhar town except security people, and from today, from 8pm to 5am (1700-0200GMT), there is a curfew in town."
The residents of Jowhar seem to be welcoming their newfound security.
A similar scenario was played out in Afghanistan 10 years ago when the Taliban swept away the anarchy and violence associated with that country's own warlords.
US fears
But the US administration, which has long been worried about al-Qaeda cells sheltering in Somalia, is clearly troubled that by backing the unpopular Somali warlords, it appears to have backed the losing side.
The US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told the BBC:
"We do have concerns about the al-Qaeda presence in Somalia, and specifically individuals and their presence in Somalia.
"Nobody wants Somalia to become a safe haven - well, maybe there are some: those terrorists, but the international community does not want it to become a safe haven."
Washington has good reason to worry about al-Qaeda activities in the region.
Somalia is widely believed to have been the base for the cells that blew up the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam simultaneously in 1998.
It is also believed to have been the source of the al-Qaeda attack on an Israeli-owned hotel near Mombasa and a failed attempt to shoot down a nearby Israeli airliner in 2002.
Policy backfires
In order to prevent al-Qaeda establishing itself in the region, the US set up base in neighbouring Djibouti in late 2002, as part of the Combined Joint Task Force: Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).
With nearly 2,000 troops based in an old French Foreign Legion camp, as well as naval and air patrols involving other western nations, Washington is trying to keep tabs on the region.
But the Pentagon is reluctant to return in force to Somalia after two of its helicopters were shot down by Somali gunmen and 18 US Rangers killed in 1993 in what became known as the Black Hawk Down incident.
Instead, the CIA has widely reported to have been secretly funding Somali warlords with cash since February, operating out of the US embassy in Nairobi and flying the money into remote Somali airstrips.
John Prendergast, who served on President Clinton's National Security Council (NSC) and who now works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) says this policy has backfired.
"They've just picked a few warlords to pursue a very narrow military strategy of capturing al-Qaeda suspects and ignoring the context that they were swimming in. And the result is that we now have no access whatsoever to Mogadishu and the situation has gravely deteriorated."
Today, America is not loved in Somalia.
But nor is al-Qaeda.
Washington and the West will have to find a way to deal with the new status quo there, or risk driving moderate Islamists into the arms of the very people they're most afraid of.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ica/5086712.stm
Published: 2006/06/16 12:05:01 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Ethiopian troops cross border into Somalia: Islamist
By Andrew Cawthorne
About 300 Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia on Saturday, a top Islamist said, after Islamic fighters who wrested control of Mogadishu moved inland toward the seat of Somalia's interim government.
Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf, a former warlord, is closely allied with Addis Ababa, which was instrumental in his election after peace talks in Kenya in 2004.
"There are Ethiopian troops just past the border and coming in," Islamic Courts Union Chairman Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told reporters, citing what he described as an incursion in Dollow in southwest Somalia on Saturday morning.
Ethiopia denied sending troops across the border.
"Ethiopia has not crossed the border. So far, the fundamentalists have occupied Baladwayne and are marching toward the Ethiopian border," said Bereket Simon, a minister without portfolio and close ally of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
"Ethiopia hopes that they will not cross the border," he added.
Dollow is near the intersection of the Kenyan, Ethiopian and Somali borders and is on the road to Baidoa, where Somalia's weak interim government is based and has been increasingly surrounded by the Islamist militias.
Ethiopia, Washington's top counterterrorism ally in the Horn of Africa, had backed warlords the Islamists have routed from their strongholds in Mogadishu in a swift march from the coastal capital to Baladwayne near the Ethiopian border.
Largely secular Ethiopia has long been wary of the influence of Islam in the region, and has not hesitated to send its military into Somalia before to fight Islamic forces.
The warlords have been supported and armed by Ethiopia as a proxy force, and are widely believed to have been financed with U.S. money in their last stand against the Islamists, which killed 350 people in battles since February.
Earlier on Saturday Islamic court sources said two warlords, Bashir Raghe and Muse Sudi Yalahow, took a boat to a waiting U.S. vessel which approached the Somali coast.
"They said they would be back in a few days but everybody thinks they may take asylum," said a senior aide to the Islamist leadership, Abdulrahman Ali Osman.
"Everybody is running to their houses to take their guns. Bashir Raghe's house is being looted."
It was not immediately possible to obtain independent confirmation of the report.
Asked about the report, Commander Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, said he had no information and advised to handle the information "with caution."
He said there was a joint taskforce patrolling the region led by Pakistan which included U.S. Navy ships.
The Islamists say they have no interest in starting their own government and want talks with the existing administration, but have imposed sharia law wherever they have arrived.
In a statement on Saturday, the courts said they wanted to set up a police force, an authority to demobilize militias and a new administration "effective and accountable to its people."
They said they can make Mogadishu "sufficiently secure" to host the government, and threatened to end talks with the government if a plan to allow in foreign peacekeepers proceeds.
This is the first time Mogadishu has been under the control of a single entity since warlords plunged Somalia into anarchy with the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
(Additional reporting by Heba Kandil in Dubai)
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
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By Andrew Cawthorne
About 300 Ethiopian troops crossed into Somalia on Saturday, a top Islamist said, after Islamic fighters who wrested control of Mogadishu moved inland toward the seat of Somalia's interim government.
Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf, a former warlord, is closely allied with Addis Ababa, which was instrumental in his election after peace talks in Kenya in 2004.
"There are Ethiopian troops just past the border and coming in," Islamic Courts Union Chairman Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told reporters, citing what he described as an incursion in Dollow in southwest Somalia on Saturday morning.
Ethiopia denied sending troops across the border.
"Ethiopia has not crossed the border. So far, the fundamentalists have occupied Baladwayne and are marching toward the Ethiopian border," said Bereket Simon, a minister without portfolio and close ally of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
"Ethiopia hopes that they will not cross the border," he added.
Dollow is near the intersection of the Kenyan, Ethiopian and Somali borders and is on the road to Baidoa, where Somalia's weak interim government is based and has been increasingly surrounded by the Islamist militias.
Ethiopia, Washington's top counterterrorism ally in the Horn of Africa, had backed warlords the Islamists have routed from their strongholds in Mogadishu in a swift march from the coastal capital to Baladwayne near the Ethiopian border.
Largely secular Ethiopia has long been wary of the influence of Islam in the region, and has not hesitated to send its military into Somalia before to fight Islamic forces.
The warlords have been supported and armed by Ethiopia as a proxy force, and are widely believed to have been financed with U.S. money in their last stand against the Islamists, which killed 350 people in battles since February.
Earlier on Saturday Islamic court sources said two warlords, Bashir Raghe and Muse Sudi Yalahow, took a boat to a waiting U.S. vessel which approached the Somali coast.
"They said they would be back in a few days but everybody thinks they may take asylum," said a senior aide to the Islamist leadership, Abdulrahman Ali Osman.
"Everybody is running to their houses to take their guns. Bashir Raghe's house is being looted."
It was not immediately possible to obtain independent confirmation of the report.
Asked about the report, Commander Jeff Breslau, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, said he had no information and advised to handle the information "with caution."
He said there was a joint taskforce patrolling the region led by Pakistan which included U.S. Navy ships.
The Islamists say they have no interest in starting their own government and want talks with the existing administration, but have imposed sharia law wherever they have arrived.
In a statement on Saturday, the courts said they wanted to set up a police force, an authority to demobilize militias and a new administration "effective and accountable to its people."
They said they can make Mogadishu "sufficiently secure" to host the government, and threatened to end talks with the government if a plan to allow in foreign peacekeepers proceeds.
This is the first time Mogadishu has been under the control of a single entity since warlords plunged Somalia into anarchy with the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
(Additional reporting by Heba Kandil in Dubai)
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback
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Islamists Take Another Key Somalian City
Islamic Courts Union drives warlords out of Jawhar and warns its residents. Transitional government calls on the African Union for help.
By Abukar Albadri and Robyn Dixon, Special to The Times
June 15, 2006
JAWHAR, Somalia — Islamist militias tightened their hold on southern Somalia on Wednesday, seizing control of a major strategic town and ousting a group of secular warlords in a brief, decisive battle just a week after driving them from Mogadishu.
The nation's transitional government, based in Baidoa, asked the African Union to deploy peacekeeping troops, but the AU, which supports the government, hasn't approved the move.
The militants of the Islamic Courts Union have strongly opposed the presence of foreign troops and threatened to halt talks with the transitional government if it seeks AU help. In coming days, the group plans to stage demonstrations against foreign troops in the stadium in Mogadishu, the capital, to protest the move and show its popular backing.
The attack on Jawhar, about 60 miles north of Mogadishu, began midmorning. Within hours the warlords' militias that had dominated the city for 15 years were fleeing their last stronghold. Up to 19 people may have died in the fighting, the Associated Press reported.
The Islamic Courts Union immediately asserted itself, with chairman Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed warning residents that they should understand the town would be ruled under Sharia, or Islamic law.
Somalia, a fractured country of 9 million people, has suffered anarchy and chaos since 1991, with no central government, police, army or public services.
The Islamists' victories in Mogadishu and Jawhar have resulted in a drastic power shift in the country, posing a potential threat to the weak transitional government in Baidoa, 140 miles northwest of Mogadishu.
The transitional government, which lacks the force or support to govern from Mogadishu, is fearful the Islamists could continue their drive and overrun Baidoa.
After the victory, Ahmed addressed about 500 people in Jawhar's stadium. Grinning, he raised a fist and shouted, "Allahu akbar," or "God is great." He was surrounded by about 30 guards.
"We came here to restore the freedom of the people of Jawhar," he said. "We know that this was a place where all bad deeds against Islam took place. The oppression of the warlords ended today."
He warned that anyone who committed an offense under Sharia would be punished, and he imposed an 8 p.m. curfew.
The rise of the Islamic Courts Union has caused alarm in the Bush administration, which fears the group will establish an extremist, Taliban-style government that might shelter terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. Ahmed has said his group won't support terrorists and bears no enmity to the West. The U.S. has denied widespread reports that it has funded the warlords.
In Jawhar on Wednesday, one Islamist fighter, Aidarus Omar, expressed joy over the ease of the victory.
"I hope that we succeed in installing Islamic government across Somalia. If we managed to take Jawhar, it will be easy to take the other towns," he said, pledging to bring Islamic values to the entire country.
Ibrahim Adoo, president of the independent Al Furqan University in Mogadishu, said in a telephone interview that the government had chosen a bad time to call for AU peacekeepers, because it would jeopardize talks with the Islamic Courts Union.
"The majority of people don't favor foreign troops coming to Somalia, not because they are anti-foreign but because they don't see the purpose," he said. "The majority of people feel that the problems can be solved by the Somali people themselves."
A few Jawhar residents welcomed the Islamist takeover Wednesday, but many others appeared wary or afraid.
Hussein Jamal, 33, said he was relieved to see the departure of warlord Mohammed Omar Habeb, known as Mohammed Dheere, who had dominated the town since 2001.
"We welcome the courts, we want them to restore the law and order, because Mohammed Dheere was dictator, and we don't need his administration to come back," he said.
Firdowsa Gedi, 21, said she would have left the town if she hadn't given birth 11 days ago.
"We ask the courts to go back to their place, because we can't endure what they are doing to us," she said.
A local nurse, Sheika Bakalle, 36, said the town, populated mainly by one of Somalia's smaller clans, would be trading a warlord's domination for that of the Islamists.
"I ask the U.N. to intervene. We are just Jawhar people, we are not an armed community. We're a minority and we want our rights," she said.
*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special correspondent Albadri reported from Jawhar and Times staff writer Dixon from Nairobi, Kenya.
Islamists Take Another Key Somalian City
Islamic Courts Union drives warlords out of Jawhar and warns its residents. Transitional government calls on the African Union for help.
By Abukar Albadri and Robyn Dixon, Special to The Times
June 15, 2006
JAWHAR, Somalia — Islamist militias tightened their hold on southern Somalia on Wednesday, seizing control of a major strategic town and ousting a group of secular warlords in a brief, decisive battle just a week after driving them from Mogadishu.
The nation's transitional government, based in Baidoa, asked the African Union to deploy peacekeeping troops, but the AU, which supports the government, hasn't approved the move.
The militants of the Islamic Courts Union have strongly opposed the presence of foreign troops and threatened to halt talks with the transitional government if it seeks AU help. In coming days, the group plans to stage demonstrations against foreign troops in the stadium in Mogadishu, the capital, to protest the move and show its popular backing.
The attack on Jawhar, about 60 miles north of Mogadishu, began midmorning. Within hours the warlords' militias that had dominated the city for 15 years were fleeing their last stronghold. Up to 19 people may have died in the fighting, the Associated Press reported.
The Islamic Courts Union immediately asserted itself, with chairman Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed warning residents that they should understand the town would be ruled under Sharia, or Islamic law.
Somalia, a fractured country of 9 million people, has suffered anarchy and chaos since 1991, with no central government, police, army or public services.
The Islamists' victories in Mogadishu and Jawhar have resulted in a drastic power shift in the country, posing a potential threat to the weak transitional government in Baidoa, 140 miles northwest of Mogadishu.
The transitional government, which lacks the force or support to govern from Mogadishu, is fearful the Islamists could continue their drive and overrun Baidoa.
After the victory, Ahmed addressed about 500 people in Jawhar's stadium. Grinning, he raised a fist and shouted, "Allahu akbar," or "God is great." He was surrounded by about 30 guards.
"We came here to restore the freedom of the people of Jawhar," he said. "We know that this was a place where all bad deeds against Islam took place. The oppression of the warlords ended today."
He warned that anyone who committed an offense under Sharia would be punished, and he imposed an 8 p.m. curfew.
The rise of the Islamic Courts Union has caused alarm in the Bush administration, which fears the group will establish an extremist, Taliban-style government that might shelter terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. Ahmed has said his group won't support terrorists and bears no enmity to the West. The U.S. has denied widespread reports that it has funded the warlords.
In Jawhar on Wednesday, one Islamist fighter, Aidarus Omar, expressed joy over the ease of the victory.
"I hope that we succeed in installing Islamic government across Somalia. If we managed to take Jawhar, it will be easy to take the other towns," he said, pledging to bring Islamic values to the entire country.
Ibrahim Adoo, president of the independent Al Furqan University in Mogadishu, said in a telephone interview that the government had chosen a bad time to call for AU peacekeepers, because it would jeopardize talks with the Islamic Courts Union.
"The majority of people don't favor foreign troops coming to Somalia, not because they are anti-foreign but because they don't see the purpose," he said. "The majority of people feel that the problems can be solved by the Somali people themselves."
A few Jawhar residents welcomed the Islamist takeover Wednesday, but many others appeared wary or afraid.
Hussein Jamal, 33, said he was relieved to see the departure of warlord Mohammed Omar Habeb, known as Mohammed Dheere, who had dominated the town since 2001.
"We welcome the courts, we want them to restore the law and order, because Mohammed Dheere was dictator, and we don't need his administration to come back," he said.
Firdowsa Gedi, 21, said she would have left the town if she hadn't given birth 11 days ago.
"We ask the courts to go back to their place, because we can't endure what they are doing to us," she said.
A local nurse, Sheika Bakalle, 36, said the town, populated mainly by one of Somalia's smaller clans, would be trading a warlord's domination for that of the Islamists.
"I ask the U.N. to intervene. We are just Jawhar people, we are not an armed community. We're a minority and we want our rights," she said.
*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special correspondent Albadri reported from Jawhar and Times staff writer Dixon from Nairobi, Kenya.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/06/17...a.ap/index.html
Ethiopian troops sent to Somali border
Ethiopia denies claims of incursion
JOWHAR, Somalia (AP) -- The leader of the Somali Islamist group that captured the capital this week said 300 Ethiopian troops had crossed into the country Saturday, but an Ethiopian official said his country's troops were at the border and had not crossed it.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, said Ethiopian troops entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow in the southwestern region of Gedo early Saturday.
"We want the whole world to know what's going on," Ahmed told journalists. "Ethiopia has crossed our borders and are heading for us. They are supporting the transitional federal government."
In recent days, Ethiopian troops have been crossing into Somali border towns and leaving, Ahmed said.
"They have deployed a lot of soldiers around the border towns, which is why we have been saying that Ethiopia is going to send in troops to Somalia," the cleric said.
Ahmed's translator initially said the chairman had accused the United States of encouraging an Ethiopian intervention, but Ahmed later said that was a mistranslation and he had not made such an accusation.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Bereket Simon, an adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said Ethiopian troops had not entered Somalia.
"Ethiopia has a right to monitor its border," Bereket told said. He gave no further details.
It was the first official statement by an Ethiopian official about rumors there were Ethiopian troops at the border.
Rise to power
The Islamic Courts Union is the group behind the militiamen that have swept across southern Somalia installing clan-based, religiously oriented municipal administrations.
It captured Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on June 6 after months of on-and-off fighting with an alliance of U.S.-backed secular warlords and now controls most of southern Somalia.
More than 330 people died in the fighting, most of them civilians.
The Islamic group, accused by the United States of harboring al Qaeda, portrays itself as free of links to Somalia's past turmoil and capable of bringing order and unity. But the future of a country accustomed to moderate Islam would be uncertain under hard-line Islamic rulers.
Ahmed denied on Saturday that any foreigners were involved in the Islamic courts or that any one in the courts had ties to al Qaeda.
Ethiopia has intervened in Somalia in the past to prevent Islamic extremists from taking power.
Ethiopians were also key power brokers in forming President Abdullahi Yusuf's transitional Somalia government in 2004. Yusuf was their preferred candidate for president. Yusuf, himself a former warlord, had asked for Ethiopian troops to back up his government in 2004.
In a statement Saturday, Yusuf said he was willing to hold talks with the Islamic Courts Union if they agree to mediation by Yemen.
He said they must stop their advance and agree not to enter any more towns than they have already and they must recognize the legitimacy of the government and the constitution.
Ahmed said that his group was ready to hold talks with what he described as the "illegitimate government," but he would not agree to any conditions.
He denied the Islamic courts had any plans to advance on Baidoa, the seat of Yusuf's government. Ahmed said that, however, if there were popular uprisings where the people asked for the help of the Islamic courts, the courts would provide assistance.
He said he and fellow Islamic court leaders could not understand why the U.S. assisted the warlords, adding that he thought there were bad and good people in the U.S. government. The bad ones backed the warlords, Ahmed said.
Warlords flee
An Islamic Courts Union spokesman, meanwhile, said the last two main warlords who lost the Somali capital to the militia fled the country on board a U.S. warship Saturday.
But the U.S. Naval 5th Fleet, which patrols international waters off Somalia and is based in Bahrain, said it had no reports that any of its ships had picked them up.
Abdi Rahman Osman, spokesman for the Islamic Courts Union, said Muse Sudi Yalahow and Bashir Rage left Mogadishu late Friday on a boat and were later picked up by the warship.
U.S. officials have acknowledged backing the warlords against the Islamic group.
The departure of Yalahow and Rage from Mogadishu would mean the 11-member warlord-led Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has collapsed.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Yusuf's government is supported by Somalia's neighbors, the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, so opposing it could mean regional and international isolation and possibly crippling sanctions for any administration the Islamic forces try to build.
The transitional government, whose military consists of little more than the president's personal militia, has watched from the sidelines as the Islamic forces overcame a coalition of secular warlords.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Ethiopian troops sent to Somali border
Ethiopia denies claims of incursion
JOWHAR, Somalia (AP) -- The leader of the Somali Islamist group that captured the capital this week said 300 Ethiopian troops had crossed into the country Saturday, but an Ethiopian official said his country's troops were at the border and had not crossed it.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, said Ethiopian troops entered Somalia through the border town of Dolow in the southwestern region of Gedo early Saturday.
"We want the whole world to know what's going on," Ahmed told journalists. "Ethiopia has crossed our borders and are heading for us. They are supporting the transitional federal government."
In recent days, Ethiopian troops have been crossing into Somali border towns and leaving, Ahmed said.
"They have deployed a lot of soldiers around the border towns, which is why we have been saying that Ethiopia is going to send in troops to Somalia," the cleric said.
Ahmed's translator initially said the chairman had accused the United States of encouraging an Ethiopian intervention, but Ahmed later said that was a mistranslation and he had not made such an accusation.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Bereket Simon, an adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said Ethiopian troops had not entered Somalia.
"Ethiopia has a right to monitor its border," Bereket told said. He gave no further details.
It was the first official statement by an Ethiopian official about rumors there were Ethiopian troops at the border.
Rise to power
The Islamic Courts Union is the group behind the militiamen that have swept across southern Somalia installing clan-based, religiously oriented municipal administrations.
It captured Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on June 6 after months of on-and-off fighting with an alliance of U.S.-backed secular warlords and now controls most of southern Somalia.
More than 330 people died in the fighting, most of them civilians.
The Islamic group, accused by the United States of harboring al Qaeda, portrays itself as free of links to Somalia's past turmoil and capable of bringing order and unity. But the future of a country accustomed to moderate Islam would be uncertain under hard-line Islamic rulers.
Ahmed denied on Saturday that any foreigners were involved in the Islamic courts or that any one in the courts had ties to al Qaeda.
Ethiopia has intervened in Somalia in the past to prevent Islamic extremists from taking power.
Ethiopians were also key power brokers in forming President Abdullahi Yusuf's transitional Somalia government in 2004. Yusuf was their preferred candidate for president. Yusuf, himself a former warlord, had asked for Ethiopian troops to back up his government in 2004.
In a statement Saturday, Yusuf said he was willing to hold talks with the Islamic Courts Union if they agree to mediation by Yemen.
He said they must stop their advance and agree not to enter any more towns than they have already and they must recognize the legitimacy of the government and the constitution.
Ahmed said that his group was ready to hold talks with what he described as the "illegitimate government," but he would not agree to any conditions.
He denied the Islamic courts had any plans to advance on Baidoa, the seat of Yusuf's government. Ahmed said that, however, if there were popular uprisings where the people asked for the help of the Islamic courts, the courts would provide assistance.
He said he and fellow Islamic court leaders could not understand why the U.S. assisted the warlords, adding that he thought there were bad and good people in the U.S. government. The bad ones backed the warlords, Ahmed said.
Warlords flee
An Islamic Courts Union spokesman, meanwhile, said the last two main warlords who lost the Somali capital to the militia fled the country on board a U.S. warship Saturday.
But the U.S. Naval 5th Fleet, which patrols international waters off Somalia and is based in Bahrain, said it had no reports that any of its ships had picked them up.
Abdi Rahman Osman, spokesman for the Islamic Courts Union, said Muse Sudi Yalahow and Bashir Rage left Mogadishu late Friday on a boat and were later picked up by the warship.
U.S. officials have acknowledged backing the warlords against the Islamic group.
The departure of Yalahow and Rage from Mogadishu would mean the 11-member warlord-led Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has collapsed.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Yusuf's government is supported by Somalia's neighbors, the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, so opposing it could mean regional and international isolation and possibly crippling sanctions for any administration the Islamic forces try to build.
The transitional government, whose military consists of little more than the president's personal militia, has watched from the sidelines as the Islamic forces overcame a coalition of secular warlords.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/Archive/200.../16-962658.html
Situation in Somalia Very Dynamic, Frazer Warns
Somalia Contact Group urges "unrestricted access" for humanitarian relief
By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Citing a "very dynamic" situation in Somali, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says there is a critically important need for dialogue and the international community has "been engaged" to address the issue.
Briefing reporters June 16 at the State Department, Frazer said, "We have to reserve judgment about … the ultimate intent of the Islamic Courts Union [ICU]," which recently claimed to have taken control of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following weeks of fighting.
Continuing, Frazer noted that at a June 15 inaugural meeting in New York of the Somalia Contact Group, the United States stressed, "It's critically important for the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) [Somalia's nominal government] and the chairman of the ICU to begin a dialogue to … decide for themselves what role the ICU would play."
Frazer described the TFI the only form of government that can be found in Somalia, which she called a "failed state."
Initial indications, she said, were that the ICU was not interested in taking over the government or even being in government. But she called the situation there "dynamic, [and] fluid."
Somalia has lacked an effective central government since early 1991, when largely clan-based tribal leaders overthrew President Mohamed Siad Barre, a Marxist dictator who seized control in a 1969 military coup. An interim government formed with United Nations support has not been able to enter Mogadishu, and instead has been stuck in Baidoa, about 240 kilometers away.
SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP
The United States joined with other interested states and international organizations in convening the Somalia Contact Group "to coordinate our common efforts and support positive developments in Somalia," according to a June 15 communiqué released by the group.
The communiqué from the group -- which met in New York -- said the situation in Somalia represents a "range of challenges" related to the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions, governance, human rights, security and terrorism factors there.
The goal of the Somalia Contact Group is "to encourage positive political developments and engagement with actors inside Somalia," according to its communiqué.
The Contact Group said it "will seek to address the humanitarian issues of the Somali people, establish effective governance and stability and address the international community's concern regarding terrorism. There is an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance and improved protection of the civilian population."
The document also called on "all parties to give unrestricted access for relief agencies to vulnerable communities."
Members of the Contact Group include the European Union, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other interested parties such as the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the League of Arab States will be invited to participate as observers, according to the communiqué.
Briefing reporters June 14, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States is ready to work with all parties to promote peace and the re-establishment of effective governance in Somalia.
"We are committed to working with our local and international partners to assist in addressing our common concerns regarding terrorism, alleviating the growing humanitarian emergency in Somalia and helping the people of Somalia regain political and economic stability," McCormack said.
TERRORISM CONCERNS
Additionally, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, Henry Crumpton, and Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, briefed lawmakers June 13 on the latest developments in Somalia.
At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Redd cautioned the committee not to make premature conclusions with regard to developments in Somalia. "I would not jump to the conclusion … that al-Qaida now owns Somalia, by any stretch of the imagination," he told the lawmakers. (See related article.)
Redd was referring to recent developments in which local tribal leaders were driven out of Mogadishu by Islamists believed to be harboring al-Qaida operatives.
"Somalia is clearly one of the key areas … which we worry about and is an ungoverned state," he added. "The bottom-line objective," he said, "is to deny that [Somalia] as an effective safe haven for al-Qaida or for terrorism in general."
Crumpton told the lawmakers that in addition to working to deny al-Qaida a safe haven in Somalia, the United States also is seeking to "work with a very weak, nascent, transitional government to see if they can gain traction." The United States also is seeking to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to the Somali people, he said. In 2006, the United States has provided more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia, primarily in the form of food and health-related assistance.
Crumpton classified Somalia as a "fractured political entity" with competing, conflicting tribal leadership.
"A lot depends on the Somali people themselves," he said. "Probably the most immediate challenge [is] to see if this fledgling government can establish some degree of legitimacy and some power. And right now they have very little."
The transcript of Frazer’s briefing is available on the State Department Web site.
For information on U.S. policy in the region, see Africa.
Created:16 Jun 2006 Updated: 17 Jun 2006
Situation in Somalia Very Dynamic, Frazer Warns
Somalia Contact Group urges "unrestricted access" for humanitarian relief
By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Citing a "very dynamic" situation in Somali, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says there is a critically important need for dialogue and the international community has "been engaged" to address the issue.
Briefing reporters June 16 at the State Department, Frazer said, "We have to reserve judgment about … the ultimate intent of the Islamic Courts Union [ICU]," which recently claimed to have taken control of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, following weeks of fighting.
Continuing, Frazer noted that at a June 15 inaugural meeting in New York of the Somalia Contact Group, the United States stressed, "It's critically important for the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) [Somalia's nominal government] and the chairman of the ICU to begin a dialogue to … decide for themselves what role the ICU would play."
Frazer described the TFI the only form of government that can be found in Somalia, which she called a "failed state."
Initial indications, she said, were that the ICU was not interested in taking over the government or even being in government. But she called the situation there "dynamic, [and] fluid."
Somalia has lacked an effective central government since early 1991, when largely clan-based tribal leaders overthrew President Mohamed Siad Barre, a Marxist dictator who seized control in a 1969 military coup. An interim government formed with United Nations support has not been able to enter Mogadishu, and instead has been stuck in Baidoa, about 240 kilometers away.
SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP
The United States joined with other interested states and international organizations in convening the Somalia Contact Group "to coordinate our common efforts and support positive developments in Somalia," according to a June 15 communiqué released by the group.
The communiqué from the group -- which met in New York -- said the situation in Somalia represents a "range of challenges" related to the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions, governance, human rights, security and terrorism factors there.
The goal of the Somalia Contact Group is "to encourage positive political developments and engagement with actors inside Somalia," according to its communiqué.
The Contact Group said it "will seek to address the humanitarian issues of the Somali people, establish effective governance and stability and address the international community's concern regarding terrorism. There is an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance and improved protection of the civilian population."
The document also called on "all parties to give unrestricted access for relief agencies to vulnerable communities."
Members of the Contact Group include the European Union, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other interested parties such as the United Nations, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the League of Arab States will be invited to participate as observers, according to the communiqué.
Briefing reporters June 14, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States is ready to work with all parties to promote peace and the re-establishment of effective governance in Somalia.
"We are committed to working with our local and international partners to assist in addressing our common concerns regarding terrorism, alleviating the growing humanitarian emergency in Somalia and helping the people of Somalia regain political and economic stability," McCormack said.
TERRORISM CONCERNS
Additionally, the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, Henry Crumpton, and Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, briefed lawmakers June 13 on the latest developments in Somalia.
At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Redd cautioned the committee not to make premature conclusions with regard to developments in Somalia. "I would not jump to the conclusion … that al-Qaida now owns Somalia, by any stretch of the imagination," he told the lawmakers. (See related article.)
Redd was referring to recent developments in which local tribal leaders were driven out of Mogadishu by Islamists believed to be harboring al-Qaida operatives.
"Somalia is clearly one of the key areas … which we worry about and is an ungoverned state," he added. "The bottom-line objective," he said, "is to deny that [Somalia] as an effective safe haven for al-Qaida or for terrorism in general."
Crumpton told the lawmakers that in addition to working to deny al-Qaida a safe haven in Somalia, the United States also is seeking to "work with a very weak, nascent, transitional government to see if they can gain traction." The United States also is seeking to provide humanitarian relief and assistance to the Somali people, he said. In 2006, the United States has provided more than $80 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia, primarily in the form of food and health-related assistance.
Crumpton classified Somalia as a "fractured political entity" with competing, conflicting tribal leadership.
"A lot depends on the Somali people themselves," he said. "Probably the most immediate challenge [is] to see if this fledgling government can establish some degree of legitimacy and some power. And right now they have very little."
The transcript of Frazer’s briefing is available on the State Department Web site.
For information on U.S. policy in the region, see Africa.
Created:16 Jun 2006 Updated: 17 Jun 2006
Gender-Based Violence Galvanized Warlords' Foes
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 17 -- Sometimes, the women here said, it began with a knock on the door after dark or with a kidnapping in broad daylight. And sometimes, the gunmen who ruled this city would use a long, sharp knife to slice open the tin shacks of poor families and snatch their daughters...
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 17 -- Sometimes, the women here said, it began with a knock on the door after dark or with a kidnapping in broad daylight. And sometimes, the gunmen who ruled this city would use a long, sharp knife to slice open the tin shacks of poor families and snatch their daughters...
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
THE NEW TALIBAN: WE IGNORE SOMALIA'S RADICAL ISLAMISTS AT OUR OWN PERIL - J. PETER PHAM (WALL STREET JOURNAL, JUNE 19)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1150677489...in_commentaries
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1150677489...in_commentaries
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Somalia claims U.S. urged Ethiopian incursion :
The leader of the Islamists who now control most of southern Somalia accused the United States on Saturday of orchestrating what he called a border incursion by hundreds of Ethiopian troops.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/18/afr...0618somalia.php
===
Somali "Islamists" impose Sharia on former warlord stronghold:
Somalia's dominant Islamist militia on Monday imposed Sharia law in the former warlord stronghold of Jowhar, making good on their vows to bring Islamic theocracy to the shattered Horn of Africa nation.
http://tinyurl.com/r7tp9
The leader of the Islamists who now control most of southern Somalia accused the United States on Saturday of orchestrating what he called a border incursion by hundreds of Ethiopian troops.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/18/afr...0618somalia.php
===
Somali "Islamists" impose Sharia on former warlord stronghold:
Somalia's dominant Islamist militia on Monday imposed Sharia law in the former warlord stronghold of Jowhar, making good on their vows to bring Islamic theocracy to the shattered Horn of Africa nation.
http://tinyurl.com/r7tp9
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0621/p01s04-woaf.html
CONTROL: Islamist militias have taken over a wide swath of Somalia in recent weeks, ending more than a decade of warlord control, but worrying Western countries.
KAREL PRINSLOO/AP
Foreign intervention in Somalia?
By Rob Crilly | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
NAIROBI, KENYA – The rapid rise of Somalia's Islamist militias has prompted a flurry of diplomatic efforts to stabilize the troubled country in the Horn of Africa.
Earlier this week, the African Union and Western diplomats decided to send officials to Somalia to assess the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force to a country ripped apart by 15 years of anarchy. That has the backing of President Abdullahi Yusuf, head of Somalia's virtually impotent transitional government, who flew to Ethiopia Tuesday to demand speedy intervention.
Regional powers support intervention out of fear of an Islamic state on their doorsteps, while Western governments are worried the country could become a haven for terrorists.
But rather than promote stability, the move could inflame feelings in the newly dominant Islamic courts movement, which has everything to lose by foreign intervention.
Its leaders say there is no need to invite peacekeepers when Islamist militias have succeeded in pacifying Mogadishu, one of the most dangerous cities on the planet.
"Any sort of AU intervention - which would most likely be a cover for Ethiopian intervention - is most likely to be highly divisive and is likely to derail any attempt at peaceful negotiation between the government and the courts," says Sulieman Baldo, Africa program director of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "The [Islamist] courts will be very hostile to any sort of Ethiopian intervention in Somalia."
Ethiopian troops have previously supported President Yusuf in his home state of Puntland where he held off an Islamist challenge during the 1990s. Somalia's neighbor is also thought to have designs on its land.
For the past two weeks, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who heads the Islamic Courts Union, has insisted to the watching world that his network of sharia courts - which has imposed strict Islamic law, shut down cinemas, and banned people from celebrating New Year's - has no links to Al Qaeda and has no plans to turn Somalia into an Islamic state.
But at the same time, his militias have swept out of Mogadishu conquering a huge swath of Somalia, imposing sharia law on the strategic town of Jowhar and traveling almost up to the border with Ethiopia.
Story continues below
BRING TROOPS: Somalian women demonstrated in the southern city of Baidoa in support of the transitional government's approval of the deployment of foreign peacekeepers.
REUTERS
The courts are the closest thing to a central government the country has seen since President Siad Barre fled in 1991. After his departure, Somalia gradually split into a series of personal fiefdoms administered by a motley combination of gangsters and thugs known as warlords.
But the rise of the Islamic courts and their militias has ousted the warlords from Mogadishu, where they were allegedly receiving cash from the United States to prevent Al Qaeda from making inroads.
Militias loyal to Sheikh Ahmed are now positioned about 40 miles from the town of Baidoa, where the country's transitional government has sat for four months since being formed in neighboring Kenya.
Earlier this month, its parliament voted to endorse Yusuf's call for peacekeepers to guarantee the survival of the government.
That vote was quickly followed by accusations from the Islamic courts that Ethiopia had sent 300 soldiers across the border to bolster its ally, Yusuf. The charges are denied by Ethiopia, although it is well known that small numbers of Ethiopian troops regularly criss-cross the border as part of its own defenses.
For now, the presence of peacekeepers would also violate an arms embargo imposed by the United Nations on all sides.
Lifting it, says Lt. Col. Harjit Kelley, a consultant to the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia, would risk enflaming an already volatile situation by legalizing the flow of guns and ammunition into the country.
He adds that the Islamic courts had strong backing from people living in towns under their control, and that the government, which has the support of much of the international community, has no option but to open a dialogue.
However, Yusuf has previously ruled out talks with the Islamic courts' leadership unless they meet three conditions: withdraw their militias to Mogadishu, recognize his government, and disarm.
Colonel Kelley doubts the Islamists will agree to those conditions, and says Yusuf has next to no leverage over the courts.
"The Islamic courts have the infrastructure, the command and control, that has [allowed them to] take the capital and other towns and then, more important, to hold on to them, so they are a big threat to the TFG," says Kelley.
"The TFG's best chance is to offer them commanding positions - with some real responsibility - in the government."
For now, there is peace in Mogadishu, but no one doubts that much work remains to rebuild the failed state.
Earlier this week, the United Nations' World Food Programme and UNICEF warned that the recent fighting and years of drought had pushed Somalis to their limit, creating the highest rates of malnutrition seen in years.
Mahamud Hassan Ali, the mayor of Mogadishu, says the West had already intervened in his city, funding the warlords and exacerbating the conflict.
Now, he says, it is time for the outside world to help rebuild it.
"My appeal is that the taxes of the world are no longer used for destruction, but instead used to make a difference to the lives of our people."
RICH CLABAUGH - STAFF
CONTROL: Islamist militias have taken over a wide swath of Somalia in recent weeks, ending more than a decade of warlord control, but worrying Western countries.
KAREL PRINSLOO/AP
Foreign intervention in Somalia?
By Rob Crilly | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
NAIROBI, KENYA – The rapid rise of Somalia's Islamist militias has prompted a flurry of diplomatic efforts to stabilize the troubled country in the Horn of Africa.
Earlier this week, the African Union and Western diplomats decided to send officials to Somalia to assess the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force to a country ripped apart by 15 years of anarchy. That has the backing of President Abdullahi Yusuf, head of Somalia's virtually impotent transitional government, who flew to Ethiopia Tuesday to demand speedy intervention.
Regional powers support intervention out of fear of an Islamic state on their doorsteps, while Western governments are worried the country could become a haven for terrorists.
But rather than promote stability, the move could inflame feelings in the newly dominant Islamic courts movement, which has everything to lose by foreign intervention.
Its leaders say there is no need to invite peacekeepers when Islamist militias have succeeded in pacifying Mogadishu, one of the most dangerous cities on the planet.
"Any sort of AU intervention - which would most likely be a cover for Ethiopian intervention - is most likely to be highly divisive and is likely to derail any attempt at peaceful negotiation between the government and the courts," says Sulieman Baldo, Africa program director of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "The [Islamist] courts will be very hostile to any sort of Ethiopian intervention in Somalia."
Ethiopian troops have previously supported President Yusuf in his home state of Puntland where he held off an Islamist challenge during the 1990s. Somalia's neighbor is also thought to have designs on its land.
For the past two weeks, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who heads the Islamic Courts Union, has insisted to the watching world that his network of sharia courts - which has imposed strict Islamic law, shut down cinemas, and banned people from celebrating New Year's - has no links to Al Qaeda and has no plans to turn Somalia into an Islamic state.
But at the same time, his militias have swept out of Mogadishu conquering a huge swath of Somalia, imposing sharia law on the strategic town of Jowhar and traveling almost up to the border with Ethiopia.
Story continues below
BRING TROOPS: Somalian women demonstrated in the southern city of Baidoa in support of the transitional government's approval of the deployment of foreign peacekeepers.
REUTERS
The courts are the closest thing to a central government the country has seen since President Siad Barre fled in 1991. After his departure, Somalia gradually split into a series of personal fiefdoms administered by a motley combination of gangsters and thugs known as warlords.
But the rise of the Islamic courts and their militias has ousted the warlords from Mogadishu, where they were allegedly receiving cash from the United States to prevent Al Qaeda from making inroads.
Militias loyal to Sheikh Ahmed are now positioned about 40 miles from the town of Baidoa, where the country's transitional government has sat for four months since being formed in neighboring Kenya.
Earlier this month, its parliament voted to endorse Yusuf's call for peacekeepers to guarantee the survival of the government.
That vote was quickly followed by accusations from the Islamic courts that Ethiopia had sent 300 soldiers across the border to bolster its ally, Yusuf. The charges are denied by Ethiopia, although it is well known that small numbers of Ethiopian troops regularly criss-cross the border as part of its own defenses.
For now, the presence of peacekeepers would also violate an arms embargo imposed by the United Nations on all sides.
Lifting it, says Lt. Col. Harjit Kelley, a consultant to the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia, would risk enflaming an already volatile situation by legalizing the flow of guns and ammunition into the country.
He adds that the Islamic courts had strong backing from people living in towns under their control, and that the government, which has the support of much of the international community, has no option but to open a dialogue.
However, Yusuf has previously ruled out talks with the Islamic courts' leadership unless they meet three conditions: withdraw their militias to Mogadishu, recognize his government, and disarm.
Colonel Kelley doubts the Islamists will agree to those conditions, and says Yusuf has next to no leverage over the courts.
"The Islamic courts have the infrastructure, the command and control, that has [allowed them to] take the capital and other towns and then, more important, to hold on to them, so they are a big threat to the TFG," says Kelley.
"The TFG's best chance is to offer them commanding positions - with some real responsibility - in the government."
For now, there is peace in Mogadishu, but no one doubts that much work remains to rebuild the failed state.
Earlier this week, the United Nations' World Food Programme and UNICEF warned that the recent fighting and years of drought had pushed Somalis to their limit, creating the highest rates of malnutrition seen in years.
Mahamud Hassan Ali, the mayor of Mogadishu, says the West had already intervened in his city, funding the warlords and exacerbating the conflict.
Now, he says, it is time for the outside world to help rebuild it.
"My appeal is that the taxes of the world are no longer used for destruction, but instead used to make a difference to the lives of our people."
RICH CLABAUGH - STAFF
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/062206T.shtml
Rivals Agree to Somalia Peace Deal
BBC News
Thursday 22 June 2006
Somalia's government and the Islamic group that controls the capital have agreed to end military campaigns at peace talks in Sudan.
The talks come two weeks after the Union of Islamic Courts took control of Mogadishu from an alliance of warlords.
The Islamists also agreed to recognise the legality of the interim government - a key demand - and to further talks.
Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir described the accord as "the beginning of the end of conflicts in Somalia."
BBC East Africa correspondent Karen Allen says that earlier this week, the two sides refused to sit in the same room.
Conflict Fears
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf was in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for the talks but the agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail.
Afterwards, he embraced Islamic scholar Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, who led the Union of Islamic Courts team, along with deputy chairman Sheikh Husein Mohamud Jumaale.
The talks were sponsored by the Arab League, currently chaired by Sudan.
They also agreed to stop "media campaigns" against each other and to meet again on 15 July.
These are fears of conflict between the Islamic courts, which controls much of southern Somalia, and the interim government, based in Baidoa, 200km north of the capital, Mogadishu.
There fears increased last weekend after the Islamists said Ethiopian troops had crossed the border, apparently in support of Mr Yusuf's government.
International pressure is mounting for both sides to negotiate a peaceful settlement and to establish Somalia's first effective national government for 15 years.
US U-Turn
On Wednesday, the United States asked the Islamists to hand over three terror suspects, reportedly in Somalia.
The Islamist group has repeatedly denied accusations that it is harbouring foreign Islamic fighters.
Correspondents say the request to the Union of Islamic Courts is a U-turn for the US, which is widely believed to have backed the warlords defeated in Mogadishu.
Ms Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, said there were many "foreign terrorists" in Somalia but the three most wanted by the US were:
Comoran Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
Kenyan Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan
Sudanese Abu Taha al-Sudani.
She said they had been involved in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200 people, and the 2002 attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya.
The US has offered a reward of $5m for information leading to the capture of Mr Mohammed.
"The best way to get America's support to the Somali people in a way that doesn't undermine our interests and their interests is for them to give up these foreign terrorists," Ms Frazer said, after meeting President Yusuf in Kenya.
-------
Rivals Agree to Somalia Peace Deal
BBC News
Thursday 22 June 2006
Somalia's government and the Islamic group that controls the capital have agreed to end military campaigns at peace talks in Sudan.
The talks come two weeks after the Union of Islamic Courts took control of Mogadishu from an alliance of warlords.
The Islamists also agreed to recognise the legality of the interim government - a key demand - and to further talks.
Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir described the accord as "the beginning of the end of conflicts in Somalia."
BBC East Africa correspondent Karen Allen says that earlier this week, the two sides refused to sit in the same room.
Conflict Fears
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf was in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for the talks but the agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail.
Afterwards, he embraced Islamic scholar Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, who led the Union of Islamic Courts team, along with deputy chairman Sheikh Husein Mohamud Jumaale.
The talks were sponsored by the Arab League, currently chaired by Sudan.
They also agreed to stop "media campaigns" against each other and to meet again on 15 July.
These are fears of conflict between the Islamic courts, which controls much of southern Somalia, and the interim government, based in Baidoa, 200km north of the capital, Mogadishu.
There fears increased last weekend after the Islamists said Ethiopian troops had crossed the border, apparently in support of Mr Yusuf's government.
International pressure is mounting for both sides to negotiate a peaceful settlement and to establish Somalia's first effective national government for 15 years.
US U-Turn
On Wednesday, the United States asked the Islamists to hand over three terror suspects, reportedly in Somalia.
The Islamist group has repeatedly denied accusations that it is harbouring foreign Islamic fighters.
Correspondents say the request to the Union of Islamic Courts is a U-turn for the US, which is widely believed to have backed the warlords defeated in Mogadishu.
Ms Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, said there were many "foreign terrorists" in Somalia but the three most wanted by the US were:
Comoran Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
Kenyan Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan
Sudanese Abu Taha al-Sudani.
She said they had been involved in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200 people, and the 2002 attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya.
The US has offered a reward of $5m for information leading to the capture of Mr Mohammed.
"The best way to get America's support to the Somali people in a way that doesn't undermine our interests and their interests is for them to give up these foreign terrorists," Ms Frazer said, after meeting President Yusuf in Kenya.
-------
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/0...1174072867.html
Radical cleric US says is terrorist to lead parliament
Date: June 26 2006
MOGADISHU: Somali Islamists have named a firebrand cleric wanted by the United States for alleged links to al-Qaeda to head their new parliament.
Officials said Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys had been chosen to lead the Council of Islamic Courts, which will serve as a parliament for regions under the council's control.
The appointment comes as the Islamic courts have shored up their control of Mogadishu and outlying towns following the dramatic victory of their militia fighters over a US-backed warlord alliance in the capital city this month.
Sheik Aweys founded Mogadishu's first Islamic court and is believed to have orchestrated the Islamic takeover. He has been operating in the central Galgudud region, where he has established sharia, or Islamic, law.
He has been designated a terrorist by the US and is subject to US sanctions for alleged ties to al-Qaeda. His suspected terrorist links were a key reason why Washington backed the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, formed in February by warlords who said the Islamists were harbouring extremists.
A senior official who attended a meeting of the Joint Islamic Courts in Mogadishu on Saturday said 88 delegates had been chosen to sit in the council, which will legislate and oversee the courts, where they have jurisdiction.
"The former head of the JIC, Sharif Sheik Ahmed, will be the chairman of the council's executive committee, which will be in charge of day-to-day running of the Islamic courts," a senior cleric said.
On Saturday Sheik Ahmed extended condolences to the family of a Swedish cameraman who was shot dead during a rally in Mogadishu and said three more arrests had been made in the hunt for his killer.
Martin Adler was shot in a crowd of thousands while filming a protest led by the Union of Islamic Courts on Friday.
In the courts' shake-up, two other hardline clerics, Omar Iman Abubakar and Abdullahi Ali Afrah, were named as deputy chairmen. Muhamoud Sheik Ibrahim Suleh, who declared jihad or holy war against the US-backed warlords, became secretary-general.
A key leader in the fighting, the governor of Lower Shabelle, Yusuf Mohamed Siad, was named deputy head of the executive committee, in effect putting his region under the control of the courts.
Somali observers said the move fell short of declaring Somalia an Islamic republic, but indicated the Islamists were determined to exert their control across the entire country.
"This is one step short of calling for the official establishment of the Islamic Republic of Somalia," said Ahmed Hassan, a Somali democracy advocate.
The Islamists have vehemently denied any links to al-Qaeda or any other brand of terrorism and have insisted they are interested only in restoring law and order in Somalia.
Somalia has lacked an effective government since the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991, paving the way for the rise of the now-defeated warlords who subdivided the country into a patchwork of fiefdoms.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters
Radical cleric US says is terrorist to lead parliament
Date: June 26 2006
MOGADISHU: Somali Islamists have named a firebrand cleric wanted by the United States for alleged links to al-Qaeda to head their new parliament.
Officials said Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys had been chosen to lead the Council of Islamic Courts, which will serve as a parliament for regions under the council's control.
The appointment comes as the Islamic courts have shored up their control of Mogadishu and outlying towns following the dramatic victory of their militia fighters over a US-backed warlord alliance in the capital city this month.
Sheik Aweys founded Mogadishu's first Islamic court and is believed to have orchestrated the Islamic takeover. He has been operating in the central Galgudud region, where he has established sharia, or Islamic, law.
He has been designated a terrorist by the US and is subject to US sanctions for alleged ties to al-Qaeda. His suspected terrorist links were a key reason why Washington backed the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, formed in February by warlords who said the Islamists were harbouring extremists.
A senior official who attended a meeting of the Joint Islamic Courts in Mogadishu on Saturday said 88 delegates had been chosen to sit in the council, which will legislate and oversee the courts, where they have jurisdiction.
"The former head of the JIC, Sharif Sheik Ahmed, will be the chairman of the council's executive committee, which will be in charge of day-to-day running of the Islamic courts," a senior cleric said.
On Saturday Sheik Ahmed extended condolences to the family of a Swedish cameraman who was shot dead during a rally in Mogadishu and said three more arrests had been made in the hunt for his killer.
Martin Adler was shot in a crowd of thousands while filming a protest led by the Union of Islamic Courts on Friday.
In the courts' shake-up, two other hardline clerics, Omar Iman Abubakar and Abdullahi Ali Afrah, were named as deputy chairmen. Muhamoud Sheik Ibrahim Suleh, who declared jihad or holy war against the US-backed warlords, became secretary-general.
A key leader in the fighting, the governor of Lower Shabelle, Yusuf Mohamed Siad, was named deputy head of the executive committee, in effect putting his region under the control of the courts.
Somali observers said the move fell short of declaring Somalia an Islamic republic, but indicated the Islamists were determined to exert their control across the entire country.
"This is one step short of calling for the official establishment of the Islamic Republic of Somalia," said Ahmed Hassan, a Somali democracy advocate.
The Islamists have vehemently denied any links to al-Qaeda or any other brand of terrorism and have insisted they are interested only in restoring law and order in Somalia.
Somalia has lacked an effective government since the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991, paving the way for the rise of the now-defeated warlords who subdivided the country into a patchwork of fiefdoms.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters
U.S. to bolster forces of old Somali regime :
The Bush administration will work to bolster the police force and other security troops of Somalia's government in exile in the hope of marginalizing the Islamic militias now controlling much of the war- torn country, a senior U.S. official told Congress.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/30/news/briefs.php
===
Bin Laden says will take fight to America:
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said his group reserved the right to fight the United States on its land and warned Washington and the world community against sending forces to Somalia, according to an Internet audio tape.
http://tinyurl.com/g5adt
The Bush administration will work to bolster the police force and other security troops of Somalia's government in exile in the hope of marginalizing the Islamic militias now controlling much of the war- torn country, a senior U.S. official told Congress.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/30/news/briefs.php
===
Bin Laden says will take fight to America:
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden said his group reserved the right to fight the United States on its land and warned Washington and the world community against sending forces to Somalia, according to an Internet audio tape.
http://tinyurl.com/g5adt
Mistaken Entry Into Clan Dispute Led to U.S. Black Eye in Somalia
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The land was little more than a patch of scrub outside the city. But this being Somalia -- lawless, fractured and armed to the teeth -- it was a patch of scrub that two of the country's most powerful families were prepared to fight over.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
By Craig Timberg
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The land was little more than a patch of scrub outside the city. But this being Somalia -- lawless, fractured and armed to the teeth -- it was a patch of scrub that two of the country's most powerful families were prepared to fight over.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07...ia-videos_x.htm
Somali militia plans to seize government base
Updated 7/19/2006 3:32 PM ET
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The Islamic militiamen holding most of southern Somalia deployed hundreds of fighters outside the base of the U.N.-backed interim government Wednesday and said they planned to seize it.
Seizing Baidoa would make the Islamic militia — which the United States has linked to al-Qaeda — the uncontested authority over most of the country.
Neighboring Ethiopia said it was prepared to invade to defend the Somali government.
"We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government. We will crush them," Ethiopia's Minister of Information, Berhan Hailu, told The Associated Press.
The interim government was on high alert and ready to defend itself from a militia attack, Deputy Information Minister Salad Ali Jelle told the AP.
The administration, however, is virtually powerless and barely able to control Baidoa, 150 miles northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. No attack had taken place by nightfall Wednesday, and the Islamic militiamen generally do not fight at night.
The militiamen seized Mogadishu last month and have installed increasingly strict religious rule that sparked fears of a Taliban-style hard-line regime in this anarchic Horn of Africa nation. The United States has accused the militia of links to al-Qaeda that include sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Osama bin Laden has called Somalia a front in his global war against the U.S. and its allies.
"Nothing will stop us from going into Baidoa," said Sheik Muqtar Robow, deputy defense chief for the Islamic group. He said more than 130 fighters who were loyal to Somali transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf had defected to the Islamists' side.
A lower-ranking Islamic official denied fighters were planning to seize Baidoa, offering a different explanation for why the Islamists were spotted on the outskirts of the government seat.
"Our aim of going to the region is to convince people in the region to implement Islamic law and establish Islamic courts," said Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, head of the local militia that seized control of Bur Haqaba.
Yusuf is allied with Ethiopia, and has asked for its support. Ethiopia has intervened militarily in Somalia in the past, and hundreds of Ethiopian troops have been spotted along the countries' border in recent weeks.
The Somali Islamist militants are allied with Muslim separatists in the Oromo region of Ethiopia.
A Cabinet minister in the Somali interim government was reported Tuesday to be recruiting militiamen to bolster the government and the deployment outside Baidoa appeared to be a pre-emptive strike.
Relations between the government and the Islamic militiamen already were strained after the government accused the Islamic group of planning to attack Baidoa, receiving help from foreign terrorists and massacring government supporters during recent fighting in Mogadishu.
The government had refused to meet the Islamic group in peace talks set for July 15 in neighboring Sudan, although it appeared to reverse course Monday under pressure from foreign governments pushing for a unified Somali administration.
The status of the talks was thrown into uncertainty by Wednesday's deployment.
Since its seizure of Mogadishu, the Islamic group has cracked down on purportedly non-Islamic activities such as a wedding with live music and a World Cup screening — shooting and killing two people who were watching.
It also replaced its moderate main leader with Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, whom the U.S. has linked to al-Qaeda. Aweys denies the allegations.
In their latest hard-line move, Islamic militiamen with assault rifles raided five halls in northern Mogadishu Tuesday and arrested people who had paid to watch videos, residents said.
The residents said Islamic fighters arrested about 60 people during the raids. The chairman of a local Islamic court said his fighters detained only 14.
A recent recruiting video issued by militia members shows foreign militants fighting alongside the local extremists in Mogadishu, and invites Muslims from around the world to join in their "holy jihad."
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a leader of the group, claimed the tape was fabricated by the United States.
Somalia has had no real government since the overthrow of a dictator in 1991.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07...ia-videos_x.htm
Somali militia plans to seize government base
Updated 7/19/2006 3:32 PM ET
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The Islamic militiamen holding most of southern Somalia deployed hundreds of fighters outside the base of the U.N.-backed interim government Wednesday and said they planned to seize it.
Seizing Baidoa would make the Islamic militia — which the United States has linked to al-Qaeda — the uncontested authority over most of the country.
Neighboring Ethiopia said it was prepared to invade to defend the Somali government.
"We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government. We will crush them," Ethiopia's Minister of Information, Berhan Hailu, told The Associated Press.
The interim government was on high alert and ready to defend itself from a militia attack, Deputy Information Minister Salad Ali Jelle told the AP.
The administration, however, is virtually powerless and barely able to control Baidoa, 150 miles northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. No attack had taken place by nightfall Wednesday, and the Islamic militiamen generally do not fight at night.
The militiamen seized Mogadishu last month and have installed increasingly strict religious rule that sparked fears of a Taliban-style hard-line regime in this anarchic Horn of Africa nation. The United States has accused the militia of links to al-Qaeda that include sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Osama bin Laden has called Somalia a front in his global war against the U.S. and its allies.
"Nothing will stop us from going into Baidoa," said Sheik Muqtar Robow, deputy defense chief for the Islamic group. He said more than 130 fighters who were loyal to Somali transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf had defected to the Islamists' side.
A lower-ranking Islamic official denied fighters were planning to seize Baidoa, offering a different explanation for why the Islamists were spotted on the outskirts of the government seat.
"Our aim of going to the region is to convince people in the region to implement Islamic law and establish Islamic courts," said Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, head of the local militia that seized control of Bur Haqaba.
Yusuf is allied with Ethiopia, and has asked for its support. Ethiopia has intervened militarily in Somalia in the past, and hundreds of Ethiopian troops have been spotted along the countries' border in recent weeks.
The Somali Islamist militants are allied with Muslim separatists in the Oromo region of Ethiopia.
A Cabinet minister in the Somali interim government was reported Tuesday to be recruiting militiamen to bolster the government and the deployment outside Baidoa appeared to be a pre-emptive strike.
Relations between the government and the Islamic militiamen already were strained after the government accused the Islamic group of planning to attack Baidoa, receiving help from foreign terrorists and massacring government supporters during recent fighting in Mogadishu.
The government had refused to meet the Islamic group in peace talks set for July 15 in neighboring Sudan, although it appeared to reverse course Monday under pressure from foreign governments pushing for a unified Somali administration.
The status of the talks was thrown into uncertainty by Wednesday's deployment.
Since its seizure of Mogadishu, the Islamic group has cracked down on purportedly non-Islamic activities such as a wedding with live music and a World Cup screening — shooting and killing two people who were watching.
It also replaced its moderate main leader with Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, whom the U.S. has linked to al-Qaeda. Aweys denies the allegations.
In their latest hard-line move, Islamic militiamen with assault rifles raided five halls in northern Mogadishu Tuesday and arrested people who had paid to watch videos, residents said.
The residents said Islamic fighters arrested about 60 people during the raids. The chairman of a local Islamic court said his fighters detained only 14.
A recent recruiting video issued by militia members shows foreign militants fighting alongside the local extremists in Mogadishu, and invites Muslims from around the world to join in their "holy jihad."
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a leader of the group, claimed the tape was fabricated by the United States.
Somalia has had no real government since the overthrow of a dictator in 1991.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07...ia-videos_x.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/0...3166525761.html
Fears of a new war in Somalia
Date: July 21 2006
Somalia's Islamists vowed a "holy war" yesterday against Ethiopian troops crossing into the Horn of Africa nation, while Addis Ababa threatened to "crush" any attack on the interim government it supports.
The aggressive rhetoric - combined with this week's military moves on both sides - have heightened fears of a new war in Somalia, plagued by violence and without central rule since the 1991 ouster of a military dictator.
"The risk of full scale war increases by the day," said John Prendergast, of the International Crisis Group think-tank.
Islamists took the capital Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords last month and are threatening the authority of a transitional administration formed in Kenya in 2004 and intended to steer the nation from anarchy to peace.
Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a senior Islamist in charge of defence, said around 20 military vehicles from Ethiopia had crossed into Somalia at Dollow on Wednesday.
That added to previous Islamist accusations Ethiopia was pouring in troops to support Somalia's government against them.
"God willing, we will remove the Ethiopians in our country and wage a jihadi war against them," he told reporters.
Independent analysts believe Addis Ababa has sent up to 5,000 troops into Somalia, and is massing many more on the border, as a deterrent to any more advances by the Islamists, who took Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords last month.
The regional power, Ethiopia backs the interim government of President Abdullahi Yusuf, based in the provincial town of Baidoa because it lacks the strength to move into Mogadishu.
Addis Ababa termed the jihad call "foolish and cheap propaganda" aimed at winning support from Muslim states.
"The Islamists' agenda is to topple the legally constituted Federal Transitional Government of Somalia and destabilise Ethiopia," added Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle.
Ethiopia denied incursions into Somalia but threatened to "crush" any bid by the Islamists to take Baidoa or cross the border.
Stalled talks
Nominally Christian-led Ethiopia, which condemns the Islamist leaders as "terrorists", is fearful of having a hardline Muslim state on its doorstep.
It is also anxious at possible Islamist aspirations to establish a "Greater Somalia" which would incorporate areas inhabited by ethnic Somalis such as Ethiopia's Ogaden.
Ethiopia sounded the alarm after Islamist militia moved from Mogadishu to Buur Hakaba - just 60 km (37 miles) from Baidoa - on Wednesday. The Islamists returned in the evening, saying they went to collect 150 soldiers switching sides from Yusuf's force.
The commander of those soldiers said they were disgruntled at lack of pay. "We met him (Yusuf) on Sunday and told him we will be leaving since his government failed to honour its promises," Garad Fiidow Gabow told Reuters in Mogadishu at a former government building where his troops were resting.
The soldiers carried new AK-47 rifles.
Interim government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari, however, said soldiers had left due to indiscipline.
Islamist defence chief Robow said he could have gone on to Baidoa: "I had weapons and militia yesterday but did not go to my house in Baidoa to avoid being an obstacle to the talks and also to prevent confrontations and gun-battles."
He was referring to stalled Arab League-brokered talks between the Islamists and government in Khartoum. The government pulled out of the last round, saying the Islamists broke an accord to stop military advances.
Reuters
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Fears of a new war in Somalia
Date: July 21 2006
Somalia's Islamists vowed a "holy war" yesterday against Ethiopian troops crossing into the Horn of Africa nation, while Addis Ababa threatened to "crush" any attack on the interim government it supports.
The aggressive rhetoric - combined with this week's military moves on both sides - have heightened fears of a new war in Somalia, plagued by violence and without central rule since the 1991 ouster of a military dictator.
"The risk of full scale war increases by the day," said John Prendergast, of the International Crisis Group think-tank.
Islamists took the capital Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords last month and are threatening the authority of a transitional administration formed in Kenya in 2004 and intended to steer the nation from anarchy to peace.
Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a senior Islamist in charge of defence, said around 20 military vehicles from Ethiopia had crossed into Somalia at Dollow on Wednesday.
That added to previous Islamist accusations Ethiopia was pouring in troops to support Somalia's government against them.
"God willing, we will remove the Ethiopians in our country and wage a jihadi war against them," he told reporters.
Independent analysts believe Addis Ababa has sent up to 5,000 troops into Somalia, and is massing many more on the border, as a deterrent to any more advances by the Islamists, who took Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords last month.
The regional power, Ethiopia backs the interim government of President Abdullahi Yusuf, based in the provincial town of Baidoa because it lacks the strength to move into Mogadishu.
Addis Ababa termed the jihad call "foolish and cheap propaganda" aimed at winning support from Muslim states.
"The Islamists' agenda is to topple the legally constituted Federal Transitional Government of Somalia and destabilise Ethiopia," added Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle.
Ethiopia denied incursions into Somalia but threatened to "crush" any bid by the Islamists to take Baidoa or cross the border.
Stalled talks
Nominally Christian-led Ethiopia, which condemns the Islamist leaders as "terrorists", is fearful of having a hardline Muslim state on its doorstep.
It is also anxious at possible Islamist aspirations to establish a "Greater Somalia" which would incorporate areas inhabited by ethnic Somalis such as Ethiopia's Ogaden.
Ethiopia sounded the alarm after Islamist militia moved from Mogadishu to Buur Hakaba - just 60 km (37 miles) from Baidoa - on Wednesday. The Islamists returned in the evening, saying they went to collect 150 soldiers switching sides from Yusuf's force.
The commander of those soldiers said they were disgruntled at lack of pay. "We met him (Yusuf) on Sunday and told him we will be leaving since his government failed to honour its promises," Garad Fiidow Gabow told Reuters in Mogadishu at a former government building where his troops were resting.
The soldiers carried new AK-47 rifles.
Interim government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari, however, said soldiers had left due to indiscipline.
Islamist defence chief Robow said he could have gone on to Baidoa: "I had weapons and militia yesterday but did not go to my house in Baidoa to avoid being an obstacle to the talks and also to prevent confrontations and gun-battles."
He was referring to stalled Arab League-brokered talks between the Islamists and government in Khartoum. The government pulled out of the last round, saying the Islamists broke an accord to stop military advances.
Reuters
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Ethiopia 'seizes new Somali town' BBC News
Ethiopian troops have reportedly moved into another town in south-western Somalia, two days after entering the country to protect the weak government. Eyewitnesses say about 200 Ethiopian soldiers took control of the airstrip outside Waajid early on Saturday. There is no confirmation from either the Ethiopian or the Somali government. The Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), a militia which controls the capital and much of the south, has vowed to drive out Ethiopian troops. The Ethiopians moved into Somalia on Thursday and have been seen in Baidoa, where the beleaguered interim government is based.
'Holy war'
Eyewitnesses quoted by the Associated Press news agency say Ethiopian soldiers seized the airport at Waajid, about 70km (43 miles) to the north, before dawn on Saturday. The town had been controlled by a local militia. It is unclear whether there was any fighting. Other residents told Somali media that they had seen Ethiopian soldiers in the town centre. The UIC has pledged to wage a "holy war" to drive out Ethiopian troops. The Islamic militia drove the warlords from the capital, Mogadishu in June, saying they wanted to restore law and order. The UIC has since consolidated its power over many parts of southern Somalia. But Ethiopia is strongly opposed to the militia and has repeatedly warned that it will send its army into Somalia if the government is attacked. Ethiopia has been a long-term ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf. UIC leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has accused him of being "a servant of Ethiopia". A UN report earlier this year said that Mr Aweys had been getting significant military aid from Ethiopia's rival, Eritrea - a claim Eritrea has denied. Mr Aweys has denied US accusations that he and the UIC have links to al-Qaeda.
Ethiopian troops have reportedly moved into another town in south-western Somalia, two days after entering the country to protect the weak government. Eyewitnesses say about 200 Ethiopian soldiers took control of the airstrip outside Waajid early on Saturday. There is no confirmation from either the Ethiopian or the Somali government. The Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), a militia which controls the capital and much of the south, has vowed to drive out Ethiopian troops. The Ethiopians moved into Somalia on Thursday and have been seen in Baidoa, where the beleaguered interim government is based.
'Holy war'
Eyewitnesses quoted by the Associated Press news agency say Ethiopian soldiers seized the airport at Waajid, about 70km (43 miles) to the north, before dawn on Saturday. The town had been controlled by a local militia. It is unclear whether there was any fighting. Other residents told Somali media that they had seen Ethiopian soldiers in the town centre. The UIC has pledged to wage a "holy war" to drive out Ethiopian troops. The Islamic militia drove the warlords from the capital, Mogadishu in June, saying they wanted to restore law and order. The UIC has since consolidated its power over many parts of southern Somalia. But Ethiopia is strongly opposed to the militia and has repeatedly warned that it will send its army into Somalia if the government is attacked. Ethiopia has been a long-term ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf. UIC leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has accused him of being "a servant of Ethiopia". A UN report earlier this year said that Mr Aweys had been getting significant military aid from Ethiopia's rival, Eritrea - a claim Eritrea has denied. Mr Aweys has denied US accusations that he and the UIC have links to al-Qaeda.
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/0...3166582484.html
Invasion sparks fears of Somalian conflict
Date: July 22 2006
Xan Rice
FEARS of war in the Horn of Africa have grown sharply after Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to "protect" its neighbour's fragile government against an advancing Islamist militia.
Dozens of Ethiopian military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen closing in on Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's interim government, which has no army. Journalists reported seeing hundreds of Ethiopian troops patrolling the town on Thursday.
Yesterday's move appeared to be a direct challenge to the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia, which controls the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the south. On Wednesday its fighters advanced to the town of Buurhabaka, 64 kilometres from Baidoa. The movements came as both sides stepped up their verbal battle.
While denying the widely reported incursion, an Ethiopian government spokesman vowed to crush any attempt to topple the secular government of Abdullahi Yusuf, which has close ties with Addis Ababa.
Sheik Mukhtar Robow, the Islamists' deputy head of security, warned that his fighters were ready to take on the foreign troops. "God willing, we will remove the Ethiopians in our country and wage a jihadi war against them," he said.
The aggressive rhetoric and the military moves on both sides have raised fears of a new war in Somalia, deprived of central rule since the dictator Mohammad Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
"The risk of full-scale war increases by the day," said John Prendergast, of the International Crisis Group think tank. The direct involvement of Ethiopia, which has been repeatedly accused of crossing into Somalia in recent weeks, represents a dangerous turn of events.
Tensions in Somalia were already strained by the on-off talks between the weak government, which has no control outside Baidoa, and the Islamists, who beat a coalition of US-backed warlords in Mogadishu on June 5 and have steadily spread their influence across the country.
Representatives of the two parties met in Khartoum last month and agreed to recognise each other, even if their differences remained wide. The Government wants an arms embargo lifted and regional peacekeepers sent. The Islamists, who want to impose some form of sharia law, are bitterly opposed to foreign troops - as are many Somalis, particularly in Mogadishu.
However, a second meeting planned for last weekend was boycotted by the Government after it accused the Islamists of breaking a ceasefire agreement by fighting a bloody three-day battle to rout the last remaining warlord in Mogadishu.
Relations appeared to break down completely on Wednesday when the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammad Gedi, accused the militia of plotting to overthrow the Government. His comments, denied by the Islamists, raised alarms in Ethiopia, and are likely to have prompted the incursion.
The invasion is not without precedent: Ethiopia twice crossed into Somalia, in 1993 and 1996, to crush Islamist attempts to seize control.
The Guardian, Reuters
This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.
Invasion sparks fears of Somalian conflict
Date: July 22 2006
Xan Rice
FEARS of war in the Horn of Africa have grown sharply after Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to "protect" its neighbour's fragile government against an advancing Islamist militia.
Dozens of Ethiopian military trucks and armoured vehicles were seen closing in on Baidoa, the seat of Somalia's interim government, which has no army. Journalists reported seeing hundreds of Ethiopian troops patrolling the town on Thursday.
Yesterday's move appeared to be a direct challenge to the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia, which controls the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the south. On Wednesday its fighters advanced to the town of Buurhabaka, 64 kilometres from Baidoa. The movements came as both sides stepped up their verbal battle.
While denying the widely reported incursion, an Ethiopian government spokesman vowed to crush any attempt to topple the secular government of Abdullahi Yusuf, which has close ties with Addis Ababa.
Sheik Mukhtar Robow, the Islamists' deputy head of security, warned that his fighters were ready to take on the foreign troops. "God willing, we will remove the Ethiopians in our country and wage a jihadi war against them," he said.
The aggressive rhetoric and the military moves on both sides have raised fears of a new war in Somalia, deprived of central rule since the dictator Mohammad Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
"The risk of full-scale war increases by the day," said John Prendergast, of the International Crisis Group think tank. The direct involvement of Ethiopia, which has been repeatedly accused of crossing into Somalia in recent weeks, represents a dangerous turn of events.
Tensions in Somalia were already strained by the on-off talks between the weak government, which has no control outside Baidoa, and the Islamists, who beat a coalition of US-backed warlords in Mogadishu on June 5 and have steadily spread their influence across the country.
Representatives of the two parties met in Khartoum last month and agreed to recognise each other, even if their differences remained wide. The Government wants an arms embargo lifted and regional peacekeepers sent. The Islamists, who want to impose some form of sharia law, are bitterly opposed to foreign troops - as are many Somalis, particularly in Mogadishu.
However, a second meeting planned for last weekend was boycotted by the Government after it accused the Islamists of breaking a ceasefire agreement by fighting a bloody three-day battle to rout the last remaining warlord in Mogadishu.
Relations appeared to break down completely on Wednesday when the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammad Gedi, accused the militia of plotting to overthrow the Government. His comments, denied by the Islamists, raised alarms in Ethiopia, and are likely to have prompted the incursion.
The invasion is not without precedent: Ethiopia twice crossed into Somalia, in 1993 and 1996, to crush Islamist attempts to seize control.
The Guardian, Reuters
This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13990222/site/newsweek/
MSNBC.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exclusive: Tough Talk From Somalia's Islamic Hard-Liner
Newsweek
July 31, 2006 issue - Finally the warlords of Mogadishu and southern Somalia have been subdued, bringing peace to the ravaged area for the first time in 15 years. The Islamic Courts Union, a popular uprising built around traditional Islamic Sharia courts and financed by fed-up businessmen, collected the warlords' guns and rounded up their battlewagons. "In 15 years, no one was able to do what they did in 15 days," says U.N. official Saverio Bertolino.
But Somalia's troubles are far from over. Instead of warlords now, Somalis have what many are calling an African version of the Taliban, bent not only on imposing a harsh, Wahhabi-style Islam on the country but allegedly also providing a safe haven, Afghan style, for international terrorists. Movies and music have been banned; open-air video parlors showing World Cup matches were shut down. Recently the group appointed a Majlis al-Shura (consultative council) as its supreme spiritual and policy-setting body, appointing as its leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is on the U.S. terrorist watch list for his connection to a Somali militant group, Al Itihad al-Islamiya. In an exclusive interview with NEWSWEEK last week in Mogadishu, Aweys didn't deny his connection to the militant group but said, "I don't know anything that Al Itihad al-Islamiya did to America. The Americans are targeting us, and there is no power that can protect us from them except Allah." Aweys insisted the group was interested only in opposing Ethiopia, which late last week moved its troops across the border, warning the Islamists against taking complete control of Somalia.
Explaining the Islamists' crackdown on non-Islamic culture, Aweys said that Somalis, as Muslims, "have to choose the way our people want to go or learn ... Television, for instance, misleads the people and teaches them bad character and a culture from some other countries that we don't share. And we know what leads our people astray." He added, "I want to tell you that America has a phobia of Islam."
U.S. officials say the Courts are harboring three terrorists accused of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, a charge the Islamists reject. (Many independent Somalis, like Hassan Mohadallah of the Center for Research and Dialogue, agree. "I don't believe they could hide them—this society is too open, too homogenous; foreigners would be noticed.") But there are plenty of kindred spirits in the Islamists' ranks. Among them is Aden Hashi Ayro, an Afghan-trained Somali who U.S. officials say was behind the assassinations of four aid workers in Somaliland and the execution of Abdul Qadir Yahya, an internationally known civic leader, last year. "Aden Ayro is a good man," Aweys said, "a member of the Islamic Courts" who has never been convicted of a crime.
A Courts-made propaganda video called "Punishment of the Converts" and obtained by NEWSWEEK from an Islamic militiaman in Mogadishu, shows the Somali Islamists training, interspersed with speeches from several of the Courts' leading military figures, including a partially masked man who appears to be Ayro, according to Somalis who know him. The dialogue is frankly Pan-Islamic and pro-terrorist; the voice-over features Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. "Mogadishu is the Afghanistan of the Muslims now," says one masked Somali fighter. "Every Muslim who is victimized in the world, we are calling him to come here," says the fighter. "It will be a safe haven for him." The Islamic militias' internal newspaper, Al Jihaad, puts it bluntly: TERRORISM IS COMPULSORY, reads a July 3 headline. TERRORISM, EXTREMISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM ARE PART OF ISLAM AND GOOD.
Aweys doesn't disagree. He praised bin Laden to NEWSWEEK, comparing him to Nelson Mandela in that "South Africans said that Mandela was a terrorist and his people know him as a hero." He also justified Al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center. "Since Osama was fighting against his enemy, he could use any tactic he had available to him," he said. "It is not compulsory to think as the Americans want us to think."
Despite Aweys's stated views, many observers give the Courts the benefit of the doubt. "Most of us in the international and relief community do not see them as a new Taliban," says World Food Program country director Zlatan Milisic. "There may be extremists among them, but overall they're providing relief for suffering people." The Courts' leader, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, apparently second in stature to Aweys, has urged moderation on his followers, after an initial crackdown on public morals. There was an early spate of harsh punishments, including chopping off the hands of thieves and even the sanctioned execution of a murderer by his victim's son. But that's all either ended now or gone under wraps. "Really, there is no Taliban style in Somalia," Sharif said. To people in Mogadishu, the fact that the Taliban too took power in Afghanistan with promises of moderation is another world away. Right now they are enjoying the end of a long war. "We are fed up with this fighting," says Idris Osman, a Somali who runs WFP's program in Mogadishu. "Whoever brings peace, they believe in him. There could be a hidden agenda, but it doesn't matter." Ideology is a luxury most Somalis cannot afford.
—Rod Nordland
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13990222/site/newsweek/
MSNBC.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exclusive: Tough Talk From Somalia's Islamic Hard-Liner
Newsweek
July 31, 2006 issue - Finally the warlords of Mogadishu and southern Somalia have been subdued, bringing peace to the ravaged area for the first time in 15 years. The Islamic Courts Union, a popular uprising built around traditional Islamic Sharia courts and financed by fed-up businessmen, collected the warlords' guns and rounded up their battlewagons. "In 15 years, no one was able to do what they did in 15 days," says U.N. official Saverio Bertolino.
But Somalia's troubles are far from over. Instead of warlords now, Somalis have what many are calling an African version of the Taliban, bent not only on imposing a harsh, Wahhabi-style Islam on the country but allegedly also providing a safe haven, Afghan style, for international terrorists. Movies and music have been banned; open-air video parlors showing World Cup matches were shut down. Recently the group appointed a Majlis al-Shura (consultative council) as its supreme spiritual and policy-setting body, appointing as its leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is on the U.S. terrorist watch list for his connection to a Somali militant group, Al Itihad al-Islamiya. In an exclusive interview with NEWSWEEK last week in Mogadishu, Aweys didn't deny his connection to the militant group but said, "I don't know anything that Al Itihad al-Islamiya did to America. The Americans are targeting us, and there is no power that can protect us from them except Allah." Aweys insisted the group was interested only in opposing Ethiopia, which late last week moved its troops across the border, warning the Islamists against taking complete control of Somalia.
Explaining the Islamists' crackdown on non-Islamic culture, Aweys said that Somalis, as Muslims, "have to choose the way our people want to go or learn ... Television, for instance, misleads the people and teaches them bad character and a culture from some other countries that we don't share. And we know what leads our people astray." He added, "I want to tell you that America has a phobia of Islam."
U.S. officials say the Courts are harboring three terrorists accused of the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, a charge the Islamists reject. (Many independent Somalis, like Hassan Mohadallah of the Center for Research and Dialogue, agree. "I don't believe they could hide them—this society is too open, too homogenous; foreigners would be noticed.") But there are plenty of kindred spirits in the Islamists' ranks. Among them is Aden Hashi Ayro, an Afghan-trained Somali who U.S. officials say was behind the assassinations of four aid workers in Somaliland and the execution of Abdul Qadir Yahya, an internationally known civic leader, last year. "Aden Ayro is a good man," Aweys said, "a member of the Islamic Courts" who has never been convicted of a crime.
A Courts-made propaganda video called "Punishment of the Converts" and obtained by NEWSWEEK from an Islamic militiaman in Mogadishu, shows the Somali Islamists training, interspersed with speeches from several of the Courts' leading military figures, including a partially masked man who appears to be Ayro, according to Somalis who know him. The dialogue is frankly Pan-Islamic and pro-terrorist; the voice-over features Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. "Mogadishu is the Afghanistan of the Muslims now," says one masked Somali fighter. "Every Muslim who is victimized in the world, we are calling him to come here," says the fighter. "It will be a safe haven for him." The Islamic militias' internal newspaper, Al Jihaad, puts it bluntly: TERRORISM IS COMPULSORY, reads a July 3 headline. TERRORISM, EXTREMISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM ARE PART OF ISLAM AND GOOD.
Aweys doesn't disagree. He praised bin Laden to NEWSWEEK, comparing him to Nelson Mandela in that "South Africans said that Mandela was a terrorist and his people know him as a hero." He also justified Al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center. "Since Osama was fighting against his enemy, he could use any tactic he had available to him," he said. "It is not compulsory to think as the Americans want us to think."
Despite Aweys's stated views, many observers give the Courts the benefit of the doubt. "Most of us in the international and relief community do not see them as a new Taliban," says World Food Program country director Zlatan Milisic. "There may be extremists among them, but overall they're providing relief for suffering people." The Courts' leader, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, apparently second in stature to Aweys, has urged moderation on his followers, after an initial crackdown on public morals. There was an early spate of harsh punishments, including chopping off the hands of thieves and even the sanctioned execution of a murderer by his victim's son. But that's all either ended now or gone under wraps. "Really, there is no Taliban style in Somalia," Sharif said. To people in Mogadishu, the fact that the Taliban too took power in Afghanistan with promises of moderation is another world away. Right now they are enjoying the end of a long war. "We are fed up with this fighting," says Idris Osman, a Somali who runs WFP's program in Mogadishu. "Whoever brings peace, they believe in him. There could be a hidden agenda, but it doesn't matter." Ideology is a luxury most Somalis cannot afford.
—Rod Nordland
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13990222/site/newsweek/
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/0...3593211299.html
Somali clashes after call for holy war
Date: July 24 2006
MOGADISHU: Somalia's Islamist militia, vowing holy war, briefly fought with government forces, the first clash between the two sides and one that many Somalis fear may signal a slide to war.
Government militia seized and set on fire two "technicals" - heavily armed trucks that are Somalia's version of tanks - in fighting on Saturday in the remote Qoryooley district, an Islamist source said.
There was no word on any casualties in the clash, the first since Islamists seized Mogadishu from warlords on June 5, challenging the slim authority of President Abdullahi Yusuf's Western-backed government.
Witnesses said government forces brought one of the Islamists' battlewagons back to Baidoa, the Government's provincial base, bolstered by the reported deployment of Ethiopian troops across the border.
Diplomats fear the Horn of Africa country is on the verge of serious conflict after the newly powerful Islamists moved closer to Baidoa last week and quit talks in Sudan with the Government on Saturday, dashing hopes of a quick diplomatic breakthrough.
"We do not negotiate with a government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia," said a senior Islamist leader, Sheik Sharif Ahmed, in a letter to Islamist delegates to the talks, in a reference to Ethiopia.
The Islamist leadership has called on Somalia's 10 million people to prepare to fight against the foreign troops, while Addis Ababa threatened to crush any attack on the Somali Government.
Despite Ethiopia's repeated denials of reports it has sent troops into Somalia, residents and aid workers in the south-western town of Wajid said Ethiopian soldiers seized the airport from gunmen working for local authorities.
Two helicopters carrying Ethiopian troops landed at the airport on Saturday, they said. Traditionally Christian, Ethiopia fears a hardline Muslim state on its doorstep and possible Islamist aspirations to create a "Greater Somalia" that would incorporate Ethiopia's south-eastern, ethnically Somali, Ogaden region.
Analysts believe Ethiopia, the Horn's dominant power, has sent up to 5000 troops into Somalia, and is massing more on the border to deter Islamist advances.
A source close to the Somali Government admitted the presence of Ethiopian troops on Somali soil. "They are there, but not in the big numbers people are saying. But believe me, if the Islamists attack, they will come," he said. "Our national army is not set up yet, and they have many militias, so we need assistance."
Several residents of Baidoa said more Ethiopian troops and armoured vehicles arrived overnight to guard the parliament, presidential palace and airport. "The Ethiopian troops have changed their uniforms and are now wearing the same clothes as the Somali government soldiers," said a former militiaman, Abdirizak Adan.
The Government imposed a curfew on Baidoa last week.
More than 50 of the Islamists' trucks mounted with heavy weapons left Mogadishu, and after being joined by Eritrean and Ethiopian rebel forces were heading for Baidoa.
Reuters
Story Picture:
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Somali clashes after call for holy war
Date: July 24 2006
MOGADISHU: Somalia's Islamist militia, vowing holy war, briefly fought with government forces, the first clash between the two sides and one that many Somalis fear may signal a slide to war.
Government militia seized and set on fire two "technicals" - heavily armed trucks that are Somalia's version of tanks - in fighting on Saturday in the remote Qoryooley district, an Islamist source said.
There was no word on any casualties in the clash, the first since Islamists seized Mogadishu from warlords on June 5, challenging the slim authority of President Abdullahi Yusuf's Western-backed government.
Witnesses said government forces brought one of the Islamists' battlewagons back to Baidoa, the Government's provincial base, bolstered by the reported deployment of Ethiopian troops across the border.
Diplomats fear the Horn of Africa country is on the verge of serious conflict after the newly powerful Islamists moved closer to Baidoa last week and quit talks in Sudan with the Government on Saturday, dashing hopes of a quick diplomatic breakthrough.
"We do not negotiate with a government which is being helped by the enemy of Somalia," said a senior Islamist leader, Sheik Sharif Ahmed, in a letter to Islamist delegates to the talks, in a reference to Ethiopia.
The Islamist leadership has called on Somalia's 10 million people to prepare to fight against the foreign troops, while Addis Ababa threatened to crush any attack on the Somali Government.
Despite Ethiopia's repeated denials of reports it has sent troops into Somalia, residents and aid workers in the south-western town of Wajid said Ethiopian soldiers seized the airport from gunmen working for local authorities.
Two helicopters carrying Ethiopian troops landed at the airport on Saturday, they said. Traditionally Christian, Ethiopia fears a hardline Muslim state on its doorstep and possible Islamist aspirations to create a "Greater Somalia" that would incorporate Ethiopia's south-eastern, ethnically Somali, Ogaden region.
Analysts believe Ethiopia, the Horn's dominant power, has sent up to 5000 troops into Somalia, and is massing more on the border to deter Islamist advances.
A source close to the Somali Government admitted the presence of Ethiopian troops on Somali soil. "They are there, but not in the big numbers people are saying. But believe me, if the Islamists attack, they will come," he said. "Our national army is not set up yet, and they have many militias, so we need assistance."
Several residents of Baidoa said more Ethiopian troops and armoured vehicles arrived overnight to guard the parliament, presidential palace and airport. "The Ethiopian troops have changed their uniforms and are now wearing the same clothes as the Somali government soldiers," said a former militiaman, Abdirizak Adan.
The Government imposed a curfew on Baidoa last week.
More than 50 of the Islamists' trucks mounted with heavy weapons left Mogadishu, and after being joined by Eritrean and Ethiopian rebel forces were heading for Baidoa.
Reuters
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Presence of Ethiopian Troops Is Divisive in Somalia
BAIDOA, Somalia - Enlisting a regional rival to fight militants
could hurt the transitional government and spur broader conflict,
leaders and analysts warn. By Edmund Sanders.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e5o...Io30G2B0Hi7a0EY
BAIDOA, Somalia - Enlisting a regional rival to fight militants
could hurt the transitional government and spur broader conflict,
leaders and analysts warn. By Edmund Sanders.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e5o...Io30G2B0Hi7a0EY
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0725/p07s02-woaf.html
Somalia on the edge of full-scale war
Islamists are calling for fierce resistance against Ethiopian troops in the country.
By Rob Crilly | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
NAIROBI, KENYA – Peace talks aimed at avoiding civil war in Somalia were officially postponed Monday following a week of high-risk brinkmanship and heightened rhetoric from emboldened Islamic militias and the country's weak transitional government.
One side and then the other refused to attend talks that were due to restart Saturday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, each accusing their adversary of hostile intentions.
GET OUT: Islamist militiamen burned an Ethiopian flag in Mogadishu Monday. They have called for a jihad against Ethiopian troops that have recently entered the country.
MOHAMED SHEIKH NOR/AP
The latest sticking point is the arrival of Ethiopian troops to bolster the government's shaky defenses at its headquarters in the provincial town of Baidoa.
Islamist leaders responded with a call to Somalia to wage jihad , or holy war, against foreign fighters and organized a rally of more than 3,000 people in the capital Mogadishu to protest their arrival.
John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, says the flurry of moves leaves the country on a "precipice."
"I think both sides - particularly the Islamists - are throwing a few jabs, to use a boxing analogy, testing each other to see how far the other will go in advance of any talks, if they should happen," he says.
A complete breakdown in negotiations could spark a major regional conflict.
Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991, despite more than a dozen attempts to find peace between the assortment of warlords who carved the Horn of Africa nation into a series of personal fiefdoms.
Last month the Union of Islamic Courts seized control of the capital, Mogadishu, ousting a hated coalition of armed strongmen who allegedly received backing from the US.
Their victory sent shockwaves around regional capitals that do not want to see an Islamic state on their doorstep, and raised concerns in Western countries that Somalia could become a haven for Al Qaeda.
Since then the Islamic movement has replaced its moderate leader with a hard-liner, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is accused by the US of having links to terrorists groups - accusations he denies.
Islamist militiamen have fanned out across the country, imposing Islamic law on towns under their control and pinning down the government in its Baidoa headquarters.
Last week they arrived in the town of Burhakaba, only 40 miles from Baidoa, where the transitional parliament sits in an old grain warehouse.
Ethiopia has long promised to protect the government of its close ally, President Abdullahi Yusuf, and eyewitnesses reported several hundred Ethiopian troops crossing into Somalia to be deployed in and around Baidoa in response to the Islamists' advance.
SOURCE: ESRI; AP
Ethiopia continues to deny that its troops are in Somalia, but their presence was enough for Islamist leaders - some of whom fought Ethiopian troops in the Somali region of Puntland during the 1990s - to announce this weekend that they wanted no further part in the Khartoum talks.
At the same time the transitional government did an about turn. After boycotting the talks for more than a week, a Somali government source, who asked not to be named, says a delegation will be ready to travel to Khartoum next week.
"We want to find some middle ground, talk with them, and find out what they want. Is it seats in the government? If it is then we will try to entertain them by maybe making one big government for Somalia," he says.
However, the presence of Ethiopian troops might scuttle the prospect of talks, says Mohamud Jama, a legislator in the transitional government. "The whole purpose of the dialogue is to stabilize the situation and prevent the outbreak of violence. I don't think troops - and in particular this set of [Ethiopian] troops - can be part of the solution."
Thousands of people gathered in Mogadishu Monday carrying banners reading: "Ethiopian soldiers are unwanted in Somalia;" "Somalis have to prepare themselves for the occupation of Somalia;" "We are ready for holy war against Ethiopia."
They were addressed by Islamist leaders, some of whom urged restraint while others talked up the prospect of bloodshed.
"Anybody who allies himself to the Ethiopians will be regarded as a non-believer who violated the principle of Islam and will face jihad," said Sheikh Ahmed Kare, a hard-liner
Somalia on the edge of full-scale war
Islamists are calling for fierce resistance against Ethiopian troops in the country.
By Rob Crilly | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
NAIROBI, KENYA – Peace talks aimed at avoiding civil war in Somalia were officially postponed Monday following a week of high-risk brinkmanship and heightened rhetoric from emboldened Islamic militias and the country's weak transitional government.
One side and then the other refused to attend talks that were due to restart Saturday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, each accusing their adversary of hostile intentions.
GET OUT: Islamist militiamen burned an Ethiopian flag in Mogadishu Monday. They have called for a jihad against Ethiopian troops that have recently entered the country.
MOHAMED SHEIKH NOR/AP
The latest sticking point is the arrival of Ethiopian troops to bolster the government's shaky defenses at its headquarters in the provincial town of Baidoa.
Islamist leaders responded with a call to Somalia to wage jihad , or holy war, against foreign fighters and organized a rally of more than 3,000 people in the capital Mogadishu to protest their arrival.
John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, says the flurry of moves leaves the country on a "precipice."
"I think both sides - particularly the Islamists - are throwing a few jabs, to use a boxing analogy, testing each other to see how far the other will go in advance of any talks, if they should happen," he says.
A complete breakdown in negotiations could spark a major regional conflict.
Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991, despite more than a dozen attempts to find peace between the assortment of warlords who carved the Horn of Africa nation into a series of personal fiefdoms.
Last month the Union of Islamic Courts seized control of the capital, Mogadishu, ousting a hated coalition of armed strongmen who allegedly received backing from the US.
Their victory sent shockwaves around regional capitals that do not want to see an Islamic state on their doorstep, and raised concerns in Western countries that Somalia could become a haven for Al Qaeda.
Since then the Islamic movement has replaced its moderate leader with a hard-liner, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is accused by the US of having links to terrorists groups - accusations he denies.
Islamist militiamen have fanned out across the country, imposing Islamic law on towns under their control and pinning down the government in its Baidoa headquarters.
Last week they arrived in the town of Burhakaba, only 40 miles from Baidoa, where the transitional parliament sits in an old grain warehouse.
Ethiopia has long promised to protect the government of its close ally, President Abdullahi Yusuf, and eyewitnesses reported several hundred Ethiopian troops crossing into Somalia to be deployed in and around Baidoa in response to the Islamists' advance.
SOURCE: ESRI; AP
Ethiopia continues to deny that its troops are in Somalia, but their presence was enough for Islamist leaders - some of whom fought Ethiopian troops in the Somali region of Puntland during the 1990s - to announce this weekend that they wanted no further part in the Khartoum talks.
At the same time the transitional government did an about turn. After boycotting the talks for more than a week, a Somali government source, who asked not to be named, says a delegation will be ready to travel to Khartoum next week.
"We want to find some middle ground, talk with them, and find out what they want. Is it seats in the government? If it is then we will try to entertain them by maybe making one big government for Somalia," he says.
However, the presence of Ethiopian troops might scuttle the prospect of talks, says Mohamud Jama, a legislator in the transitional government. "The whole purpose of the dialogue is to stabilize the situation and prevent the outbreak of violence. I don't think troops - and in particular this set of [Ethiopian] troops - can be part of the solution."
Thousands of people gathered in Mogadishu Monday carrying banners reading: "Ethiopian soldiers are unwanted in Somalia;" "Somalis have to prepare themselves for the occupation of Somalia;" "We are ready for holy war against Ethiopia."
They were addressed by Islamist leaders, some of whom urged restraint while others talked up the prospect of bloodshed.
"Anybody who allies himself to the Ethiopians will be regarded as a non-believer who violated the principle of Islam and will face jihad," said Sheikh Ahmed Kare, a hard-liner
Somalia's Islamic Militia Rules Out Talks
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The leader of Islamic militants who have seized much of this chaotic African nation said Tuesday that the presence of Ethiopian troops sent to bolster Somalia's weak government has scuttled any chance for peace.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The leader of Islamic militants who have seized much of this chaotic African nation said Tuesday that the presence of Ethiopian troops sent to bolster Somalia's weak government has scuttled any chance for peace.
To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AED...52DBADA3806.htm
Somalia's Islamists reject peace talks
Tuesday 25 July 2006, 16:39 Makka Time, 13:39 GMT
Islamists are angered at reports of Ethiopian troops in Somalia
The leader of Somalia's Islamist movement has rejected peace talks just hours after the country's interim government agreed to meet in Sudan.
Shaikh Hassan Dahir Aweys said the presence of Ethiopian troops sent to reinforce Somalia's government had ruined any chance for peace.
Aweys said: "Until Ethiopian troops leave Somali soil, we will never negotiate with the government."
Earlier on Tuesday, the government had agreed to attend unconditional peace talks in Khartoum.
This followed a meeting between the government and Francois Lonseny Fall, the UN special representative to Somalia, in Baidoa, 240km northwest of Mogadishu.
Shortly before Aweys' announcement, Abdirizak Adam, President Abdullahi Yusuf's chief of staff, said: "We will go to Khartoum without any preconditions."
Fall later arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, which is controlled by the Islamic group.
He attended prayers with two Islamic officials, Shaikh Ahmed Shaikh Sharif and Shaikh Yusuf Indohaadde.
Standoff
Talks between the two sides to prevent a standoff from escalating into war broke down on July 22, when the Islamists pulled out because of a reported incursion into Somalia by Ethiopian troops to defend the fragile interim government.
Fall's visit came a day after the African Union (AU) urged the UN Security Council to speed up plans to ease an arms embargo on Somalia to allow foreign peacekeepers to deploy.
The appeal followed an agreement by the AU and the east African regional body IGAD to send troops to help to secure peace in Somalia.
The plan has been repeatedly rejected by the Islamists, who control Mogadishu and a large swath of southern Somalia after defeating US-backed secular regional chiefs early last month.
Agencies
Somalia's Islamists reject peace talks
Tuesday 25 July 2006, 16:39 Makka Time, 13:39 GMT
Islamists are angered at reports of Ethiopian troops in Somalia
The leader of Somalia's Islamist movement has rejected peace talks just hours after the country's interim government agreed to meet in Sudan.
Shaikh Hassan Dahir Aweys said the presence of Ethiopian troops sent to reinforce Somalia's government had ruined any chance for peace.
Aweys said: "Until Ethiopian troops leave Somali soil, we will never negotiate with the government."
Earlier on Tuesday, the government had agreed to attend unconditional peace talks in Khartoum.
This followed a meeting between the government and Francois Lonseny Fall, the UN special representative to Somalia, in Baidoa, 240km northwest of Mogadishu.
Shortly before Aweys' announcement, Abdirizak Adam, President Abdullahi Yusuf's chief of staff, said: "We will go to Khartoum without any preconditions."
Fall later arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, which is controlled by the Islamic group.
He attended prayers with two Islamic officials, Shaikh Ahmed Shaikh Sharif and Shaikh Yusuf Indohaadde.
Standoff
Talks between the two sides to prevent a standoff from escalating into war broke down on July 22, when the Islamists pulled out because of a reported incursion into Somalia by Ethiopian troops to defend the fragile interim government.
Fall's visit came a day after the African Union (AU) urged the UN Security Council to speed up plans to ease an arms embargo on Somalia to allow foreign peacekeepers to deploy.
The appeal followed an agreement by the AU and the east African regional body IGAD to send troops to help to secure peace in Somalia.
The plan has been repeatedly rejected by the Islamists, who control Mogadishu and a large swath of southern Somalia after defeating US-backed secular regional chiefs early last month.
Agencies
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa...icle1201308.ece
Somali government close to collapse as Islamists take palace
By Kim Sengupta
Published: 28 July 2006
Somalia's transitional government was close to collapse yesterday after 19 members resigned and its Islamist opponents took over the presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, reinforcing their control over more than half of the country.
The developments came just hours after the British Government in London gave its unequivocal backing to the transitional government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and declared that leading members of the Islamist movement should be persona non grata in any future coalition.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman also insisted that the Government had "no knowledge" of Ethiopian troops being in Somalia - despite widespread eyewitness reports of them taking over strategic towns in the country.
While the West has been backing the transitional government, which holds no sway in Mogadishu and has little power outside the town of Baidoa, there is also an international arms embargo in place, depriving the same government of legally acquiring arms. The US has also been backing warlords outside the government which have been trying unsuccessfully to defeat the Islamists.
The ministers who resigned from the cabinet said they objected to Ethiopian troops entering Somalia, purportedly to protect the government from the Islamists. Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, deputy minister of higher education, said: "The government was taking orders from Ethiopia. Somalis can now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government."
The ministers also accused the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, of being "an obstacle to progress", and stated that he and his allies "cannot carry out national reconciliation and development".
In a symbolic gesture, the Islamist militias said they would to set up a sharia court inside the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Abdurahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Islamist militias, said: "It is only fitting that Somalia is ruled from this place".
Diplomats in the region believe offering the post of prime minister and some other ministerial jobs to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighbouring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
A Somali government source said: "The [no confidence] motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum." The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
The Islamists' leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of those who the British Government believes should not form a future government, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia. "We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Sheikh Aweys said yesterday.
Somalia's transitional government was close to collapse yesterday after 19 members resigned and its Islamist opponents took over the presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, reinforcing their control over more than half of the country.
The developments came just hours after the British Government in London gave its unequivocal backing to the transitional government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and declared that leading members of the Islamist movement should be persona non grata in any future coalition.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman also insisted that the Government had "no knowledge" of Ethiopian troops being in Somalia - despite widespread eyewitness reports of them taking over strategic towns in the country.
While the West has been backing the transitional government, which holds no sway in Mogadishu and has little power outside the town of Baidoa, there is also an international arms embargo in place, depriving the same government of legally acquiring arms. The US has also been backing warlords outside the government which have been trying unsuccessfully to defeat the Islamists.
The ministers who resigned from the cabinet said they objected to Ethiopian troops entering Somalia, purportedly to protect the government from the Islamists. Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, deputy minister of higher education, said: "The government was taking orders from Ethiopia. Somalis can now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government."
The ministers also accused the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, of being "an obstacle to progress", and stated that he and his allies "cannot carry out national reconciliation and development".
In a symbolic gesture, the Islamist militias said they would to set up a sharia court inside the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Abdurahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Islamist militias, said: "It is only fitting that Somalia is ruled from this place".
Diplomats in the region believe offering the post of prime minister and some other ministerial jobs to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighbouring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
A Somali government source said: "The [no confidence] motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum." The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
The Islamists' leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of those who the British Government believes should not form a future government, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia. "We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Sheikh Aweys said yesterday.
Somali government close to collapse as Islamists take palace
By Kim Sengupta
Published: 28 July 2006
Somalia's transitional government was close to collapse yesterday after 19 members resigned and its Islamist opponents took over the presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, reinforcing their control over more than half of the country.
The developments came just hours after the British Government in London gave its unequivocal backing to the transitional government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and declared that leading members of the Islamist movement should be persona non grata in any future coalition.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman also insisted that the Government had "no knowledge" of Ethiopian troops being in Somalia - despite widespread eyewitness reports of them taking over strategic towns in the country.
While the West has been backing the transitional government, which holds no sway in Mogadishu and has little power outside the town of Baidoa, there is also an international arms embargo in place, depriving the same government of legally acquiring arms. The US has also been backing warlords outside the government which have been trying unsuccessfully to defeat the Islamists.
The ministers who resigned from the cabinet said they objected to Ethiopian troops entering Somalia, purportedly to protect the government from the Islamists. Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, deputy minister of higher education, said: "The government was taking orders from Ethiopia. Somalis can now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government."
The ministers also accused the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, of being "an obstacle to progress", and stated that he and his allies "cannot carry out national reconciliation and development".
In a symbolic gesture, the Islamist militias said they would to set up a sharia court inside the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Abdurahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Islamist militias, said: "It is only fitting that Somalia is ruled from this place".
Diplomats in the region believe offering the post of prime minister and some other ministerial jobs to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighbouring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
A Somali government source said: "The [no confidence] motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum." The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
The Islamists' leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of those who the British Government believes should not form a future government, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia. "We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Sheikh Aweys said yesterday.
Somalia's transitional government was close to collapse yesterday after 19 members resigned and its Islamist opponents took over the presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu, reinforcing their control over more than half of the country.
The developments came just hours after the British Government in London gave its unequivocal backing to the transitional government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and declared that leading members of the Islamist movement should be persona non grata in any future coalition.
The Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman also insisted that the Government had "no knowledge" of Ethiopian troops being in Somalia - despite widespread eyewitness reports of them taking over strategic towns in the country.
While the West has been backing the transitional government, which holds no sway in Mogadishu and has little power outside the town of Baidoa, there is also an international arms embargo in place, depriving the same government of legally acquiring arms. The US has also been backing warlords outside the government which have been trying unsuccessfully to defeat the Islamists.
The ministers who resigned from the cabinet said they objected to Ethiopian troops entering Somalia, purportedly to protect the government from the Islamists. Ahmed Abdirahman Mohamed, deputy minister of higher education, said: "The government was taking orders from Ethiopia. Somalis can now have an opportunity to reconstitute their government."
The ministers also accused the Prime Minister, Ali Mohammed Ghedi, of being "an obstacle to progress", and stated that he and his allies "cannot carry out national reconciliation and development".
In a symbolic gesture, the Islamist militias said they would to set up a sharia court inside the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Abdurahman Janaqaw, a senior member of the Islamist militias, said: "It is only fitting that Somalia is ruled from this place".
Diplomats in the region believe offering the post of prime minister and some other ministerial jobs to the Islamists could be the only way to save a peace deal reached in 2004 in neighbouring Kenya.
But there is no guarantee the Islamists will accept such an overture. Nor is it clear how long it might take to thrash out a deal.
A Somali government source said: "The [no confidence] motion is supported and even funded by Islamists who want to take the position once talks with the government commence in Khartoum." The government boycotted the second round of peace talks with Islamists in Khartoum this month in protest at alleged violations of a pact against military expansion.
The Islamists' leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, one of those who the British Government believes should not form a future government, has ruled out a meeting unless Ethiopia stops its "invasion" of Somalia. "We don't care who is removed and who remains in the government. Our only worry is Ethiopia and until they get out, we will not rest," Sheikh Aweys said yesterday.
Editorial: Afghanistan in Africa
While the Middle East burns, Somalia is degenerating into the next
1990s Afghanistan.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e56...Io30G2B0Hjz10E8
While the Middle East burns, Somalia is degenerating into the next
1990s Afghanistan.
http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/e56...Io30G2B0Hjz10E8
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Somalia.html
Somalis Riot After Minister Shot to Death
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 28, 2006
Filed at 9:26 a.m. ET
BAIDOA, Somalia (AP) -- Hundreds of people rioted Friday near the headquarters of Somalia's virtually powerless government after a Cabinet minister was fatally shot outside a mosque. People began streaming into the streets and setting fires just hours after the killing of Abdallah Isaaq Deerow, Somalia's minister for constitutional and federal affairs.
An unidentified gunman shot Deerow, then escaped, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
The shooting was the second this week of a lawmaker in Baidoa, the only town controlled by the fragile administration. Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed, chairman of the parliamentary committee for constitutional affairs, was wounded Wednesday night. Police were investigating both shootings.
The government, which has no military, has watched helplessly in recent months as Islamic militants took over much of the country. On Thursday, 18 top ministers resigned, saying the government has failed to bring peace to this chaotic African nation.
Deerow was not among those who resigned.
Somalis Riot After Minister Shot to Death
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 28, 2006
Filed at 9:26 a.m. ET
BAIDOA, Somalia (AP) -- Hundreds of people rioted Friday near the headquarters of Somalia's virtually powerless government after a Cabinet minister was fatally shot outside a mosque. People began streaming into the streets and setting fires just hours after the killing of Abdallah Isaaq Deerow, Somalia's minister for constitutional and federal affairs.
An unidentified gunman shot Deerow, then escaped, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
The shooting was the second this week of a lawmaker in Baidoa, the only town controlled by the fragile administration. Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed, chairman of the parliamentary committee for constitutional affairs, was wounded Wednesday night. Police were investigating both shootings.
The government, which has no military, has watched helplessly in recent months as Islamic militants took over much of the country. On Thursday, 18 top ministers resigned, saying the government has failed to bring peace to this chaotic African nation.
Deerow was not among those who resigned.
Somali "Islamists" seize key port:
"Islamists" in control of much of southern Somalia have seized a key port without any fighting, in a new blow to the country's weak interim government.
http://tinyurl.com/jrgjz
"Islamists" in control of much of southern Somalia have seized a key port without any fighting, in a new blow to the country's weak interim government.
http://tinyurl.com/jrgjz
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/09/...3D15&frame=true
US accused of covert operations in Somalia
Emails suggest that the CIA knew of plans by private military companies to breach UN rules
Antony Barnett and Patrick Smith
Sunday September 10, 2006
The Observer
Dramatic evidence that America is involved in illegal mercenary operations in east Africa has emerged in a string of confidential emails seen by The Observer. The leaked communications between US private military companies suggest the CIA had knowledge of the plans to run covert military operations inside Somalia - against UN rulings - and they hint at involvement of British security firms.
The emails, dated June this year, reveal how US firms have been planning undercover missions in support of President Abdullahi Yusuf's transitional federal government - founded with UN backing in 2004 - against the Supreme Islamic Courts Council - a radical Muslim militia which took control of Mogadishu, the country's capital, also in June promising national unity under Sharia law.
Evidence of foreign involvement in the conflict would not only breach the UN arms embargo but could destabilise the entire region.
One email dated Friday, 16 June, is from Michele Ballarin, chief executive of Select Armor - a US military firm based in Virginia. Ballarin's email was sent to a number of individuals including Chris Farina of the Florida-based military company ATS Worldwide.
Ballarin said: 'Boys: Successful meeting with President Abdullay Yussef [sic] and his chief staff personnel in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday ... where he invited us to his private hotel suite flacked by security detail ... He has appointed is chief of presidential protocol as our go to during this phase.'
She refers to one 'closed-door meeting' with a senior UN figure and mentions there are 'a number of Brit security firms' also looking to get involved.
Ballarin claimed she has been given 'carte blanche' to use three bases in Somalia 'and the air access to reach them'.
She then suggests that the CIA have been kept informed of the plans. Ballarin states: 'My contact whom we discussed from the agency side requested an in-person meeting with me. I arrived in New York at 2340 last night and was driven to Virginia - arriving at 0200 today.'
According to the highly respected newsletter, Africa Confidential, which originally published extracts of the emails last week, Select Armor started its operation planning in Kampala, Uganda. The emails suggest that the Ugandan government were willing to help secure arms supplies for any operation although this is denied by security officials in Kampala.
In one reply to Ballarin, Farina said: 'A forced entry operation [into Mogadishu] at this point without the addition of follow-on forces who can capitalise on the momentum/initiative of the initial op will result in a replay of Dien Bien Phu'. This is a reference to the defeat of French colonial forces in Indochina in 1953.
The website of Farina's company ATS boasts it 'can execute operations in support of host national indigenous forces'. ATS claims it uses former US and British special operations personnel.
One email discussing funding of any operation sent from Farina to Ballarin states: 'We may have to re-focus our efforts in the US among the DOS [State Department] and DOD [Defence Department] to bring any forward movement to this effort.'
The Observer left several messages with both Select and ATS requesting interviews but nobody responded. Ballarin told Africa Confidential last week that the company's operations in Somalia were 'classified'.
US accused of covert operations in Somalia
Emails suggest that the CIA knew of plans by private military companies to breach UN rules
Antony Barnett and Patrick Smith
Sunday September 10, 2006
The Observer
Dramatic evidence that America is involved in illegal mercenary operations in east Africa has emerged in a string of confidential emails seen by The Observer. The leaked communications between US private military companies suggest the CIA had knowledge of the plans to run covert military operations inside Somalia - against UN rulings - and they hint at involvement of British security firms.
The emails, dated June this year, reveal how US firms have been planning undercover missions in support of President Abdullahi Yusuf's transitional federal government - founded with UN backing in 2004 - against the Supreme Islamic Courts Council - a radical Muslim militia which took control of Mogadishu, the country's capital, also in June promising national unity under Sharia law.
Evidence of foreign involvement in the conflict would not only breach the UN arms embargo but could destabilise the entire region.
One email dated Friday, 16 June, is from Michele Ballarin, chief executive of Select Armor - a US military firm based in Virginia. Ballarin's email was sent to a number of individuals including Chris Farina of the Florida-based military company ATS Worldwide.
Ballarin said: 'Boys: Successful meeting with President Abdullay Yussef [sic] and his chief staff personnel in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday ... where he invited us to his private hotel suite flacked by security detail ... He has appointed is chief of presidential protocol as our go to during this phase.'
She refers to one 'closed-door meeting' with a senior UN figure and mentions there are 'a number of Brit security firms' also looking to get involved.
Ballarin claimed she has been given 'carte blanche' to use three bases in Somalia 'and the air access to reach them'.
She then suggests that the CIA have been kept informed of the plans. Ballarin states: 'My contact whom we discussed from the agency side requested an in-person meeting with me. I arrived in New York at 2340 last night and was driven to Virginia - arriving at 0200 today.'
According to the highly respected newsletter, Africa Confidential, which originally published extracts of the emails last week, Select Armor started its operation planning in Kampala, Uganda. The emails suggest that the Ugandan government were willing to help secure arms supplies for any operation although this is denied by security officials in Kampala.
In one reply to Ballarin, Farina said: 'A forced entry operation [into Mogadishu] at this point without the addition of follow-on forces who can capitalise on the momentum/initiative of the initial op will result in a replay of Dien Bien Phu'. This is a reference to the defeat of French colonial forces in Indochina in 1953.
The website of Farina's company ATS boasts it 'can execute operations in support of host national indigenous forces'. ATS claims it uses former US and British special operations personnel.
One email discussing funding of any operation sent from Farina to Ballarin states: 'We may have to re-focus our efforts in the US among the DOS [State Department] and DOD [Defence Department] to bring any forward movement to this effort.'
The Observer left several messages with both Select and ATS requesting interviews but nobody responded. Ballarin told Africa Confidential last week that the company's operations in Somalia were 'classified'.
Car bomb, gunfight in Somalia kills 11:
A car bomb killed five people and wounded several others outside parliament in Somalia's provincial capital Baidoa on Monday in an assassination attempt on President Abdullahi Yusuf.
http://snipurl.com/wmci
U.S. accused of covert Somolia ops:
A British newspaper Sunday said the United States was conducting illegal mercenary operations to support the U.N.-backed interim government in Somalia.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?Stor...10-110944-6549r
A car bomb killed five people and wounded several others outside parliament in Somalia's provincial capital Baidoa on Monday in an assassination attempt on President Abdullahi Yusuf.
http://snipurl.com/wmci
U.S. accused of covert Somolia ops:
A British newspaper Sunday said the United States was conducting illegal mercenary operations to support the U.N.-backed interim government in Somalia.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?Stor...10-110944-6549r
Somali Islamists in war warning BBC News
The Islamist group that has seized much of Somalia has said Ethiopia has declared war by sending its troops to help the interim government.
High alert
"The incursion of Ethiopian troops into Somali territories is a declaration of war on Somalia," said UIC national security chairman Sheik Yusuf Indahaadde. "We call on the international community to urge Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia. If that doesn't happen the consequences of insecurity created by Ethiopia will spread to neighbouring countries and to East Africa as a whole."
But Somali government spokesman Abduraman Dinari denied that any Ethiopia had crossed the border and said the reports were being fabricated by the Islamists to distract attention from their advance into Kismayo. Eyewitnesses have reported that hundreds of troops wearing Ethiopian military uniforms have crossed the border and are in a military camp just outside Baidoa - the only town controlled by the internationally recognised government. A security official in Baidoa told the BBC that his forces were on high alert and were ready to defend the town against any Islamist attack. The UIC say they took Kismayo to prevent it being used to bring foreign peacekeepers into the country, as requested by the interim government. They later fired at demonstrators, reportedly killing three people. Speaking after the takeover of Kismayo, Somalia's interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi appealed for aid soon for his beleaguered government. "I would appeal to the governments of the region to join our efforts and protect the region from the expansion of this al-Qaeda network, these terrorists."
Running away
Mr Ghedi also said the takeover of Kismayo had been a "violation" of a ceasefire agreed between the UIC and the interim government. Earlier this month, the African Union agreed to a request by Somalia's transitional government to send in a regional peacekeeping force. Thousands of people are reported to have fled the city in recent days. The UIC has steadily increased its hold on Somalia since its fighters took control of the capital, Mogadishu, in June. Mr Ghedi's government was set up in 2004 after more than two years of talks designed to give Somalia its first effective national government since 1991.
The Islamist group that has seized much of Somalia has said Ethiopia has declared war by sending its troops to help the interim government.
Islamic Courts fighters took control of the capital Mogadishu in June
Ethiopia supports the weak government but denies sending troops to help them against the Union of Islamic Courts. On Sunday, the UIC took control of the key port of Kismayo after the defence minister's forces fled the town. The prime minister has appealed for international help against "al-Qaeda" and "terrorist" expansion. The UIC have repeatedly denied having any links to al-Qaeda and say they are restoring security and stability to Somalia, which has not had an effective national government for 15 years.High alert
"The incursion of Ethiopian troops into Somali territories is a declaration of war on Somalia," said UIC national security chairman Sheik Yusuf Indahaadde. "We call on the international community to urge Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia. If that doesn't happen the consequences of insecurity created by Ethiopia will spread to neighbouring countries and to East Africa as a whole."
Running away
Mr Ghedi also said the takeover of Kismayo had been a "violation" of a ceasefire agreed between the UIC and the interim government. Earlier this month, the African Union agreed to a request by Somalia's transitional government to send in a regional peacekeeping force. Thousands of people are reported to have fled the city in recent days. The UIC has steadily increased its hold on Somalia since its fighters took control of the capital, Mogadishu, in June. Mr Ghedi's government was set up in 2004 after more than two years of talks designed to give Somalia its first effective national government since 1991.
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