Two more Ethiopian armored vehicles destroyed, ICU engages TFG outside Baidoa, captured border town
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Islamic Courts controlled cities and towns marked in red. Click map to view. |
The Islamic Courts Union, al Qaeda’s proxy organization in Somalia, is on the offensive against the Transitional Federal Government and supporting Ethiopian Army units. Over the weekend, ICU forces ambushed an Ethiopian column heading to Baidoa, the government seat of the TFG, and destroyed two Ethiopian armored vehicles. The attack was followed up by small arms fire. Six Ethiopian troops were killed and over 20 wounded. This attack was confirmed by Shabelle through sources in the Ethiopian Defense Ministry. As we noted yesterday, the ambush against a professional military displays a level of sophistication beyond that of a mere ‘militia.’
ICU forces have attacked the Ethiopian military yet again, destroying another armored car and damaging another. “‘For the second day residents in Kansah Omane against the enemy of Ethiopians in their country blew up one armored vehicle, riddling another with bullets and number of Ethiopian soldiers was killed during the skirmishes’, [Muktar Robow Abu-Mansor, the Union of Islamic Courts assistant security chief ] said, urging residents to kill and fight with Ethiopians passing through their areas,” reports Shabelle.
While striking at the extended Ethiopian supply lines, the Islamic Courts has moved against the TFG and Ethiopian forces outside Baidoa. “Fresh clashes between the Somali government forces accompanied by the Ethiopian troops and pro-Islamist fighters have reportedly occurred in Edale environs in Bai province, southern Somalia,” reports Shabelle. “Unconfirmed reports indicate that there were heavy casualties on both sides.”
The Islamic Courts, “accompanied by two trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns” have moved on Abudwaq, a town on the Ethiopian border. With a poor strategic positioning in central Somalia accompanied by the Islamic Courts deadly weapons and training from al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Ethiopians are in for some surprises.
Meanwhile, the government of Puntland has provided an opening for the Islamic Courts to infiltrate the legal system and government by implementing sharia law via presidential decree.”I set up a committee of scholars and traditional leaders to implement sharia law,” said Puntland President Gen. Addeh Museh. “Puntland usually enforces a secular penal code, even though the region’s charter says it is based on sharia law,” notes Banadir. The Puntland government is attempting to accomdate the Islamic Courts.
The Islamic Courts wastes no time enforcing sharia in its own territory. Yesterday we noted that Tobacco and khat have been banned, and a wine factory was shut down. The ICU continues to shut down movie theaters and persecute moviegoers. In the town of Merca, over 100 people, including women and children, were arrested at a local cinema. The ICU is also interested in disarming the local populations of Somalia. Openly carrying firearms is now illegal in Kismayo. This occurred after the ICU opened fire on crowds protesting the burning of khat in the city, killing a teanage boy and wounded many more.
The Islamic Courts are implementing sharia at a speed that would make the Taliban proud. The Taliban waited several years to consolidate power before implementing the more draconian rules. The Islamic Courts sees no such need to wait.
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Islamic Courts on the Offensive
Courtesy of The Fourth Rail:
Two more Ethiopian armored vehicles destroyed, ICU engages TFG outside Baidoa, captured border town
The Islamic Courts Union, al-Qaeda’s proxy organization in Somalia, is on the offensive against the Transitional F…
Bill,
I continue to be impressed with your reporting. Frankly, I feel you are the only one keeping us informed in general about the GWOT in the Horn of Africa. I suspect the US may get recruited to help Ethiopia soon if this continues to degrade as you are reporting.
You are the only source I trust on Waziristan, so I take it on faith your reporting on the ICU and their activities in Somalia. There is too much factual context and information presented to interpret this any other way besides factual reporting.
So much of this battle is public perception, the American people are losing this battle. We are being disserviced by the MSM. The awareness is just not there among the people about what is happening in places like Somalia and Waziristan. Iraq gets the headlines and many Americans are fixated on being vindicated with their views on Iraq. But between Lebanon, Somalia and Waziristan and along with much of the Islamic world, the war has sprayed way beyond Iraq but most of the American citizenry either do not understand this or want to take the time to attempt to understand what we are up against. And without this needed political support, we will be hampered from doing much more until a sensational event like 09/11 happens again. The attention span of the typical American citizen in these kinds of issues are notoriously short.