Men loyal to Somalia’s Islamic alliance piled into pickups yesterday(Photo from The New York Times)
From the Telegraph:
Hardline Islamists are poised to take control of large areas of southern Somalia, opening a possible new front in the war on terrorism.
Fears are growing that this lawless area, bordering Kenya and Ethiopia, could become a stronghold for terrorists with possible links to al-Qaeda.
Somalia's weak official government, the 14th in the last 17 years, depends entirely on the presence of Ethiopian troops, who are deployed in and around the capital, Mogadishu.
They invaded in December 2006, mounting an American-supported operation which overthrew an earlier Islamist regime, styling itself the Islamic Courts Union.
But Ethiopia has pledged to withdraw its troops at the end of December. When they leave, the official government is likely to fall - or be forced to evacuate Mogadishu.
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My Comment: War has been prevalent in this part of the world for 20 years. One can argue that it is even worse off than Afghanistan. This is a conflict that has to work itself off .... how long this is going to last is anyone's guess.