Posted on 03/23/2006 10:21:26 PM PST by Marius3188
Hundreds of people have been fleeing the northern suburbs of Mogadishu after two days of heavy fighting in the Somali capital.
Doctors say at least 60 people have been killed and that the hospitals are full of injured civilians.
Residents say mortars are being used in the battle between an Islamic militia and warlords.
The warlords have accused the Islamists of sheltering foreign fighters and assassinating moderate Muslims.
The United Nations' Irin news agency quotes a doctor saying many more than 60 people may have been killed "because a lot of people are being buried where they died".
The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan says hundreds of residents have been forced to leave after their homes were hit by anti-tank shells and mortar rounds.
He says more than 100 armed vehicles have been deployed and more than 100 militiamen are fighting.
"Really the situation is very horrific there, many people could be seen fleeing from the area with their children on their backs and what you can see on the ground is only militiamen carrying guns from the line of fighting," he said.
Ideological differences
In February, the clan-based warlords formed an alliance to challenge the Islamic militia which is loyal to a system of Sharia courts.
The Islamic militia says it is trying to establish law and order but the warlords accuse the courts of terrorising the people of Somalia.
The dispute started near the port area, which is currently controlled by powerful businessmen.
Much of the fighting has been in residential areas and the latest clashes are reportedly closer to the city centre.
Four days of fighting last month between the two sides was some of the heaviest seen in the Somali capital for several years.
There are fears that with such a strong ideological divide between the two sides, it may prove difficult to negotiate an end to the fighting.
Transitional government
Somalia has been without an effective central government for 15 years and has been carved up by rival militias.
A transitional parliament met recently for the first time on home soil since it was formed in Kenya more than a year ago as part of attempts to restore peace and stability.
At least five warlords-cum-ministers in the transitional government are behind the new Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, opposed to the Islamic courts' militia.
The courts have set up Mogadishu's only judicial system in parts of the capital but have been accused of links to al-Qaeda.
too bad.
May they kill one another until they are all dead.
Let the UN take care of it --- without US help.
Maybe the French will volunteer forces. They've been pretty 'popular' in some parts of Africa.
Send in the blue helmets, but not one of our troops is worth their whole stinking region.
Amen!
I was there.
I hate to say it, but there's no hope for that country. They'll be without a government for another 15 years.
The people there will send a todler into the line of traffic to get a supply truck to stop, and subsequently be mobbed by looters.
Nobody even attempts to pull the child's body from underneath the truck.
SECURITY COUNCIL REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO COMPREHENSIVE SOMALIA SETTLEMENT
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8662.doc.htm
Feed gunmen to save Somalia, east Africa urges
20 Mar 2006 17:14:22 GMT
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20619133.htm
Just in case ya all forgot, a reminder...islam is the religion of love.
Send in the Christian Peace Teams...
Why would anyone go to somalia...unless sent by clintoon??
First they will find the best place to sleep at night and confiscate it. Then they will look for little girls and boys to rape.
Its the UN troop tactical style.
"Why would anyone go to somalia...unless sent by clintoon??
Actually, I was sent by GHW Bush. I was only left to die by Clinton, then finally ordered to run home.
There is no doubt that we could have contained the thugs who run Mogadishu. The general population was in fear of, and resepcted US power. It was only after Clinton (or better yet, Les Aspin) decided that the whole thing wasn't worth doing that we were told to leave.
As I said before, there's no hope in Somalia. But I do believe there could've been, if we hadn't been too scared of Bin Laden to take the fight to his house way back then.
Clinton, by running off, planed the seeds of 9/11. Bin Laden said that he was encouraged by our cowardess in Somalia. It gave him the initiative to fight on. I've never felt so used in my life. The US accomplished nothing, and made muzzies think we were chickens**t. It was shameful.
Michael Savage is a geat help in our house, twice a year, we turn his showw on, watch the clocks, and then check the time after we turn him off, should be 4 minutes. So far, its never failed.
So if you are offered the position of VP for Somalian Tourism...you might want to check the health plan.
Agreed.
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