Yeah those Mechanaries are ruthless hombres.
Posted on 05/10/2006 6:10:16 PM PDT by blam
Slaughter as gunmen fight to control Somalia's capital
By Mike Pflanz, East Africa Correspondent
(Filed: 11/05/2006)
Somalia's lawless capital Mogadishu was engulfed in violence yesterday as fighting between rival factions brought terror to civilians.
At least 14 people were killed in a fourth day of fighting between gunmen allied to conservative Islamic leaders and others loyal to a group of powerful businessmen.
The bloodshed took the death toll to 96 since Sunday, with an estimated 200 people wounded. Most of the dead and injured were civilians.
The two sides have used heavy machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery. A mortar round hit a hospital late on Tuesday, killing a 12-year-old boy.
Hardline Islamic clerics have set themselves up as an alternative to the city's established warlords, arguing that they are capable of bringing order and peace. But they have not hesitated to use force and have allegedly linked up with al-Qa'eda terrorists.
They are opposed by the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism. Its militia and those of the Islamic Court Union have been squaring off for weeks and staking out positions in preparation for a larger battle for control of the city.
The country has had no effective central government since 1991, when warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre, the long-time dictator, and then turned on each other, carving the nation into a patchwork of fiefdoms.
Mediators struggling to stem the bloodshed this week brokered a ceasefire that was supposed to be effective from Tuesday night but it was broken within hours.
Ali Mohamed Gedi, the prime minister, in his government's headquarters in Baidoa, 150 miles west of Mogadishu, called on all sides to stop fighting.
Despite UN support for his fledgling administration, it is powerless outside Baidoa.
Yes, that's him and Chuck Norris too!
What a hoot, one of my fav vids.
Looterguy so funny!
Thanks!
96 dead and they call it a slaughter?A slaughter would be when I could walk 10 blocks through their cesspool of a city and not see 2 living people.96 isn't even getting warmed up.
Yeah those Mechanaries are ruthless hombres.
Great idea, other than the fact that I'm not sure there *is* a "recognized" government.
Thats a matter of opinion.... now ain't it.
Chuck Norris has things well in hand!
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