Posted on 12/26/2006 6:58:34 AM PST by meg88
Ethiopian troops advance on Mogadishu
December 27, 2006
ETHIOPIAN troops are advancing on the Somali capital and could seize it within two days.
Somalia's envoy to Ethiopia said yesterday: "Ethiopian forces are on their way to Mogadishu. They are about 70 kilometres away and it is possible they could capture it in the next 24 to 48 hours."
Addis Ababa has vowed to protect Somalia's weak interim Government from rival Islamists based in Mogadishu, and a week of artillery and mortar duels between the two sides has spiralled into open war that both sides say has killed hundreds.
Islamist fighters have retreated from the front line, with troops loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts withdrawing more than 50 kilometres to the south-east from Daynuney, a town just south of the Government's headquarters of Baidoa.
Ethiopian jets fired missiles at the retreating soldiers yesterday, after bombing Somalia's two Islamist-held international airports on Monday.
While the Government hailed the retreat as a partial victory, the Islamists insisted their withdrawal and re-grouping was a tactic in what they vowed would be a long war.
The Islamist forces also abandoned their main stronghold in Bur Haqaba and were forming convoys heading towards the capital Mogadishu, reported residents in villages along the road.
"We woke up from our sleep this morning and the town was empty of troops, not a single Islamic fighter," said Ibrahim Muhammad Aden, a resident of Bur Haqaba. Another resident said locals were looting the food left behind.
Islamic fighters were also reportedly retreating on two other fronts in the war for control of Somalia. On the northern front, Government and Ethiopian troops entered the town of Bulo Barde, where two weeks ago a Muslim cleric said anyone who did not pray five times a day would be executed.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi announced on Saturday that he had sent troops into Somalia to fight international terrorists, defend Ethiopian interests and prop up the besieged UN-backed Government, which has only a small military force.
But Mr Zenawi has said he does not intend to keep his forces in Somalia for long. He has told visiting dignitaries in Addis Ababa that his goal is to severely damage the Islamic Courts' military capabilities, take away their sense of invincibility and allow both sides to return to peace talks on an even footing.
The Islamic group, which wants to rule the country by the Koran, has been a source of grave concern for Ethiopia. Since June, it has seized control of the capital and much of southern Somalia.
No reliable casualty reports are available. Both sides claim to have killed hundreds of their enemy, but independent observers were not given access to the battlefield. The Arab League, which has mediated several rounds of talks between the Somali Government and the Islamists, called for all parties involved to "immediately hold a comprehensive ceasefire".
Many Somalis are enraged by Ethiopian involvement - the countries have fought two wars over their disputed border in the past 45 years.
Somalia has not had an effective government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, plunging the country into chaos.
AP, REUTERS
point taken-let's just give them an AC-130 or two-i served with ethiopian air force personnel in 1967 and they were damned good people(except NEVER let them offer you a hot pepper snack!!)-i am sure they can make a lot of islamist roadkill with a few of those aircraft-i still remember the names of the two ethiopians i was assigned with-good guys both
point taken-let's just give them an AC-130 or two-i served with ethiopian air force personnel in 1967 and they were damned good people(except NEVER let them offer you a hot pepper snack!!)-i am sure they can make a lot of islamist roadkill with a few of those aircraft-i still remember the names of the two ethiopians i was assigned with-good guys both
AMEN!!!!!!!
Give the Ethiopians what they need to win this war! I say GO ETHIOPIA!!!! GET SOME!!!
I wish we had some action video. The ghost of Emperor Selassie, THE Lion of Judah, may he steady their aim and give even more steel to their backbone!
Religions:
Muslim 45%-50%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%, animist 12%, other 3%-8%
Background:
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. Final demarcation of the boundary is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/et.html
"Unfortunately The Arab League isn't the only party to call for a ceasefire."
I think the statement below is asking for a one-sided ceasefire.
"The State Department says the United States is concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Somalia, and by the humanitarian impact of the fighting. A State Department spokesperson told VOA that Somali civilians should be protected, and that the United States is urging all Somali parties to cease hostile actions."
and the bad news is 45-50% of Ethiopians are muslim.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/et.html
"two weeks ago a Muslim cleric said anyone who did not pray five times a day would be executed."
Is there anyone on the left, ANYONE, that understands what it is we are fighting against????
Do they think the ACLU will save them from Sharia when the time comes??
Fighter aircraft: MiG-21,MiG-23, Su-27.
Ground attack Aircraft: MiG-23BN,Su-22,Su-25.
Cargo aircraft:An-2, An-12, An-26, An-32,
IFV/APCs: BMP-1, M113, BRDM-2, BTR-152, BTR-60.
Tanks: T-54/55, T-62.
Helicopters: Mi-6, Mi-14, Mi-17, Mi-24, SA 316, SA 330.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All Russian...Bush Didn't Do It !!,,,Pooty Done It !!...;0)
"Is there anyone on the left, ANYONE, that understands what it is we are fighting against???? "
On the left? There are still plenty on the right who are clueless.
Joe Lieberman?
Window dressing to make us look "diplomatic" and nuanced.
Bob! Is that where you got your new job?
It looks like Ethiopia's days as a land-locked nation are about to end!
Unbelievable
This is all that needs to be said. With the ROE that we are dealing with, things are going as well as can be expected. Your not going to set up a government and turn a country over to a people who have been in prison for 30 years overnight.
It's just not going to happen.
If American public opinion was "We're good even if it takes 10 years" the Islamic bastards would have given up already. They just keep seeing light at the end of the tunnel from the MSM, Democrats, and now the American public.
Even with all that........ we're still winning. You have to give it time though. We're fighting the terrorists, Democrats, the MSM, and the UN. We'll still beat em' but it takes time.
"And, for what it's worth, an unmarked AC-130 has been spotted in the area."
Source?
But Japan and Germany were countries who were at war with us. Once we had driven the Germans from France, and back to their own country, we could indiscriminately kill people in the country. Same with Japan, we could kill them and if there was collateral damage it was still our enemy.
In Somalia, there is an elected government, supported by the United Nations. Then there are the Islamic terrorists, who have infiltrated and are intermingled in the population. Ethiopia has invaded to support the elected Somali government, so they couldn't just blow up the country.
In Iraq, we were trying to "save" the Iraqi people from Saddam, and now from the terrorists and insurgents, so when we kill civilians we are killing the people we are trying to protect.
That's why I think of it as a cancer, hiding among the good cells, and you have a terrible time killing off the cancer without killing the good cells around them.
Like Israel trying to fight "Hezbollah" rather than fighting Lebanon. If they had been fighting Lebanon, then when Hezbollah hid among the civilians Israel could have just bombed them anyway, because they'd be attacking the enemy.
But because they were fighting a faction in Lebanon, and not the government, they had to worry about collateral damage.
"We're fighting the terrorists, Democrats, the MSM, and the UN. We'll still beat em' but it takes time."
We have no choice but to beat them, that's why I'm not going to hyperventilate even if Hillary gets the nod in 08. Even the Hildebeast would have to continue the war, or lose the entire Middle East and much of Africa, as well as access to oil supplies.
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