Ethiopia may invade Somalia to stop Islamic militia

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NAIROBI — Ethiopia is prepared to invade neighbouring Somalia to defend its UN-backed government against what appeared to be an imminent attack by Islamic militiamen, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

The militiamen, who hold most of southern Somalia, deployed hundreds of fighters outside the town where the largely powerless government is based and said they planned to seize it.

“We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government. We will crush them,” Ethiopian Information Minister Berhan Hailu told The Associated Press.

Seizing the town of Baidoa would give the Islamic militia uncontested authority over most of Somalia.

Somali transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is allied with Ethiopia, and has asked for its support. Ethiopia has intervened militarily in Somalia in the past, and hundreds of Ethiopian troops have been spotted along the countries' border in recent weeks.

The Somali Islamist militants are allied with Muslim separatists in the Oromo region of Ethiopia.

The government in Baidoa was on high alert and ready to defend itself from an attack, Deputy Information Minister Salad Ali Jelle told The Associated Press.

The Islamic militiamen seized the capital, Mogadishu, last month and have installed increasingly strict religious rule that sparked fears of a Taliban-style hard-line regime in this anarchic Horn of Africa nation. The United States has accused the militia of links to al-Qaeda that include sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Osama bin Laden has called Somalia a front in his global war against the United States and its allies.

“Nothing will stop us from going into Baidoa,” said Sheik Muqtar Robow, deputy defence chief for the Islamic group. He said more than 130 fighters who were loyal to President Abdullahi Yusuf had defected to the Islamists' side.

The interim government already was virtually powerless and barely able to control Baidoa, 240 kilometres northwest of the capital.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...ernational/home

[almaty 19]

it is a land and resource grab by them..they are using the congo as an example..

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

it is a land and resource grab by them..they are using the congo as an example..

Maybe.

However, better the devil we know than the devil we don't.

[Mirorgate 0]

it is a land and resource grab by them..they are using the congo as an example..

That was a stupid movie

But unfortunately.... it is always about who has the power to do what they want. damn the real politics of religion and nations.. individual power and who has the majority of it.

[almaty 19]

it is a land and resource grab by them..they are using the congo as an example..

That was a stupid movie

But unfortunately.... it is always about who has the power to do what they want. damn the real politics of religion and nations.. individual power and who has the majority of it.

yeah, had some nice scenes of the old ultra-violence though....

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

it is a land and resource grab by them..

It always is.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

it is a land and resource grab by them..they are using the congo as an example..

It wouldn't be surprising. Whenever you have an international crisis that commands the world's attention - it's perfect timing for this sort of thing..

[AnaAndDaniel 0]

I am not familiar with the geography/politics/resources of the area enough to make a comment on this what i am sure quite vexing situation.

May peace be upon all of you.

Daniel

:energetic:

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And it begins...

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Ethiopian troops in armored vehicles rolled into the Somali town of Baidoa on Thursday, residents said, less than a day after Islamic militants reached the outskirts of the base of a U.N.-backed, but largely powerless government.

A spokesman for the Ethiopian government had said his country would protect Somalia's transitional government from attack by Islamic militias who control much of southern Somalia.

The Supreme Islamic Courts Council militia seized Mogadishu and most of the rest of southern Somalia last month and has shown signs of planning to install strict religious rule, sparking fears it was a Taliban-style regime. The U.S. has accused the militia of links to al-Qaida that include sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Numerous witnesses told The Associated Press that Ethiopian soldiers arrived Thursday afternoon in Baidoa, 150 miles northwest of the capital Mogadishu and about 100 miles east of the Ethiopian border.

The Ethiopians smiled and waved to residents as they drove into Baidoa. They kept off the streets after setting up a camp near the transitional president's home in Baidoa, residents said.

One resident, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisals, said people were being kept off the roads leading to the building.

Dozens of Ethiopian troops, including those in armored vehicles, crossed into Somalia at the border town of Dolow on Thursday morning. Some drove on to Baidoa while others set up rear bases near settlements at the frontier, said Shukri Abdi-rahman, a Dolow resident.

Ethiopian's defense, foreign and information ministries spokesmen repeatedly denied Thursday that their troops had crossed into Somalia.

Ismail Hurreh, one of Somalia's several deputy prime ministers, dismissed reports that Ethiopian troops were deployed in Baidoa and refused further comment.

But late Wednesday, Ethiopia's Minister of Information Berhan Hailu told the AP his government would intervene to prop up Somalia's transitional government, which has no effective military of its own and only controls the town of Baidoa.

"We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government. We will crush them," Berhan said.

By moving troops into Mogadishu, Ethiopia could help create enough breathing space for peace talks planned Saturday to move forward. Or it could set the stage for a military confrontation between the better-armed, better-trained Ethiopians and the Islamic fighters.

Somalia invaded Ethiopia in 1978 in an attempt to grab land occupied by ethnic Somalis. Since then, Ethiopia has attempted to influence Somali politics to prevent another invasion. Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia in 1993 and 1996 to crush Islamic militants attempting to establish a religious government.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is allied with Ethiopia and has asked for its support. Hundreds of Ethiopian troops have been spotted along the countries' border in recent weeks — which the Islamic militia has repeatedly denounced.

Militia loyal to Supreme Islamic Courts Union reached within 20 miles of Baidoa on Wednesday, prompting the government to go on high alert in anticipation of an attack. The militia was expected to pull back on Thursday, court officials said.

Officials of the Islamic group had given conflicting accounts of their intentions after seizing the town of Bur Haqaba on Wednesday and moving toward Baidoa, 40 miles away.

The head of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council's executive body, Sheik Shariff Sheik Ahmed, told local radio stations: "Our intention was not to attack Baidoa."

He said that the forces had only wanted to capture a nearby village because it was the home village of one of their officials.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_re_af/somalia