Mogadishu Falls To Islamists - Sharia Courts Set Up: 'Echos of Kabul' :: Understanding Islam

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June 6, 2006

Mogadishu Falls To Islamists - Sharia Courts Set Up: 'Echos of Kabul'

From Jawa Report:

Islamist militias with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network have succeeded in taking over the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. It should never be forgotten that al Qaeda's first sucess was in fighting American troops in Mogadishu during the famous "Black Hawk down" incident.

Although not mentioned in the movie by the same name, Osama bin Laden later admitted that he had sent fighters into Somalia to help warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid. Bin Laden, it is said, had had a mystic "vision" in which U.S. was revealed as a paper tiger & that American forces would withdraw from Somalia, defeated. When his "vision" came true, many came to think of bin Laden as a man with supernatural powers.

Thousands of U.S. troops are currently stationed in Djibouti, which borders Somalia to the north. Strategy Page (via Glenn) has the Somalia timeline.

We cannot afford to lose the Horn of Africa to Islamists.

Catch the rest of the commentary and links at Jawa Report.

Stratfor sees the Islamist takeover of Mogadishu as ver bad for the U.S., in that the strengthening power of the Islamists in Somalia poses a direct threat to the United States:

"Right now, al Qaeda and related groups have sanctuary in areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Iraq, and perhaps quietly in some other places -- but not in any country as a whole. That sort of sanctuary is what al Qaeda desperately needs, and if the Islamists can expand their victory to pacifying the country, that is exactly what they will have."

The War on Terror just got a lot harder.

Washington Times coverage here.
Times Online coverage here: Protests in Mogadishu as Islamist forces advance north

Hat tip - Harry Owens who alerted us to the story.

Posted by Richard at June 6, 2006 7:37 PM

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