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Africa Horn
Islamic Fighters Seize Jowhar
2006-06-14
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Islamic fighters on Wednesday drove secular militiamen out of a strategic town in southern Somalia following a brief firefight and the fleeing of militia leaders in the middle of the night, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but residents were fleeing for fear of unrest in the town of Jowhar, about 55 miles from the capital of Mogadishu, which the Islamic fighters seized from the secular militiamen last week.

The Islamic Courts Union had been building up troops around Jowhar in recent days to finish off their rivals, the warlord-led Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism. The town had been the alliance's last remaining stronghold in southern Somalia.
On to Puntland?
Clan elders in Jowhar had urged the warlords to leave the town in order to avoid a confrontation, two Somali officials said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Witnesses told The Associated Press that the warlords did not want to be disarmed by the Islamic fighters and fought their way out of the town.

Just before morning prayers at dawn Wednesday, witnesses also reported skirmishes between some Islamic fighters and secular militiamen about 10 miles outside Jowhar. There were no casualties reported and the fighting stopped soon after. One alliance warlord, Issa Ahmed, said he was still in Jowhar - his hometown - and he would defend it if anybody attacked.
Issa's got nowhere to go.
The warlords who fled late Tuesday included two former members of Somalia's transitional government, Mohamed Qanyare Afrah and Botan Isse Allen, the officials said. They were loyal to Mohammed Dheere, the alliance's main leader who was reportedly hiding in Ethiopia trying to raise support for his forces.

Mohamed Jama, a militiaman loyal to Qanyare, confirmed to The Associated Press that Qanyare and Allen had left Jowhar at night with some technicals pickups mounted with machine-guns and scores of militiamen. He said they were now in the town of El Bur, 200 miles northeast of Mogadishu.
Posted by:Steve White

#11  Yes, please God, let the Islamists be stupid enough to attack Puntland and/or Somaliland. That would lead to a rapid reduction in their ranks, as they come up against an actual military, with some tanks and light armour, and artillery. Those warwagons of theirs are rolling coffins in an artillery barrage, especially if you are mean and mix in white phosphorous rounds with the airbursts.
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2006-06-14 20:41  

#10  Now you know why colorful undies are everything mojo.
Posted by: 6   2006-06-14 14:52  

#9  All gun-totin' crazies look alike to me.
Posted by: mojo   2006-06-14 13:43  

#8  The west should extreemly quietly support the insurgency movement against the Islamofascists in the south.

IEDs will do a lot more damage to these raisin collectors.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2006-06-14 13:23  

#7  yah, but the TNG has what they (apparently) want most - some international legitimacy. Theres still a lot of logic for them to reach out to the TNG.

I dont imagine they will go after the north any time soon. First they have to consolidate their position in the south, a very unstable, broken area, IIUC. They might well then ask if taking the north is even worth their while.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2006-06-14 13:14  

#6  Not enough Khat to fight?
Posted by: 3dc   2006-06-14 12:17  

#5   They now control all of southern Somalia. Look for them to begin consolidating their power and bulwarking the area before moving on. Their next opponents, assuming they plan on going after Puntland or Somaliland, are going to be a lot bigger nuts to crack.

It also behooves me to note that the transitional government is now essentially at their mercy if you look at a map.
Posted by: Dan Darling   2006-06-14 12:06  

#4  Take a look at some sat images of Somalia and see if you want to have anything there, heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2006-06-14 11:39  

#3  Wow, that's two shitholes they have now. They must be proud. They have control of one of the worlds poorest and most unrecognized countries.

Yippee!
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2006-06-14 11:11  

#2  Are these "secular militiamen" highway robbers, marxist revolutionaries, or "moderate" Moslems?

Always be suspicious when the MSM use vague phrases with definition that seem to imply an association or alliance with the West.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2006-06-14 10:34  

#1  This proves that the US isn't backing these warlords. When we back someone, they don't have to retreat.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-06-14 10:26  

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