Ethiopian troops seized towns throughout southern and central Somalia on Monday and bombed the international airport at Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, in a rapid escalation of a two-day-old offensive against Islamic fundamentalists who've controlled most of Somalia for the past six months. The better-armed Ethiopians encountered no resistance from fighters of the fundamentalist Council of Islamic Courts at Baladweyne, a strategic town on the main road from Ethiopia into central Somalia, and later seized Aadado after fighting there. Ethiopian troops and Somali militiamen reportedly were advancing toward Jowhar, an Islamic fundamentalist stronghold 50 miles north of Mogadishu. It's not clear, however, whether the Ethiopians intend to seize Jowhar or press their campaign to Mogadishu. If it was me, which it isn't, I'd go for Mogadishu and excise the entire cancer.
Ethiopian officials said they've declared war on Somalia, and analysts said Ethiopian forces, equipped with tanks, heavy artillery and jet aircraft, would likely defeat the more lightly armed Islamic fighters in direct combat.
Important point for the West here: Any time Islamists declare jihad on you, you should accept it as a declaration of war, which it is, and respond in kind.
But analysts said the Ethiopians would be unable to control Somalia's vast expanses for an extended period and that prolonged fighting would rally both Somalis and foreign fighters to the Islamic cause.
They don't have to control it. They have to go in, beat up everybody in sight, and then leave. When a successor to the Islamic Courts arises, they'll have to come back and do it again as soon as the new set of bad boyz declares jihad. Eventually they won't have to, because the successor organization will declare jihad on somebody else, like Kenya, or — more healthy — Guatamala.
They suggested that Ethiopia's likely goal is to force the Islamic Courts to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with Somalia's weak, but internationally recognized transitional government headquartered at Baidoa.
Maybe. Their goal should be to destroy the Islamists. Otherwise they'll reconstitute and try the same tricks all over again.