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Africa Horn
Islamic fighters quitting Somalia front: witnesses
2006-12-26
Islamic fighters retreated from the main front line early Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after Ethiopian fighter jets bombed the country's two main international airports.
"Run away! Run away!"
Troops loyal to the Council of Islamic Courts withdrew more than 30 miles to the southeast from Daynuney, a town just south of Baidoa, the government headquarters. The Islamic forces also abandoned their main stronghold in Bur Haqaba and were forming convoys headed toward the capital, Mogadishu, residents in villages along the road told The Associated Press by telephone.
If I was an Aethiop commander, which I'm not, I'd say convoys of hard boyz would be great strafing exercises for my pilots...
"We woke up from our sleep this morning and the town was empty of troops, not a single Islamic fighter," Ibrahim Mohamed Aden, a resident of Bur Haqaba said.
"Then I looked around me an' — thppppp! — they wuz gone!"
On the northern front, government and Ethiopian troops entered the town of Bulo Barde, where just two weeks ago an Islamic cleric said anyone who did not pray five times a day would be executed. "We have withdrawn as part of our military strategy," said Sheik Mohamoud Ibrahim Suley, an official with the Islamic council in Mogadishu.
Posted by:Seafarious

#23  Somalia is Ethiopian for Viet Nam. Something like that.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2006-12-26 23:58  

#22  accused Ethiopian troops of massacring 50 civilians

It's called "Shift the blame"
Not working.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-12-26 19:51  

#21  Somalia could be Ethiopia's quagmire

Water is very precious in that part of the World.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-12-26 17:56  

#20  And the LA Times weighs in:

Somalia could be Ethiopia's quagmire

It must be force of habit...
Posted by: tu3031   2006-12-26 16:30  

#19  Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a top leader of the Islamic group, accused Ethiopian troops of massacring 50 civilians in the central town of Cadado. Ethiopian officials were not immediately available to respond.

LOL, he must think kofi will help him!
Posted by: RD   2006-12-26 16:11  

#18  F*ck just keep winning baby.

Get sum you crazy African desert dwellers!
Posted by: Shipman   2006-12-26 15:42  

#17  allan's snackbar, oh brave, Lions of Islam TM
Posted by: anymouse   2006-12-26 13:06  

#16  

Run away!
Posted by: xbalanke   2006-12-26 11:23  

#15  As a taxpayer, I sure hope so 'moose. I'm also hoping we are learning a few things about the current state of jihadi human and financial networks when one of these actions kicks up.
Posted by: Classical_Liberal   2006-12-26 10:18  

#14  I bet our advisers are bus-ee, helping the Ethiopians to beat tub on the Islamists. Everything from satellite maps, enemy concentrations and movements, flying spare parts and ammo into Addis Ababa, probably even augmenting their soldiers' pay and perks so that they will be extra motivated.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-12-26 10:06  

#13  They aren't running away; they're "re-deploying," a la Murtha, et al.
Posted by: Jackal   2006-12-26 09:35  

#12  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Somalia's Islamists are in full retreat after Ethiopian airstrikes and a ground offensive that have killed up to 1,000 of the religious movement's fighters, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Tuesday.

"A joint Somali government and Ethiopian force has broken the back of the international terrorist forces... These forces are in full retreat," Meles told reporters in Addis Ababa, adding that up to 1,000 Islamist fighters had been killed.

"A few are Somali but the majority are foreigners," he said of the dead.
Posted by: tu3031   2006-12-26 09:35  

#11  The battle of Bilbao as of 24/12
Posted by: tipper   2006-12-26 09:07  

#10  I bet the ICU is no logistical machine either...how do these guys get food and water and ammo?

By stealing it from the locals. Odds are they abandoned the village because the supplies ran out.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2006-12-26 09:06  

#9  To tell you the truth, I really thought that the Kenyans would jump in the melee, but I love the Ethiopians- they have BALLS. The Legion is lurking around but the Italians cannot be seen.
Posted by: Joe of the Jungle   2006-12-26 09:00  

#8  Shades of the Battle of Tours.
Posted by: Icerigger   2006-12-26 08:43  

#7  I bet the ICU is no logistical machine either...how do these guys get food and water and ammo?
Posted by: Frank G   2006-12-26 08:37  

#6  Seems interesting. Attack them behind thier front, and they have to run back to protect. Then attack behind them again, they will run there. Keep them running.
Posted by: plainslow   2006-12-26 08:28  

#5  If they're penning themselves up in a small area, so be it. May I have the honor of calling in the first Arclight™ mission?
Posted by: Free Radical   2006-12-26 07:58  

#4  Too easy. I'm sure the real fighting will be coming soon. The jihadis are regrouping and calling for islamic reenforcements from neighboring countries. Ethiopia would do well to move fast while time is on their side.
Posted by: Jesing Ebbease3087   2006-12-26 07:08  

#3  an Islamic cleric said anyone who did not pray five times a day would be executed.

There's little I wouldn't do to make the man a liar.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-26 02:53  

#2  "We have withdrawn as part of our military strategy," said Sheik Mohamoud Ibrahim Suley

Excellent strategy!
Posted by: Whiskettes4Hilali   2006-12-26 02:34  

#1  So the brave Sir Jihads bravely ran away!
Posted by: 3dc   2006-12-26 01:47  

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