Article

2006-12-23 Africa Horn

Somalia: Islamic Courts' death toll much higher than claimed

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Posted by Fred 2006-12-23 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11134 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Ethiopians gave the Italians more than they could handle 70 years ago - and Mussolini's fascists were probably more formidable than Somali militias. We'll see how well those fighting abilities have carried down the generations. Of course if they whip some serious Islamic Court butt using combined air & artillery support I'm going to be suspicious they are getting some proficient 'advice' from somewhere.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2006-12-23 00:21|| 2006-12-23 00:21|| Front Page Top

#2 The last time the Ethiopians and Somalis went at it, they were both equipped by the Soviet Union. The Ethiopians did badly at first but finished very strongly. And that was when Somalia had an actual trained army. This time, the Ethiopian Army is up against human wave style assaults, and will inflict the requisite causalties on the fundies.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2006-12-23 00:51|| 2006-12-23 00:51|| Front Page Top

#3 Daveed Gartenstein-Ross (Counterterrorismblog.org) says:
"military intelligence source with whom I spoke believes that the ICU's early attacks on Baidoa -- which got beaten back -- were not intended to take the city, but instead were feint operations designed to make the transitional government and its Ethiopian allies overconfident, and perhaps cause them to advance from their fortified positions. If he is correct that these were feint operations (and this source has been extremely reliable in the past), then the ICU succeeded in driving up the the TFG's confidence."
Time will tell.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2006-12-23 00:59|| 2006-12-23 00:59|| Front Page Top

#4 I'm going to be suspicious they are getting some proficient 'advice' from somewhere.

It'd be about time; the ICU has had 'advisors' for a while.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: ...feint operations designed to make the transitional government and its Ethiopian allies overconfident, and perhaps cause them to advance from their fortified positions.

If that is the case, then whatever "proficient advice" is there will likely act as a damper.

Posted by Pappy 2006-12-23 04:09|| 2006-12-23 04:09|| Front Page Top

#5 Those morons know nothing of tactics, and undoubtedly their field commanders were just the most enthusiastic jihadists, leading kidnapped boys.

As far as a "feint" goes, how many tacticals armed with machine guns does it take to overwhelm a tank?

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-12-23 08:55|| 2006-12-23 08:55|| Front Page Top

#6 As far as a "feint" goes, how many tacticals armed with machine guns does it take to overwhelm a tank?

One.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2006-12-23 11:57|| 2006-12-23 11:57|| Front Page Top

#7 Todays official word from the Islamists was twenty martyred in the past two days

Martyred? LOL! Is that what they are calling it. Shot down the the porKoranimals they are. No pass go, no 72 rasins for these bastards.

Posted by Shomong Thaque3757 2006-12-23 13:32|| 2006-12-23 13:32|| Front Page Top

#8 We DIDN"T get our butts kicked! It was a feint, yeah, that's it, a feint.

Posted by Deacon Blues">Deacon Blues 2006-12-23 16:00|| 2006-12-23 16:00|| Front Page Top

#9 DeaconMan is an olde pro. Him got it.

Like the feint at Cold Harbor.

Posted by Shipman 2006-12-23 16:05|| 2006-12-23 16:05|| Front Page Top

#10 probably a few, or maybe more than a few of the IC fatalities are reluctant volunteers shot by IC officers

Posted by mhw 2006-12-23 22:20|| 2006-12-23 22:20|| Front Page Top

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