Ethiopia,  Global War on Terror,  Somalia

Somalia Watch: Mogadishu Retaken by Somali Government Troops

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A Somali woman purchase clothes at Bakhara Market Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2006, for the Muslim festival of Idd ul-Hajj which will be celebrated on Saturday Dec. 30 2006. Somalia’s Islamic movement abandoned the nation’s capital on Thursday and clan militiamen poured into the streets to take control of Mogadishu, as government forces approached to within 30 kilometers (18 miles). ‘We will capture Mogadishu any time within the coming hours,’ government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told The Associated Press, saying the country was under a state of emergency. ‘We are now at the entry points of the city.’ And the Associated Press is now reporting that government troops have entered Mogadishu.

Reuters: Mogadishu falls to Somali government troops

Triumphant Somali government forces marched into Mogadishu on Thursday after Islamist rivals abandoned the war-scarred city they held for six months before an Ethiopian-backed advance.

The flight of the Islamists was a dramatic turn-around in the volatile Horn of Africa nation after they took Mogadishu in June and spread across the south imposing sharia rule.

Terrified of yet more violence in a city that has become a byword for chaos, some Mogadishu residents greeted the arriving government troops, while others hid.

“People are cheering as they wave flowers to the troops,” said resident Abdikadar Abdulle, adding scores of government military vehicles had passed the Somalia National University west of the city center.

Parts of Mogadishu shook with the sound of gunfire and there were outbreaks of looting after leaders of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) fled its base early in the morning. Some fighters ditched their uniforms to avoid reprisals.

“We have been defeated. I have removed my uniform. Most of my comrades have also changed into civilian clothes,” one former SICC fighter told Reuters. “Most of our leaders have fled.”

So, the Islamists have CUT and RUN as the Global War on Terror continues.

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Somalis stand next to a pick-up truck which the Islamists Courts Council surrendered in Mogadishu December 28, 2006.

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An old Somali man, name not given, holds his gun in Bakhara market Mogadishu Somali, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2006, to defend his family from looters. In Mogadishu, gunfire echoed through the streets and hundreds of gunmen, who just hours earlier fought for Quranic rule, took off their Islamic uniforms and submitted to the command of clan elders.

AP: Government troops enter Somalia capital

Somali government troops rolled into Mogadishu unopposed on Thursday, the prime minister said, hours after an Islamic movement that tried to establish a government based on the Quran abandoned the capital.

The Islamic militia promised to take a last stand in southern Mogadishu.

“We are in Mogadishu,” Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi said after meeting with local clan leaders to discuss the handover of the city. “We are coordinating our forces to take control of Mogadishu.”

Well, that did not take long to rout the Islamists. The Ethiopians obviously are not fecking around with the spread of Islamic terrorism across their borders.

Is this a lesson for the world?

For the people of Somalia – yes.

For Islamic appeasers – sadly no!

Stay tuned……..

Others Blogging:

Captain Ed

Hot Air

The Somalia Battlefield on 12/28/2006. Light blue – Ethiopian & TFG advances.
Green – ICU territory. Orange – recent clashes. 

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Somalia Map – Click for Larger View

Update:

Bill Roggio has The Islamic Courts Abandons Mogadishu

Read it all…..

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