CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti — The United States is using surrogate nations and financial aid in an effort to prevent Somalia from slipping further into chaos as militias battle in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
The United States has vowed to support an African Union peacekeeping force arriving in Somalia and has trained elements of the Ethiopian army, which toppled Somalia's anti-American Islamic government.
About 1,300 African Union peacekeepers, mostly Ugandans, have had problems getting established, however. Two cargo planes supplying the peacekeepers crashed, possibly because of enemy fire, in recent weeks.
"When you have two aircraft that get shot down that makes things tenuous," said U.S. Rear Adm. James Hart, commander of the Horn of Africa task force, which is based on a former French Foreign Legion base in this tiny country squeezed between Somalia and Ethiopia.
Somalia will test America's softer approach in the Horn of Africa, where diplomats and military leaders are attempting to use reconstruction and aid projects to build ties and prevent the region becoming a terrorist safe haven. The United States is also training militaries in the region.
The arms-length U.S. strategy in the Horn of Africa is a departure from the approach in 1992, when a U.S. contingent went into Somalia.
The operation ended in calamity the following year when militias battled with U.S. Army Rangers trapped in downtown Mogadishu. Eighteen Americans died in fierce street fights and the battle, portrayed in the book and movie Black Hawk Down, became a symbol of American military impotence in the face of Third World threats.
The new U.S. approach favors precision military strikes and an effort to build American support in the region through reconstruction, aid projects and helping friendly militaries.
"Somalis don't like our guys on the ground," U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said on a recent visit to Djibouti.
The latest episode in Somalia's chaotic history began in December when Ethiopian soldiers invaded Somalia and overthrew the anti-U.S. Islamic Courts government. A U.S.-supported transitional government was installed.
The latest fighting is the worst in Somalia since a 1991-92 civil war, said Ken Menkhaus, an expert on Somalia at Davidson College in Charlotte.
Ethiopian soldiers remain in Somalia attempting to shore up the transitional government.
Nearly 100,000 Somalis have fled the capital since the beginning of February, according to the United Nations.
The United States is backing the new transitional government in the hopes of establishing a friendly government in Somalia that will help pursue al-Qaeda militants inside the country.
A key part of U.S. strategy is its alliance with the Ethiopian military, which remains in Mogadishu. "I certainly don't think the Ethiopians would allow the Islamic Courts to reconstitute," said Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for African affairs. "The Ethiopians would act to ensure they don't reconstitute."
U.S. advisers have trained the Ethiopian army, and the Pentagon is considering doing more.
Hart said the Ethiopians have proved their abilities in pushing out Somalia's Islamic Courts government. "Their interest lies in more advanced training," he said. Ethiopia wants help in supporting a war college for officers.
The Bush administration saw Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia as an opportunity to attack an al-Qaeda stronghold, Menkhaus said.
The U.S. military said it killed eight to 10 al-Qaeda suspects in an airstrike in Somalia in January.
The United States, however, wants to avoid a large military operation in Somalia, where its options are limited, Whelan said.
The Horn of Africa task force has about 1,500 troops, most of them supporting reconstruction and civil affairs projects. They also provide military advisers to countries in the region.
Contributing: Barbara Slavin in Washington
Source: USA Today, April 04, 2007
post ur comments regardless who iam!
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wax la yiraahdo wadaado iyo maxkamado meeshaan ma joogin mana jirin waxa ay ahaayeen koox yaroo somali ah oo is aruursatay kuna heshiisay in ay gumaadaan shacabka maatada ah iyo kuwa aan kasoo jeedin beelihii hubeesnaa ee aan isdifaaci karin, waxay karbaash u qaateen iyo qisaasid si ay dadka u argagixiyaan beelaha laga tirada badan yahay ayagoo gacmaha ka laabtay beelaha waaween ee caasumada ka amar taakleenayey, waxay ahaayeen tuugo soo goosatay xargaha ilaahay, waxay qandaraas ah umada ku haya argagax kasoo qaateen shabakada dhiig qubida iyo kala eryida shacabka ee alqacida, waxay la soo boodaan markay umada xasuuqaan ALAAHU AKBAR oo ay rabaan in dadku u arko kuwo xaq u diririya, waa dayuusiin aan laheen wax la yiraahdo naxariis oo beentana uga daadato sidii tusbax afka la jaray.
kuma soo noqonayaan somaliya mardanbe waxay aduunka iyo aakhiraba ku seegeen waa beenta iyo munaafiqnimada ay diinteena suuban ka abuurteen.
waxay caruurta bareen in ay naftooda ku gumaadaan isqarxin si ay danahooda gaar ahaaneed u fushadaan, waxay dadka caqliga daciifka leh ka dhaadhiceey hadaad JANADA rabto xasuuq walaalahaaga somaliyeed, karbaash, ka dhac xoolahooda, ka xir ganacsigooda, u xukun hab dhaqankii lagu yaqaanay TALIBAANKII laga eryey afgaanistaan, laakiin waxaa si sharaf leh u hor istaagay ayaga iyo taageerayaashooda caqliga daciifka ah leh madaxdeena QARANKA oo taqaan sida loola tacaalo BURCAD qandaraas iyo shilimaad kasoo gurata argixisada caalamka ee alqacida.
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There is nothing good with US, Finally we got peace in Mog. and the thugs like Ceydiid got their ass kicked
but then US disturbed the peace and bringed the war back they bringed the thugs back
Im for the real somalis not for a pupet regime
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ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THE USA IS, IT DOES NOT LIKE FAILURE.
If it sees the situation is getting out of hand & it is pouring $40 million dollars in a dark hole, it will change course.
So far it changed four governments in Iraq for incompetence & corruption.
All the new talk about new strategy is what is to come in the near future.
The International communities are not stupid and they have the personnel files of every TFG member and their association with war lords & criminal activities. They also know who is who in Somalia when it comes to decency.
It is not hard to get their file & life history, all you need to do is request it from Zenawi & he knows more about them than he knows about his mother.
Therefore; I wouldn't be surprised if we see sheikh shariif as prime minister & shariif hassan back at parliament.
To add insult to injury, they might have Zakaria haji Mohamud as defence minister, we might even get Abdirisak haji Hussein to come back & put the house in order as a president after a long retirement & years in exile.
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Haniye10 r u a male or a female? plse answer my question before i respond to u b/c i treat ladies differently than gentlemen.
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ISlamist waxaa tahay qofka kaliye ee wax macquul ah
soo qoray maasha alaah inta kale waa dad ay diin iyo dal midna ka maqneyn
ee qabiil la wada jiran ilaah ha wada caafiyo.
insha alaah we will win
NAARTA JAXIIMA USA & ETHO AND ALL DABADHILIF>
BUSH<---- NACALA TULAAHI
C/yeey<----NACALA TULAAHI
ZENAWI<-----NACALA TULAAHI
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I like when they use politically correct terms "The arms-length U.S. strategy in the Horn of Africa is a departure from the approach in 1992, when a U.S. contingent went into Somalia".
Do you know what arms-length means in this context.
It means they are using their remote control tool Ethiopia.
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I like when they use politically correct terms "The arms-length U.S. strategy in the Horn of Africa is a departure from the approach in 1992, when a U.S. contingent went into Somalia".
Do you know what arms-length means in this context.
It means they are using their remote control tool Ethiopia.
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Outside options,sugestions or desicions cannot bring peace in somalia except only and only somalis coming together and solving there difference.
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GO aadan laheyn dhaxan kaama celiyo
DRX mawaxey kaaga soo uruurtey inaad awood tigree ku faanto
dhib malahan waxaa layiri GEED DHACAANKIISUU DHALAA
hadaad adeerka ku dayatay oo aay tigree dani kubiday
aaway wiillashii uu adeerkaa ku faani jirey mise
waxey kabaqeen marba hadii tigreegii lajiiday iyagan in lagubo
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DRX
waad xanuunsantahay ee is daawee
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alla maxaa dad xanuunsan isugu yimid meeshaan
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
GOD WILL NEVER BLESS AMERICA as long as they r terorising
inoncent muslims all over the world
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S/caleykum to all brothers $ sisters
By reading what you all have been saying, it seems that
"Qabiil" is still in your minds and spirit. I thought
by leaving somalia and comming to western countries everone
of us would forget about qabiil. After all qabiil didn't brought
you wherever you are. Can we please grow up and stop about qabiil.
we are all Somali, Muslim. one Dhaqan one Qadiyad.
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There cannot be any peace in Somalia untill this brutal occupation ends. The warlord government is irrelevant, beacuse Ethiopian generals are in charge of Somalia. Somali people have every right to defend their country and kick out the colonial occupation. The freedom fighters are defending their country and religion from the gaalo Ethiopians and their stooges. The time of the warlord stooges is over. They are disintegrating infront of our eyes, Hussein Aidis deserted them and many others will follow. The only solution to the Somali problem is that the warlords be punished for their crimes and a real reconciliation conference should be organised where the warlords are not invited.
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Many somali guys come from USa, Europe, Australia left their wives and children came to somali to defend their country and religion. those guys are mooryaan acording to TFG. Most of them left somali 1991. Some left Somali during 80s or 70s
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DrRX if your mooryaan soldiers who you gave them fake uniforms canot defeat hamar's mooryaan, cry baby there is nothing else you can do about it. atleast tell them to not throw their uniforms when the battle began. We allowed your mooryaans to wear so called somali uniforms so leave my moryaan alone what they will wear. some of my mooryans were helping you 3 months ago in bandeeradley. do you still consider them mooryaan since they helped you.
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Yosra, if the gov. and ethiopia troops in mogadishu would leave now, what would these thugs in mog will start doing to the real xamar citizens? of course these thugs from Buulo Gaduud and alikes will commit more atrocities and bililiqo against the xamar residents more than what has been taking place for the past 16 yrs. today, if u ask the peace loving xamar residents whether the gov. and ethiopia troops should leave or stay, they would overwhelmingly say they should stay and finish the job and that's the mandate we should go by. Yes to the peace loving, real xamar citizens, No to trouble makers, invading mooryaan thugs.
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Muhsin,
don't you mean you want to liberate yourself from Kenya?
the last I checked, NFD was not part of Somalia,
therefore, Abdulahi and Geedi have nothing to
do with you. Mind you own business.
Yosra,
you are motivated by Tribal sickness. Puntland is
part and parcel of Somalia. So go and find
other people do divide, you don's speak for
the people of the rest of somalia.
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Islamist, make these mooryaans act like real muslims then the rest of us will support them. but as long as they keep changing their shaati and ideologies by the day, week, month and year everyone is gonna be skeptical about their motives. i will be one of the first pple to support if they r sincere muslims, not using islam as an ammunition.
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People, please stop using Islam as a means to cover your wrong doings. It was the non-believer who has waged a war among his brothers for more than 16 years, and the same people are going around telling people that they have reformed and denounced the old habits.
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Muhsin, waad ogtahay say ethiopia kuu karbaashto in ur own ogaden land. so u think u can be of any help in somaliweyn land? lol....i dont think so. most of ur indheer-garato r calooshood u shaqaystayaal and dantood moodayaal. Nin tiisa daryeela mid kale ku dara!
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Great point islamists but I hope you are not like the hypocrites who preached religion just few months ago and now are crying about their tribal rhetoric.
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Walaahi o Bilaahi O talahi, America and Ethiopia underestimated the capabilites of Somali people. America used Ethiopia-our rival enemy to invade our country, and they want to get PEACE?? This war is no way near-over, America has seen our strenghts now, its time for Ethiopia to experience. America potrays us 'terorirst' WHO THE HELL DID WE TERORISE? did Mogadishu people went America and blown them self up?. I think its time for us somali people wake-up and stand up to defend our relgion. Somalia is so unique, that the west does not like it, for goodness sake, we are people, with one religion, one culture, one tradition, one language AND YET DIVIDED. Only Islam will unite us all, only Islam will bring us from devestation and cruetly. Insha'alah
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The Ethiopian and the Americans are better friends of Somalia than the Arabs who act like they care about the situation in Somalia.
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USA and and Ethiopia loves us and they are supporting us.
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Yes Yosra the occupying forces need to be kicked out and the confused guys from puntland need to be discplined.yusuf and Gedi need to be hooked very soon.DR RX u are getting more and more confused with Yosras patriotic way of saying the truth on hand.Moreover ,its an issue of somaliweyn ,including myself from NFD that we need to liberate ourselves and our pple from YEEEY and gaalo raac.
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Yosra, would u shut up if a Puntland jirri guy marries u for few months? seems u were heart-broken by one of them!
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You bet we don't like your guys and Ethiopians and Puntland
mooryaans in our land. They are all occupiers and freedom
fighters will teach them a lesson or two in another Black Hawk
Down.
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