by Abdi Hersi
The reported air strikes in Somalia are very disturbing and it is an indication that the USA is once again behaving in a manner that is against all acceptable international laws.
It is yet another unfortunate gross strategic error and blunder that the United States AC 130 bombers attacked the vulnerable people in the lower juba region of Somalia who are yet to recover from the devastation caused by a long civil war and natural disasters such as recent floods.
These air strikes caused the death and destruction of a number of innocent people and scores of livestock. The innocent civilians in the lower juba region of Somalia were recovering from devastating floods that displaced thousands of people and killed hundreds of others. These cruel and indiscriminate attacks will no doubt make the lives of these people more difficult at this particular time.
It is said that the air assault was based on intelligence reports that alleged Al-Qaida members present in the area were responsible the attacks of 2 United States embassies in Africa. This intelligence report is no different than the familiar intelligence reports that concluded Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction that later turned out to be untrue.
These deplorable actions are typical foreign policy disasters for the Bush administration who in their time of office relentlessly pursued an anti Islam war in all corners of the earth. It is now believed that Somalia is another unfinished business for the Bush administration just like Iraq. The administration has carried out a number of campaigns directed against the will of the Somali people. It has created and supported the defeated alliance for the restoration of peace and counter terrorism comprising of a number of criminal warlords that prolonged the suffering of the Somali people. It has encouraged the illegal invasion and occupation of Somali territory by an old enemy of Somalia (Ethiopia) while ignoring the deep seated historical enmity between the Somali people and Ethiopia. After the failure of its client warlords, the Bush administration resorted to Somalia’s old enemy Ethiopia to do its bidding.
As members of the Brisbane Somali community, we utterly condemn this criminal and cruel aggression against the people of lower juba region of Somalia in the strongest terms possible.
We demand that the bombardment and the senseless killings of innocent civilians be immediately stopped.
We demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Ethiopian troops from all Somali territory.
We would urge strong censure of the USA and compensation for the destruction of life and property to the people of the lower juba region of Somalia.
Silence on the part of United Nations on this issue will indicate to the rest of the world that it supports the unjustified actions of the USA.
We ask all members of the international community to condemn the bombardment of innocent civilians by US war planes in remote towns and villages in lower juba region of Somalia.
Abdi Hersi
Brisbane, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]