Are these guys great or what?  You know, if it had been Europeans who caught these guys, they'd never hand them over to us, just so they could posture and lecture us about "torture" and denying the killers POW status.  In fact, they'd probably let them go like they let the PLO 1972 terrorists go, in order to appease the Islamists. The Ethiopians kick ass.  I hope we're funnelling all sorts of aid to them.

Somali troops capture Islamic stronghold By NASTEEX DAHIR FARAH, Associated Press Writer


KISMAYO, Somalia - Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks and fighter jets captured the last major stronghold of a militant Islamic movement Monday, while hundreds of Islamic fighters — many of them Arabs and South Asians — fled the town.



To cheering and waving crowds, well-armed troops drove into Kismayo after clearing roads laced with land mines that had been left by an estimated 3,000 hard-line Islamic fighters fleeing a 13-day military onslaught by government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks and MiG fighter jets.

"We have entered and captured the city," Maj. Gen. Ahmed Musa told The Associated Press while riding aboard a truck into Kismayo, where the Islamic fighters had vowed to make a last stand but melted away under artillery fire.

Hundreds of gunmen, who apparently deserted from the Islamic movement, began looting warehouses where the Council of Islamic Courts had stored supplies, including weapons and ammunition.

Gangs skirmished in the streets, and the southern coastal city was descending into chaos, said Sheik Musa Salad, a local businessman.

"Everything is out of control, everyone has a gun, and gangs are looting everything now that the Islamists have left," he said.

Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi offered amnesty to hundreds of Islamic fighters if they gave themselves up, but he made no such offer to leaders of the group. He also ordered a countrywide disarmament starting Tuesday, an immense task in Somalia, which is awash with weapons after a 15-year civil war.

"The warlord era in Somalia is now over," Gedi said at a news conference in the recently captured capital, Mogadishu, giving a three-day deadline to hand over all weapons.

Among those sought were three al-Qaida suspects wanted in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies who were being sheltered by the Islamic group. The government hoped to catch them before they slipped out of the country.

Gedi also appealed for humanitarian aid and he repeated calls for an African Union peacekeeping force.

Maj. Felix Kulayigye, a spokesman for Uganda's army, said 1,000 troops could be ready to deploy in a few days. "We have one battalion prepared to go to Somalia immediately after they are cleared by the ministry of foreign affairs," he said.

A group of seven regional countries, known as IGAD, proposed a peacekeeping force for Somalia two years ago, and the        United Nations endorsed the peacekeeping plans last month, but fighting prevented a deployment.

At the Somali government headquarters in Baidoa, government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told the AP that Uganda and Nigeria have agreed to send a total of 8,000 troops soon. Dinari said the government had also asked the United States to provide air and sea surveillance to prevent suspected extremists from escaping.

The Islamic forces have a base near the Kenyan border on a small peninsula called Ras Kamboni, where there is a pier and traditional oceangoing boats known as dhows. Ethiopian MiG fighter jets flew low, looking for boats carrying escaping Islamic fighters.

Meanwhile, senior Western diplomats were pushing for the deployment of an African-led peacekeeping force in Somalia as soon as possible to help stabilize the country, said a U.S. government official on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to the media.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, in his New Year's message, called for an urgent IGAD summit to discus the Somali crisis.

The Islamic forces began to disintegrate after a night of artillery attacks at the front line and following a mutiny within its ranks, witnesses said.

Islamic leaders had vowed to make a stand against Ethiopia, which has one of the largest armies in Africa, or to begin an        Iraq-style guerrilla war.

"Even if we are defeated we will start an insurgency," said Sheik Ahmed Mohamed Islan, the head of the Islamic movement in the Kismayo region. "We will kill every Somali that supports the government and Ethiopians."

Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies have long accused Islamic militias of harboring al-Qaida — an accusation the movement denies — and the U.S. government has said the 1998 bombers have become leaders in the Islamic movement in Africa.

"If we capture them alive, we will hand them over to the United States," Gedi told the AP.

The military advance marked a stunning turnaround for Somalia's government, which just weeks ago could barely control one town — its base of Baidoa. The Council of Islamic Courts, which wants to transform Somalia into a strict Islamic state, had held the capital and much of southern Somalia.


news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070101/ap_on_re_af/somalia

Go Ethiopia!  No flaming liberal press or screaming libtards to retard their progress.

<Entire original post quoted>


news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070101/ap_on_re_af/somalia

Dontcha just love how all these people recently are claiming to make these last stands and just crumple under the firepower that was brought

If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Probably because the Ethiopian government is unhindered by what the western press, the UN, Europe, and the "arab street" thinks about killing terrorists.

Or because the Ethiopian government most likely doesn't posses an opposition party who gains politically if they cause the nation to lose...

Ethiopia is also unhindered by the expectation that they will rebuild Somalia and make it resemble New Hampshire within 6 weeks.

In other words, lots of reasons...

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Ethiopa didn't embed reporters.

Amazing how when the UN ISINT involved and nobody bothers to reach a consensus with ,,well anybody and the media IS NOT consulted. how quickly things get done.
Our problem was
1. No clear misson
                        2. restrictive rules of engagement
                        3. Wrong troops for that mission
                        4. failure to capitalize on what sucess we had
                        5. CNN

OH and we can see from somalia how well the "cut and run" strategy works. (Whoops sorry ...."redeployment")

Quoted: Dontcha just love how all these people recently are claiming to make these last stands and just crumple under the firepower that was brought

Terrorism is easy when the "infidels" are far away....

It is much different when they are 400 yards away and shelling you.

That's why the Iraqi insurgents use IEDs instead of starting gunfights with our troops.

Quoted: Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves... Ethiopa didn't embed reporters.

Yep, none of the MSM gives a damn. Which is great for the Ethiopean force, and the fact that they don't care about fighting a PC war.  

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Because they're Takin' Care of Business...something the media has forgotten how to do.

Quoted: <snip> Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies have long accused Islamic militias of harboring al-Qaida — an accusation the movement denies — and the U.S. government has said the 1998 bombers have become leaders in the Islamic movement in Africa. "If we capture them alive, we will hand them over to the United States," Gedi told the AP. <snip>

Gotta love these Ethiopians!

Quoted: and the fact that they don't care about fighting a PC war.

If the Somali equivalent of Al Sadr holds up in a Mosque, the legitimate Somali government is certainly not going to try and negotiate a peace with the Al Sadr, and they aren't going to hold the mosque to be sacrosanct...

Unfortunately it isn't that simple in Iraq.

They need to clean up the town with a couple dozen of these..

Are all the SF guys still hanging around the Horn of Africa?  Djbouti was very crowded for a while a couple years ago.

We should send those Ethiopian guys some peanut butter & jelly goodness!

 


The Ethiopians have managed to impress me.



No doubt a major part of their effectiveness is a singular lack of battlefield political correctness.   Put simply,  they'll kill the shit out of anyone who resists or behaves in a
suspicious manner.  


And I can't disagree with that tactic.    Our own forces would be FAR more effective on the
ground if we worked under the same rules of engagement.    But the whiny socialist liberal
democrats would have a shit hemorrhage so everybody else agrees to put our troops on
a short leash to appease them,   and the result is a clusterfuck where US troops get
killed by people who should have been killed in the first sweep,   and it takes way too
long to secure an area and REALLY see that it's truly secure.


The way to do it is to go in, disarm everybody,  and simply state that anyone who is
found to be armed will be shot.   Period.   If you find weapons,  don't touch them,
but find US troops and tell them where they are.       And the way to deal with insurgents
is to get the locals to rat them out.   Otherwise,   if an insurgent attacks,  the area the
attack comes from gets an airstrike.  Which will PROBABLY cause collateral damage.

Under such conditions,  the inhabitants of the neighborhood will rapidly rat out any
insurgents that decide to take up residence in that neighborhood.

Brutal?  Yes.   But effective.  


People seem to have forgotten what war is all about.   It's about killing all your enemies,
and that's that.



CJ

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Two words.

Bill Clinton

bush said this (in diffrent words) when he came into office, NO ONE is better at keeping africa, and african states, in line than other africans.

Quoted: Quoted: <snip> Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies have long accused Islamic militias of harboring al-Qaida — an accusation the movement denies — and the U.S. government has said the 1998 bombers have become leaders in the Islamic movement in Africa. "If we capture them alive, we will hand them over to the United States," Gedi told the AP. <snip> Gotta love these Ethiopians!

Al Qaeda terrorists!!! And you even gift-wrapped them for us. How did you know that’s what we wanted? We’ve been looking all over trying to find them.

Thanks Ethiopia.

(I guess it’s their way of repaying us for all that “Do they know it’s Christmas” and “We are the World” stuff.)

Quoted: Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves... Two words. Bill Clinton

+1



Ethiopia, Fuck Yeah!

Quoted: Ethoipians mopping up Somalia, now searching for terrorists

That's funny... The other day at work, Ethoipians were mopping up the Men's room.

Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

Invisibility?

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

Sally Struthers?

Sharks with freakin laser's mounted on their heads.

Hint, it can fly and lay waste to a 10,000 man army in the blink of an eye. It will also kill friendlies if they are in the wrong position. The Jews were the first to use it.

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

Ark of the Covenant

It gives your enemy hemorrhoids or something I think.

ETA, I was right. It does cause hemorrhoids.

1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer to Ashdod. 2 And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 And when they of Ashdod arose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the fish-stump was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any that come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 6 And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he laid them waste, and smote them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and its borders. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us; for his hand is severe upon us, and upon Dagon our god. 8 And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they said, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 9 And it came to pass that, after they had carried it about, the hand of Jehovah was against the city with very great panic; and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and hemorrhoids broke out upon them. 10 And they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, when the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people. 11 And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it kill us not, and our people. For there was deadly alarm throughout the city: the hand of God was very heavy there; 12 and the men that died not were smitten with the hemorrhoids; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

A determined govt unhindered by stupid PC'ness?




eta:

I should have known better - ARK OF THE COVENANT!

They have chemical weapons.

Ethiopia's history with chemical weapons began with Italy's use of mustard gas during the 1935-1936 war in which Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia). In 2001 Ethiopia charged that Italy had left stocks of chemical weapons in Ethiopia from the conflict. Italy has denied leaving any stocks of chemical weapons in Ethiopia. (If Italy admits to leaving stocks in Ethiopia, under the CWC it will be responsible for destroying the material.) In addition, Ethiopia has long been suspected of an in-house chemical weapons program. Unsubstantiated allegations have been made that Ethiopia used chemical agents against Eritrea in the 1970s and 1980s. Ethiopia was termed a “probable” chemical weapons possessor by Rear Admiral Thomas Brooks, Director of Naval Intelligence, in a statement before the House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Sea Power, Strategic and Critical Materials, March 7, 1991. More recently the Congressional Research Service, “Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons and Missiles: The Current Situation and Trends,” Aug. 10, 2001, continues to list Ethiopia as a likely owner of chemical weapons (this report seems to again be citing Rear Admiral Thomas Brooks statement from 1991). Ethiopia signed the CWC in 1993 and ratified it in 1996.

Do they have nukes?


ETA: "Officially" no nukes

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

really bad BO ?

EDIT ahh the Arc

uh yeah a ancient battery that shorts out between two angel statues

According to bible history the Ark is bad to the bone as a weapon.

Quoted:   The Ethiopians have managed to impress me. No doubt a major part of their effectiveness is a singular lack of battlefield political correctness.   Put simply,  they'll kill the shit out of anyone who resists or behaves in a suspicious manner.   And I can't disagree with that tactic.    Our own forces would be FAR more effective on the ground if we worked under the same rules of engagement.    But the whiny socialist liberal democrats would have a shit hemorrhage so everybody else agrees to put our troops on a short leash to appease them,   and the result is a clusterfuck where US troops get killed by people who should have been killed in the first sweep,   and it takes way too long to secure an area and REALLY see that it's truly secure. The way to do it is to go in, disarm everybody,  and simply state that anyone who is found to be armed will be shot.   Period.   If you find weapons,  don't touch them, but find US troops and tell them where they are.       And the way to deal with insurgents is to get the locals to rat them out.   Otherwise,   if an insurgent attacks,  the area the attack comes from gets an airstrike.  Which will PROBABLY cause collateral damage. Under such conditions,  the inhabitants of the neighborhood will rapidly rat out any insurgents that decide to take up residence in that neighborhood. Brutal?  Yes.   But effective.   People seem to have forgotten what war is all about.   It's about killing all your enemies, and that's that. You sir, are correct. CJ

I'd think that the military training we've been giving them these last few years has something to do with this victory.

Quoted: According to bible history the Ark is bad to the bone as a weapon.

The Ark itself was just a box...

It was the presence of God that the Ark represented that was the real juice behind its effectiveness in battle.

The Ark itself wasn't a weapon, as Israel found out when the Ark was captured by the Philistines.

Quoted: I'd think that the military training we've been giving them these last few years has something to do with this victory.

I think it's more the fact that they posses the typical disregard for human life
that is prevalent in African warfare . They fight to crush their enemy and
consider collateral casualties to be the fault of the dead who didn't get the
fuck out of the way . Combine that with some training and good weapons
and you get a damned effective fighting force against a half assed enemy .

What will be more telling is how they deal with an insurgency if one arises .
I'd be willing to bet that it won't be PC in any way shape or form

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

Famine

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

the Hammer of Dead?

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

One word.

Liberals.

Quoted: Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves... Probably because the Ethiopian government is unhindered by what the western press, the UN, Europe, and the "arab street" thinks about killing terrorists. Or because the Ethiopian government most likely doesn't posses an opposition party who gains politically if they cause the nation to lose... Ethiopia is also unhindered by the expectation that they will rebuild Somalia and make it resemble New Hampshire within 6 weeks. In other words, lots of reasons...

Amen to that.

We need to make an unaccountable mercenary army to do our work abroad, sans media, and let our regular troops just defend North America and points of soft power like Japan and South Korea. Then maybe we can actually get something done.

Quoted: Dont forget Ethopia has the most terrible war fighting device ever seen on the planet. Anyone care to guess what it is.

they do? Man they could have prevented a humiliating horrible ass beating then. 123k dead and over 400k wounded or captured in a 2 yr war


ETA the Arc?

umm yeah ok. They can claim to have whatever they want. It does not take from the truth that Dr. Jones found it and its in a big box here in the US.

Quoted: bush said this (in diffrent words) when he came into office, NO ONE is better at keeping africa, and african states, in line than other africans.

Especially Africans with MiGs and Su-27 flankers.

www.mediaethiopia.com/photoessay/photo_essay_EAF.htm

The US is hindered by everything that was mentioned in this thread. However, even with one hand tied behind our back the US was still able to EASILY crush Iraq twice when it invaded. People must have short memories around here.

I bet we got CIA and Spec Forces types and lots of cash involved with helping Ethiopia in this mission.

Quoted: The US is hindered by everything that was mentioned in this thread. However, even with one hand tied behind our back the US was still able to EASILY crush Iraq twice when it invaded. People must have short memories around here.

We crushed them the first time.


We've been playing nicely the second time.

Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves...

Because like almost everybody else in Africa, nobody gives a shit about anything other than making sure everybody but yourself is wallowing in putrid filth and disease.

For those that like brevity: They just don't care.

Quoted: According to bible history Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark    the Ark is bad to the bone as a weapon.

Fixed it for you.

Quoted: Quoted: If Somaila folded this quickley to ETHIOPA why the hell did we not do this ourselves... Probably because the Ethiopian government is unhindered by what the western press, the UN, Europe, and the "arab street" thinks about killing terrorists. Or because the Ethiopian government most likely doesn't posses an opposition party who gains politically if they cause the nation to lose... Ethiopia is also unhindered by the expectation that they will rebuild Somalia and make it resemble New Hampshire within 6 weeks. In other words, lots of reasons...

Cliffsnotes version: lots of practical reasons.

Quoted: Are all the SF guys still hanging around the Horn of Africa?  Djbouti was very crowded for a while a couple years ago.

yes & yes

Quoted: bush said this (in diffrent words) when he came into office, NO ONE is better at keeping africa, and african states, in line than other africans.

+1

Nice to see Africans taking care of Africa. Good for them.