|
Piracy, assassination attempt point to al-Qaeda presence in Somalia
 A failed assassination attack on the Prime Minister of Somalia and an attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship off the coast has reinforced fears that the country is spiralling out of control as a centre of al Qaeda terrorism.
| "Inspector! How do you do it?" |
The unsuccessful attack by pirates at the weekend was the first on a luxury cruise liner in the area.
| But just one in an apparently unending series of attacks on shipping of all sorts... |
Three people were killed in the attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, as he visited the chaotic capital Mogadishu. He was unharmed in the explosion set off near his convoy, witnesses said. Gedi was visiting from Jowhar, where his Government is based. Officials said he was travelling from the airport into the centre of the city when his convoy was attacked by gunmen, who hurled grenades and detonated a landmine. At least one of Gedi's bodyguards was reported to be among the dead.
| On the other hand, it could be typical warlord-generated festivities. |
Political collapse in this failed state has created a power vacuum that is posing a danger to Somalis and the outside world. Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the rise of a new, ruthless, independent jihadi network with links to al Qaeda. The former Italian colony has been without a functioning national Government for 14 years and a transitional Parliament, sworn in last year, has failed to end the anarchy.
| Any government rules with the consent of the governed, at least until they get the governed by the snarglies... |
In the rubble-strewn streets of the ruined capital of Mogadishu, al Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents are engaged in a shadowy and complex contest of intimidation, abduction and assassination.
| I'd just stick with the assassinations. The arguments are shorter and they don't recur. |
Somali pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an attack on Seabourn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa. They were repelled by the ship's crew who set off electronic countermeasures, described as a "huge bang" by passengers. Seabourn Spirit was carrying 302 passengers and crew, most of them Americans as well as some Britons and Australians.
| Aaaarrrr! A tasty prize fer them sailin' under the Jolly Roger! |
Yesterday there were calls for a naval taskforce to try to stop attacks in Somali waters - among the most dangerous in the world, with 27 cases of hijackings since March. But it is unlikely such a force would quell the lawlessness which has racked the country for decades.
| Perhaps not, but I'll bet they could burn or sink all the boats in sight. Then the pirates could stand on the shore and hurl imprecations at passing ships. |
During the 1990s, extremism in Somalia was centred on the al-Ittihaad al-Islaami, a band of Wahhabi militants bent on establishing an Islamic emirate. Al Qaeda also became established and attacked US and UN peacekeepers, using the country as a transit zone for terrorism in neighbouring Kenya. Leading members of al Qaeda's East African network still hide in Somalia, according to the International Crisis Group.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-11-08 |
