|
Ethiopia to join fight against Somalia militants
[Al Ahram] Ethiopia says it will contribute troops to the African Union force in Somalia fighting Al-Qaeda-affiliated bully boys. East African leaders meeting in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Friday requested that Ethiopia send troops. The heads of state at the meeting also asked Kenya to consider integrating their forces to the AU force.Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia last month to fight al-Shabaab  ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban... in southern Somalia following a string of attacks on Kenyan soil. They are not yet under the AU mandate. Burundian and Ugandan troops currently make up the bulk of the AU's 9,100-strong force. Some observers say Ethiopia's involvement in Somalia could be a propaganda coup for al-Shabaab. Ethiopia's last incursion into Somalia ended in 2009 and was deeply unpopular. Posted by: Fred 2011-11-26 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=334096 |