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Africa Horn

Battle rages between ICU fighters-Ethiopian backed militia in central Somalia

2006-12-08

(SomaliNet) A fighting has renewed in central Somalia on Thursday between fighters belonging to Islamic Courts Union and the Ethiopian backed militia loyal to warlord Colonel Abdi Qeybdid. The battle has taken place in an area between Bandiredley village and Galkaayo city, the capital of Mudug province where the rival sides have exchanged mortar and artillery shells as well as machinegun fires.

Mr. Qeybdid is one of defeated former Mogadishu warlords. Bandiredley, which is stationed by fighters of Islamic Courts, is 60km south of Galkaayo city.

The battle took place between Bandiredley village and Galkaayo city, the capital of Mudug province, where the rival sides exchanged mortar, artillery and machinegun fires.

An Islamist army officer named Shabaan Abdi Anshur confirmed the confrontation and told the local media that the war lasted for several hours using all sprts of weapons.

He claimed that his fighters killed one militia member from the other side but there is no independent sources confirming the death. The latest confrontation came as the Islamic Courts troops in Hiran region, central of Somalia were put on high alert after receiving information that Ethiopian troops are conducting large military movements alongside the border between Somalia and Ethiopia.

Posted by:Fred

#7 The Somali warlords and their troops are normally not much, but everyone is forgetting the "advisors" that the Ethiopians have blended with the locals. The Ethiopians have a very large Somali population in the Ogaden Province and have been moving troops from there into Somalia. The last major war between Ethiopian and Somalia was over control of the Ogaden, and the Ethiopian Army has made sure to have loyal Ogaden Somalis in the Army for crossborder raids for the past decade or so.
With Ethiopian Army Somalis acting as combat leaders and with the supply train coming out of Ethiopia, the anti-Islamist warlords can prove to be much better troops. This would be especially true if we could get Washington {specifically the Dems} to get onboard with an emergency military aid supplement to Ethiopia.

Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-12-08 15:42

#6 But, OP, I want the ICU to recruit more fighters, then we burn another daisy field, then they recruit more, we burn, they recruit, wash, rinse, repeat. 1.2 billion to go, gotta start somewhere.

Posted by: wxjames 2006-12-08 13:25

#5 Can't we send a B-2 with daisy cutters to wish our good friends the Islamists a speedy trip to Allan's Snackbar?

Won't do any good. The ICU will just "recruit" more fighters. The only way to put a stop to this nonsense is to take out the "leadership" - the "holy men" that are running most of Somalia. To do that, you need to take out the government buildings and mosques in Mogadischu. The best way to do that is with a flight of a dozen or so Buffs with big iron bombs, or one B-1 with a nuke. Since everybody gets mad about using nukes, the Buffs have it.

Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-12-08 12:15

#4 Can't we send a B-2 with daisy cutters to wish our good friends the Islamists a speedy trip to Allan's Snackbar ? Whose gonna know ?

Posted by: wxjames 2006-12-08 11:56

#3 I'm not sure about that. The ICU's got jihadist reinforcements from Yemen and Pak.

The warlords are good at grimacing and waving guns, but not too good at actual fighting.

Posted by: Fred 2006-12-08 09:59

#2 Now the ICU starts getting the new lesson, that getting power and keeping it are two very different things.

Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-12-08 08:31

#1 Mr. Qeybdid is one of defeated former Mogadishu warlords.

Really?

Posted by: gromgoru 2006-12-08 00:10

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