Article

2006-10-05 Africa Horn

Islamicist Militia Advances Closer to Somalia Base

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Posted by Steve White 2006-10-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Guess you will get 97% comversion rates there now also. Oh well, with Africa disintigrating, one less continent to concentrate on.

Posted by newc">newc 2006-10-05 04:18|| 2006-10-05 04:18|| Front Page Top

#2 Islamic courts have massed all the former militia gunnies that switched sides with their forces and are moving on Baidoa. That's where the U.N.- backed government is being guarded by the Ethiopian army. This could be fun.

Posted by Steve 2006-10-05 08:12|| 2006-10-05 08:12|| Front Page Top

#3 Air drop them more ammo and grenades, they're running a bit short.

Posted by Besoeker 2006-10-05 08:13|| 2006-10-05 08:13|| Front Page Top

#4 Oh, well. Once they have a 100% Islamic conversion rate, there's no need to worry about "innocent" casualties. You can simply wipe the area clean.

Posted by Jackal">Jackal 2006-10-05 10:54|| http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2006-10-05 10:54|| Front Page Top

#5 Once they've swallowed the transitional gvt ruled area, will they settle with that, or attack and try to conquer the other independent parts of somalia, like puntland, in true muslim imperialism fashion?

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-10-05 10:59|| 2006-10-05 10:59|| Front Page Top

#6 a5089, Shieldwolf has assured us that Somaliland and Puntland are beyond the Islamicists' ability to conquer, both in terms aof training and equipment. It would be good practice for the S. and M. troops were they to try, I imagine, and salutory for the surviving Islamicists.

And no snickers, snorts or guffaws from those of you who think I'm a complete innocent on certain subjects. You may smile quietly behind your hand, however.

Posted by trailing wife 2006-10-05 12:10|| 2006-10-05 12:10|| Front Page Top

#7 The Islamists have the numbers but the Ethiopians have the equipment and training. Also, Puntland and Somaliland have been seeing a lot of foreigner military trainers lately, and a lot of cargo aircraft landing at old military air fields. Interestingly, several reports indicate that the white military trainers speak with an Israeli accent.
Also, the last time that the Ethiopian Army went to war with Somalia, Ethiopia won. And that was when Somalia was a true state and had Soviet backing.
One more point : human wave attacks against an enemy with just today's standard infantry weapons is near suicidal; add in air support like the Ethiopians have, and all that a human wave attack accomplishes is killing off the attackers. So the "great numbers of religious fanatics" become the great numbers of the mangled dead bulldozed into mass graves.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2006-10-05 15:56|| 2006-10-05 15:56|| Front Page Top

#8 One last point : all the "armour" that the Islamists have is a bunch of pickup, 2.5 ton, and 5 ton trucks with bolt-on/welded-on boilerplate "armour". Good enough to stop an AK round or light shrapnel, but not good enough to count as real light armour. The Ethiopian Air Force has Mi-24 Hinds and has experience using them. Also, several foreign news sources have pointed out that the Ethiopians have been paying East Europeans to bring their aircraft up to par and retrain their pilots. One hit from a 57mm or 80mm rocket from a Hind, and the Islamist's "battlewagon" becomes a plated coffin.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2006-10-05 16:51|| 2006-10-05 16:51|| Front Page Top

#9 Interestingly, several reports indicate that the white military trainers speak with an Israeli accent.

Been that way in that region off and on for oh, 35+ years?

Posted by Pappy 2006-10-05 20:34|| 2006-10-05 20:34|| Front Page Top

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