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| Africa Horn |
| Warlords dig in at Jowhar for last stand |
| 2006-06-13 |
| Tension gripped the Somali town of Jowhar yesterday amid fears that Islamic militia planned to attack the last stronghold of the US-backed warlord alliance and shatter a week-long lull in deadly factional clashes. As hundreds of Islamic fighters headed north from their camp in Hiilweyne, 23km outside Mogadishu, the capital, gunmen loyal to the warlords entrenched positions in Jowhar, about 90km away, residents and militia commanders said. The warlords' militia commander, Jendayi Dheere, said his forces were ready to defend the town from Islamic raids. "I will not order any attack, but if we are attacked, we are fully prepared to defend ourselves," he said. An elder said: "The situation here is very tense. Nobody knows what will happen." Despite losing control of Mogadishu, the warlords have rejected the authority of the Islamic courts and threatened to resist any bid to dislodge them. Hardline elders have called for the warlords to surrender peacefully, vowing to evict them from their hideout. "If the warlords refuse to surrender, that would lead to renewed fighting. Even the most foolish person understands that," said Hassan Jumale, an elder allied to the Islamic courts. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #7 "There is a big difference between fighting in an urban area like Mogadishu, and making a conventional attack against a dug-in enemy in open terrain." True. I suspect the Islamists' Soudanese and other Asian-trained supplements will take that in consideration. |
| Posted by: Fordesque 2006-06-13 20:23 |
| #6 Yes, the idea of the Islamists and their "battle-wagons" coming up againts prepared fields of fire from dug-in heavy machine guns and prelaid mortars does my heart good. Assuming that the warlords have been smart enough to hire some mercs to run their mortar teams, airbursts by 61/82/104mm mortars with interlocking machine gun fire will put to rest lots of the khat chewers. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-06-13 15:38 |
| #5 There is a big difference between fighting in an urban area like Mogadishu, and making a conventional attack against a dug-in enemy in open terrain. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-06-13 11:15 |
| #4 If they truely are US backed, that colume of Islamic militia could be dancing with virgins soon. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-06-13 09:54 |
| #3 last stronghold of the US-backed warlord alliance It's a brand new baby meme! Ugly little f^^k ain't it? |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-13 07:21 |
| #2 Wonder if this Jendayi is a long lost member of the farm and garden equipment empire? After all, he does favor green as a color for flags, and the name has just a slight modification for local sensitivities. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2006-06-13 03:30 |
| #1 Welcome to the hell you let in. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-06-13 01:14 |