Walkover
Ethiopian forces are stomping the islamists in Somalia so badly that they are now hoping for a completely bloodless entry into Mogadishu. The islamist forces are either disintegrating or dying – sometimes both – at an astonishing pace.
Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said no assault was planned on Mogadishu because the forces of the Council of Islamic Courts were crumbling so fast.
"Islamic courts militias are already on the run and we hope that Mogadishu will fall to our hands without firing a shot," he said.
The Islamic Courts movement had grown steadily in power for six months, until the dramatic entry into the war by Ethiopian troops last week. Since then, fortunes have changed dramatically with the Islamists in full retreat.
On Wednesday, thousands of Ethiopian and Somali government troops were seen in tanks heading toward Balad, only about 18 miles away from Mogadishu, said Nadifo Ali Tifow, a resident in Qalimow village, along the same road.
Some advice for the Ethiopians: keep going – right now – before the UN stirs its corrupt aparatus to deny you the victory. Win the war before they get involved or be bled into defeat by bureaucrats. The clock is running and you will run out of time if you don't finish this. Deny the islamists their third front or risk a regional war.
UPDATE: Better hurry, too.
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) — The United Nations envoy to Somalia has warned of a "deteriorating situation" in the Horn of Africa nations and called for the U.N. Security Council to take steps to end the violence in the country.
Francois Lonseny Fall said Tuesday that civilians are increasingly at risk in Somalia, where Ethiopian troops backing the transitional government have launched attacks against Islamist militia that control much of the country.
Better hurry.
World news | Gaius December 27, 2006
By Donald Sensing, December 27, 2006 @ 10:09 pm
The “deteriorating situation” was the growth of the Islamists. The triumphs of the Ethiopians is restorative. But that’s apparent only to people who are not UN bureaucrats.
Has it ever occurred to you how much the UN, from Kofi on down, sounds most like a scold rather than a problem solver? They treat most all problems, including war, as a kindergarten teacher treats quarrelling chidren. “Just stop it! Stop it right now!” But no actual solutions, you know.
The solution here is so obvious only a UN factotum could miss it: a total victory over the Islamists with no pulling up short.
By Gaius, December 27, 2006 @ 10:18 pm
Yes, I had noticed that their “solutions” not only solve nothing but actually cause greater damage. Only the UN-lovers actually think they solve problems. To be fair, some of the UN programs work when aiding people. But their track record on resolving conflicts is abysmal.
The kindergarten teacher analogy is perfect.