AP: Ethiopia Prepared to Invade Somalia

[Eugene]

Ethiopia Prepared to Invade Somalia

By LES NEUHAUS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 19, 2006; 2:10 PM

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Ethiopia is prepared to invade neighboring Somalia to defend
its U.N.-backed government against what appeared to be an imminent attack
by Islamic militiamen, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

The militiamen, who hold most of southern Somalia, deployed hundreds of fighters
outside the town where the largely powerless government is based and said they
planned to seize it.

"We have the responsibility to defend the border and the Somali government.
We will crush them," Ethiopia's Minister of Information, Berhan Hailu, told
The Associated Press.

Seizing the town of Baidoa would give the Islamic militia _ which the United States
has linked to al-Qaida _ the uncontested authority over most of Somalia.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/19/AR2006071901117.html

Also: Alert at Somali Islamist advance - BBC

[FormerDem06]

1. Islamic militiamen

man, for all this talk about Islam being a religion of peace, I have run across 16 articles today about conflicts involving those guys.

Can't we all just get along?

[Roland99]

4. You have to remember these Islamists are the MINORITY of Muslims

They're the equivalent of our Fund-A-Mentals (but with a very violent strategy)

[Threedifferentones]

16. You have to remember that in many regions

in the Middle East Islam is almost sewn into the fabric of the culture itself. Thus, everything is done in the name of Islam, horrible deeds and great ones alike. Like every other religion, Islam morphs to suit the needs of its "believers" with ease.

[denverbill]

6. Ethiopia invades Somalia, Israel invades Lebanon, the US invades Iraq,

the US invades Afghanistan, Israeli soldiers occupy the West Bank and Gaza, US troops have bases in UAE, Qatar, and dozens of other countries around the world, but you blame Islam to being warlike?

How about this? Let's bring all of our troops home from every base in the world, pull Israel out of Gaza and the West Bank, then see if Islam becomes more 'peaceful'. In the meantime, we could use our soldiers to guard the borders.

[orwell]

9. The US has a presence...

...in something like 135+ countries around the world.

I'm glad we aren't warlike... :crazy:

[alfredo]

13. Ethiopia has fought Somalia for as long as I remember. They

also have made war with Eritrea. I guess I will have to stop by the Ethiopian restaurant and get the owner's take on this.

[jonnyblitz]

10. No, christianity is the religion of peace!!

:sarcasm: :rofl: :rofl:

[megatherium]

19. Even the Quaker religion is warlike: Richard Nixon was a Quaker. nt

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

22. Defining any religion by its worst element...

...is probably not such a great idea. Especially when that element is Richard Nixon.

[megatherium]

23. My point exactly.

As far as Christianity goes: Jesus told his followers to turn the other cheek, and in Christianity's first two or three centuries, Christians never returned violence for violence. The early history of Islam is far different.

[superconnected]

15. Look what the jews are doing.. Oh wait, I mean israel

Then there's our fundy president and his war policys

[bennywhale]

18. To be honest these guys are not imo as bad as they are made out to

be.

What they have actually done is defeated murderous warlords that have held the citizens to ransom for years and united the people in a way not seen for a generation.

They deny links with Al Qaeda and appear, at the moment to be more merciful and less brutal than the warlords they replaced.

I do realise i may be proved entirely wrong in the near future, but i'm an optimist.

[bemildred]

2. Oh good. nt

[BadgerKid]

3. It's musical chairs

I'm surprised and also not. Feels as though I'm really out of touch with where the instability is in the world. The big crunch is yet to come, isn't it?

[michaelwb]

5. Another invasion

Boy with all these invasions in the news I'm feeling left out.

I'm going to go invade the cubicle next to mine.

I suspect they are harboring Candies of Mighty Tastiness. (CMTs)

[thoughtanarchist]

7. pfffffttt!!!!!

:spray:

:rofl:

Good golly we know where the CMTs are... right around north south east west of tikrit or thereabouts...

[stop the bleeding]

8. I wonder what insane maniacal dictator is in charge of those

Willy Wonka?

[LostinVA]

11. The Oompa Loompas have formed a junta

[snappyturtle]

12. AND................

I've read that Turkey wants or may go into northern Iraq----it's a Kurd thing. The whole fricken world is about to explode!!!!!!! courtesy of the U.S. of A. IMHO

[Posteritatis]

14. I'm honestly not sure whose side to be on in this one. Gah. (nt)

[anotherdrew]

17. against the militia attacking somalia's legitimate government of course

which tribe are these militia from anyway?

[fujiyama]

20. Hey, why not

Now is as good as time as any for African nations to tear apart each other...Though in this case, the fighting has raged on for years and no one has particularly noticed, just like the horrors in Sudan, Congo, and Rwanda.

After all, the world's attention is focused on Israel.

If the slaughter in Africa got even a fraction of the attention Israel's conflict gets...

[Chulanowa]

21. What is this "Africa" place of which you speak?

Fact is, nobody in a position of power or influence cares about Africa. This is because Africans live in Africa, I am certain.