U.S. Sends Weapons to Help Somali Government
Repel Rebels Tied to Al-Qaeda
25 June, 2009 | By Stephanie McCrummen
(Washington Post)
-----------------------------------------------------
the government of Somalia, according to a U.S. official who said the
move signals the Obama administration's desire to thwart a takeover of
the Horn of Africa nation by Islamist rebels with alleged ties to al-Qaeda.
The shipment arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, this month, according
to the official, who is helping craft a new U.S. policy on Somalia and
spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
matter.
Still, the situation in the volatile nation continues to deteriorate. Somalia's
government issued an urgent plea last weekend for foreign troops as the
heaviest fighting in months has engulfed the capital and other regions,
killing more than 200 people, including the minister for internal security
and the police chief. Fighting since early May has displaced more than
120,000 people, with scores of legislators also fleeing the country,
paralyzing parliament.
"We ask for and welcome any troops that can save this country from
international terrorists," said Nur Ali Adan, the government's minister of
religious affairs, echoing an appeal from the parliament speaker for
Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen to send troops.
The government has also tried to rally other foreign support, especially
from the United States, which has long worried that Somalia could
become a base for al-Qaeda to launch terrorist attacks such as the 1998
bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
U.S. and Somali officials say that possibly hundreds of fighters from
Afghanistan, Pakistan and other nations are fighting alongside the
Islamist rebel group known as al-Shabab, which the United States has
designated a terrorist group. U.S. officials have accused Eritrea of
sending weapons to the rebels, who have taken over much of
Mogadishu and southern Somalia.
Besides sending weapons, the United States recently committed $10
million to help revive the Somali army and the police, who in the 1970s
were one of the best-trained forces on the continent but collapsed when
the last central government fell in 1991. The United States has been
sharing intelligence with the government, according to the U.S. official,
and a group of Somali political leaders from various regions of the
country have been invited to Washington to develop a strategy for
fighting the rebels.
"U.S. support is very, very firm," said the Somali foreign minister,
Mohamed Omaar, speaking by telephone during a recent visit to
Washington. "They are very clear that they are in support of this
government politically, financially, diplomatically."
The Obama administration's approach is different in many respects from
that of the Bush administration, which focused almost exclusively on
targeting several suspects in the embassy bombings and other rebel
leaders with alleged al-Qaeda ties.
The Bush administration paid a group of notorious Somali warlords to
hunt terrorism suspects. But the policy backfired, giving rise to a
diverse Islamist movement, including al-Shabab, which gained
popularity by defeating the hated warlords. The Bush administration then
tried backing an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 to overthrow the Islamists
and install a transitional government, a move that triggered the al-Shabab
rebellion that continues today. The Bush administration conducted
airstrikes targeting al-Qaeda suspects, but only one of those targeted
was ever confirmed killed.
Meanwhile, the rebels continued to advance across southern Somalia
and eventually helped force the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops this year.
To cut off the rebels' weapons and supplies, the United States has
stepped up pressure on Eritrea, and foreign warships patrolling Somali
waters to combat piracy have begun blocking cargo ships heading to the
rebel-held port of Kismaayo in southern Somalia.
African diplomats have also proposed a no-fly zone over Somalia to
prevent weapons from being flown in from Eritrea to the rebels, but it is
unclear whether that idea will gather necessary support at the United
Nations.
A special correspondent in Mogadishu contributed to this report.
Courtesy
Repel Rebels Tied to Al-Qaeda
25 June, 2009 | By Stephanie McCrummen
(Washington Post)
-----------------------------------------------------
the government of Somalia, according to a U.S. official who said the
move signals the Obama administration's desire to thwart a takeover of
the Horn of Africa nation by Islamist rebels with alleged ties to al-Qaeda.
The shipment arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, this month, according
to the official, who is helping craft a new U.S. policy on Somalia and
spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
matter.
- "A decision was made at the highest
level to ensure the government does
not fall and that everything is done to
strengthen government security
forces to counter the rebels," the
official said.
Still, the situation in the volatile nation continues to deteriorate. Somalia's
government issued an urgent plea last weekend for foreign troops as the
heaviest fighting in months has engulfed the capital and other regions,
killing more than 200 people, including the minister for internal security
and the police chief. Fighting since early May has displaced more than
120,000 people, with scores of legislators also fleeing the country,
paralyzing parliament.
"We ask for and welcome any troops that can save this country from
international terrorists," said Nur Ali Adan, the government's minister of
religious affairs, echoing an appeal from the parliament speaker for
Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen to send troops.
The government has also tried to rally other foreign support, especially
from the United States, which has long worried that Somalia could
become a base for al-Qaeda to launch terrorist attacks such as the 1998
bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
U.S. and Somali officials say that possibly hundreds of fighters from
Afghanistan, Pakistan and other nations are fighting alongside the
Islamist rebel group known as al-Shabab, which the United States has
designated a terrorist group. U.S. officials have accused Eritrea of
sending weapons to the rebels, who have taken over much of
Mogadishu and southern Somalia.
Besides sending weapons, the United States recently committed $10
million to help revive the Somali army and the police, who in the 1970s
were one of the best-trained forces on the continent but collapsed when
the last central government fell in 1991. The United States has been
sharing intelligence with the government, according to the U.S. official,
and a group of Somali political leaders from various regions of the
country have been invited to Washington to develop a strategy for
fighting the rebels.
"U.S. support is very, very firm," said the Somali foreign minister,
Mohamed Omaar, speaking by telephone during a recent visit to
Washington. "They are very clear that they are in support of this
government politically, financially, diplomatically."
The Obama administration's approach is different in many respects from
that of the Bush administration, which focused almost exclusively on
targeting several suspects in the embassy bombings and other rebel
leaders with alleged al-Qaeda ties.
The Bush administration paid a group of notorious Somali warlords to
hunt terrorism suspects. But the policy backfired, giving rise to a
diverse Islamist movement, including al-Shabab, which gained
popularity by defeating the hated warlords. The Bush administration then
tried backing an Ethiopian invasion in 2006 to overthrow the Islamists
and install a transitional government, a move that triggered the al-Shabab
rebellion that continues today. The Bush administration conducted
airstrikes targeting al-Qaeda suspects, but only one of those targeted
was ever confirmed killed.
Meanwhile, the rebels continued to advance across southern Somalia
and eventually helped force the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops this year.
To cut off the rebels' weapons and supplies, the United States has
stepped up pressure on Eritrea, and foreign warships patrolling Somali
waters to combat piracy have begun blocking cargo ships heading to the
rebel-held port of Kismaayo in southern Somalia.
African diplomats have also proposed a no-fly zone over Somalia to
prevent weapons from being flown in from Eritrea to the rebels, but it is
unclear whether that idea will gather necessary support at the United
Nations.
A special correspondent in Mogadishu contributed to this report.
Courtesy
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