Great news, I must commend the courts for their latest moves. Give credit were it is due...Mogadishu today is better of than it has been for the past 15 years, may it continue..

Lebanon suffers as Israel braces Bombardment of Lebanon continues as Israelis told to stock up on supplies Conal Urquhart in Tel Aviv and agencies Friday July 14, 2006 The Guardian Israeli jets continued to bomb Lebanon today, hitting Beirut airport and 18 other targets as Jerusalem threatened to escalate its attack on the besieged country even further. Three people were killed. Hizbullah fired 13 more rockets at northern Israel, but caused little damage. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis were advised this morning to stock up on essential supplies before returning to their bomb shelters by noon. The residents of northern Israel had emerged from their shelters after a relatively quiet night. Yesterday more than 150 Hizbullah rockets had been fired, killing two people. Israeli officials and politicians said there would be no end to the campaign to destroy Hizbullah and free two Israeli soldiers. They expected Hizbullah to continue to fire some of its estimated 12,000 missiles over the weekend. The soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, were captured by Hizbullah guerrillas in a cross-border raid on Wednesday to be used to barter for the release of Lebanese prisoners. Eight Israeli soldiers and a Hizbullah fighter were killed in the raid. The calm in the north of Israel was bought at the expense of the residents of southern Lebanon and Beirut, who were bombarded by the Israeli air force throughout last night. Israeli aircraft hit offices, fuel depots, roads, bridges and junctions, killing three people and injuring 50, according to news agencies. About 50 people, including four Brazilians, have been killed since Israel started attacking Lebanon. A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said aircraft had targeted 18 sites, including the airport, the offices of Hizbullah in Beirut and bridges and sections of road on the Beirut-Damascus highway. The conflict has affected both the Lebanese and Israeli economies. Tourists in both countries have fled and stocks and currency values have plummeted. Yet Israeli officials vowed to escalate the conflict and assassinate Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbullah leader. Diplomatic pressure around the conflict was stepped up when Israel's UN ambassador named Syria and Iran as the backers of Hizbullah and Hamas. It is widely known that Damascus and Tehran support the militant groups, but the remarks - in the midst of a security council debate about censuring Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon - ratcheted up fears that the countries may be dragged directly into the conflict. "What we are seeing are the actions of Hamas and Hizbullah, but they are merely the fingers of the bloodstained hands and the executioners of the twisted minds of the leaders of the world's most ominous axis of terror, Syria and Iran," said Israel's ambassador, Dan Gillerman. Earlier today, the Finnish foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, warned that the violence risked dragging in Syria, which ruled Lebanon as a puppet state until it withdrew troops last year and still has the support of the Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud. Israeli commentators wrote that Israel would profit from the crisis by pushing Hizbullah away from the Israeli border. Amnon Dankner, the editor of the newspaper Ma'ariv, said it was ironic that Amir Peretz, the defence minister, and Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, who had never been senior military men, had the task of repairing the damage done by Israel's previous prime ministers, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak, who were both decorated generals. This damage included allowing Hizbullah to deploy thousands of missiles close to the border and exchanging hundreds of prisoners for the bodies of Israelis and a single hostage, he said. Other commentators compared Israel's situation to Britain's during the time of the blitz and said "everything is permissible" in the campaign against Lebanon. The crisis in the north has completely overshadowed the situation in Gaza, where the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit remains a captive of Hamas and the already desperate living conditions of Gazans continue to deteriorate. Piles of rubbish are mounting in the streets as there is no fuel for garbage trucks. The shortage of electricity, caused by airstrikes on a power station, means there is not enough power to pump sewage or water. Untreated sewage is running directly into the sea and crowds gather round water tanks to fill jerry cans and plastic bottles. Virtually no wages have been paid to employees of the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the economy is at a standstill. Israel allows enough fuel and food to enter but Gazans cannot leave or enter the strip. Thousands have been stuck on the Egyptian border waiting to return home. The Red Cross reported that four people had died because of the lack of shelter and services. Israel pulled its forces out of central Gaza overnight, although they remain in the south near Rafah. The air force continued to bomb parts of Gaza, hitting buildings, roads and bridges, and the army shelled northern Gaza, where a man was killed when a tank fired at his car. Since the offensive began, Israeli forces have killed 86 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier in a friendly fire incident. Many of the dead were gunmen, but about a fifth were civilians. The latest victim was a 10-year-old boy who died in a hospital on Friday, four days after being wounded in Beit Lahiya in the north. Today, the Israeli army said that three Qassam rockets had landed in the city of Sderot in northern Israel without causing any damage.

Gediid, there is no need to wish for an all out battle between the TFG and the courts.. I doubt the varacity of the news or the rehtoric coming from both sides...

^^^ I detest getting personel with people in this type of open forum. You make silly accusations constintly, repetitive and meaningless that go beyound debating. Its because of the reasons I gave above, since you do not know me personally. Indeed you probably are a decent person. But trust me I am not intresed in personalising anything with anyone. Try to move away from this obsession you hav with my clans supposed revenge complex regarding Mogadish and its people. Mogadishu is a city I love...

Somalia government delays talks Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:50am ET By Guled Mohamed MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's interim government said on Friday it had postponed peace talks scheduled to take place in Sudan over the weekend because the Islamist movement running Mogadishu violated a ceasefire and could not be trusted. "It was a cabinet decision that we postpone the talks because of the violations of the Khartoum agreement," Hussein Aideed, Somalia's deputy prime minister, told Reuters by telephone from the government's headquarters in Baidoa. He was referring to the two sides' agreement during a first round of talks in Sudan on June 22 to stop military campaigns. The government says the Islamists' subsequent pushes against remaining warlords around Mogadishu -- and their announcement of a parallel national administration -- broke that accord. "It is very difficult to trust the Islamic Courts because they have not changed their violent ways," Aideed added. The Islamists took most of the Somali capital from U.S.-backed warlords early in June and went on to take control of a large swathe of the south of the Horn of Africa nation. That has challenged the authority of the Western-backed interim government, which is based in the provincial city of Baidoa as it is not strong enough to move to Mogadishu. Some analysts fear armed confrontation, and the Arab League-brokered talks on power-sharing in Khartoum, set for Saturday, were intended to avert that. President Abdullahi Yusuf's government is suspicious of the Islamists' desire to impose strict sharia law to tame anarchy in the nation of 10 million, without central rule since 1991.

Somalia government delays talks with Islamic militia :: latest Somalia’s nearly powerless interim government today said it wanted to postpone this weekend’s peace talks with an increasingly radical Islamic militia that has seized control of nearly all of southern Somalia. The talks were a move toward international acceptance for the militia, which the US has accused of harbouring al-Qaida and wanting to impose a Taliban-style theocracy throughout Somalia. “The Islamic group has extreme views which cannot go with the world’s civilised and democratic system,†said Isma’il Mohamud Hurre, minister for regional cooperation from the government base in Baidoa, 155 miles from Mogadishu. A top official in the Islamic militia said the group wanted the talks to go on as scheduled. “We have never tried to divide the government members, so I wonder why they are constantly interfering with us,†said Sheikh Mohamud Sheikh Ibrahim Suley. The talks were set for tomorrow in Khartoum, Sudan, under the auspices of the Arab League. Hurre said Somalia’s president and prime minister had asked Sudanese officials for a delay.

Baydhabo: Xuseen Caydiid oo ka digay awoodda ciidanka Maxkamadaha , sheegayna inay todobaad gudihiis kusoo jeedaan Baydhabo.. Friday, July 14, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baydhabo(AllPuntland)-Raysulwasaare kuxigeenka dawladda Federaalka Soomaaliya , ahna wasiirka arimaha gudaha dawladda Federaalka Eng: Xuseen Maxamed Faarax Caydiid ayaa shaaca ka qaaday in maxkamaduhu ay ka go'antahay inay Baydhabo soo weeraraan , isla markaana ay doonayaan inay Soomaaliya oo dhan isku ballaariyaan. " Umalayn mayo in dawladdayadu ay awood u leedahay inay is hortaagto ciidanka maxkamadaha oo uu ku sheegay inay yihiin kuwo aad u fara badan" ayuu yiri Xuseen Caydiid. Xuseen Caydiid wuxuu sheegay in ciidanka dawladda Federaalka uu yahay 3,000 oo askari , marka loo eego kuwa maxkamaduhuna ay yihiin kuwo intaasi dhowr jeer ka badan. Wasiirka arimaha gudaha oo u waramayay wargayska The Telegraph ayaa wuxuu intaasi raaciyay inuu ku talin lahaa in madaxwaynaha Soomaaliya uu ka tago magaalada Baydhabo. Wuxuu kaloo sheegay inuu aado shirka ka dhacaya magaalada New York ee ay isugu imaanayaan golaha ammaanka ee qaramada midoobay, arimaha Soomaaliyana lagu soo qaadi doono. Madaxwayne Yuusuf oo saxaafadda Caalamka wax ka waydiisay in xukuumadda Baydhabo uu ka rarayo , isla markaana uu u raro halka uu kasoo jeedo ee Puntland, ayuu gaashaanka ku dhuftay arintaasi. Xuseen Caydiid wuxuu asagu sheegay in maxkamadaha todobaad ama laba todobaad haddii ay badato inay ku talo jirana inay yimaadaan Baydhabo. Waa markii ugu horaysay oo masuul dawladda ka tirsan uu wal wal cad ka muujiyo maxkamadaha Islaamiga. Maxkamadaha Islaamiga oo labaxay golaha Maxkamadaha ayaa haysta magaalada Muqdisho oo dhan iyo dhowr magaalo oo u dhow , hase ahaatee haddii ay qabsadaan Baydhabo waxay sheegan doonaan guud ahaan koonfurta Soomaaliya inay gacantooda ku jirto. Source: Telegraph CCC Farayaamo AllPuntland

Islamists close in on Somalian government By David Blair in Baidoa The ruined town of Baidoa, where ragged gunmen roam bullet-scarred streets, is Somalia's alternative capital. Pulverised buildings, choked with weeds, house the country's official government, which has a president, cabinet and 275-member parliament. Barely 150 miles away, Islamist extremists have seized most of Somalia's real capital, Mogadishu, and the surrounding territory. Baidoa, where the "transitional federal government" clings to notional power thanks to international sponsorship, may be the Islamists' next target. It took 14 peace conferences to create this threadbare administration and, until last year, fighting prevented it from even entering Somalia. The government has spent only four months in Baidoa - and already the clock is ticking. Hussein Mohammed Aideed, the deputy prime minister, said the Islamists "pose a real military threat not only to Baidoa but to our neighbours". He added: "I don't think our government has the capacity to withstand the forces now being massed in Mogadishu." Only some 3,000 motley militiamen are loyal to the Baidoa administration. Mr Aideed, who is also interior minister, has recommended evacuating the government. He advised Abdullahi Yusuf, the transitional president, to leave Baidoa during a meeting of the national security council on Sunday. "If I was the president I would have got out of here," said Mr Aideed. "But he is a military man, he will not relocate easily." So far, Mr Yusuf has declined to move his administration to his home region of Puntland in northern Somalia. But Mr Aideed predicted that an Islamist assault on Baidoa would come in a "maximum of one or two weeks". He added: "Already there are training camps hidden near Baidoa. They will bring weapons, stockpile them inside the town and create insecurity here. " The Islamists, styling themselves the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts, captured most of Mogadishu last month. If Baidoa falls, they will have eliminated their last significant rival in southern Somalia. The way will be open for them to control a strategically vital area bordering Ethiopia and Kenya, containing dozens of ports and airstrips. One of the Islamist leaders, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, appears on an American "wanted list". He was linked to a Somali militant group, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, which may have aided the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Western governments fear that an Islamist takeover of southern Somalia risks creating a haven for al-Qa'eda terrorists. The anarchic country, which destroyed its central government when President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, is already believed to harbour several al-Qa'eda suspects. But the Islamists have significant popular support. By imposing Sharia law, they have brought a semblance of order to Mogadishu. One of their last warlord opponents surrendered his forces in Mogadishu on Monday. Control of the port was handed over to the Islamic forces on Wednesday after heavy fighting, while gunmen affiliated with two warlords turned in arms caches yesterday. Mr Aideed, 44, who spent 10 years in the US Marines and holds dual American-Somali citizenship, blamed American errors for the rise of the Islamists. By funding a coalition of warlords to fight terrorism, the US made it easier for their Islamist opponents to raise money in the Muslim world, he said. America also failed to build the army, police and intelligence services of the transitional government, he claimed. Some 1.7 million Somalis rely on international aid. If Baidoa falls, the relief effort could be threatened.

Golaha Ammaanka oo xayiraada hubka ka dabcin doona Somalia New York-14.July.2006 Golaha Ammaanka ee Qaramada Midoobay oo taageero u muujinaya dowlada Federaalka kmg ee Soomaaliya ayaa sheegay in uu diyaar u yahay khafiifinta xayiraada hubka ee saaran ee dalka Soomaaliya. Goluhu wuxuu sheegay in ay soo dhoweynayaan qorshaha nabad ilaalineed ee ciidamada loogu dirayo dalka Soomaaliya haddii ay yihiin kuwo nabad iyo xasilooni ku soo dabaalaya dalka Soomaaliya. Goluhu wuxuu sheegay inay soo dhoweynayaan in dowladda federaalka kmg ee Soomaaliya oo si caalami ahaan loo aqoonsan yahay samaysato ciidamo nabad sugid ah oo qalabaysan. Fadhigii shalay ee uu Golaha Ammaanku ka yeeshay arrimaha Soomaaliya ayaa war murtiyeedkii ka soo baxay lagu sheegay in Goluhu uu ku dhiirigelinayo dhammaan qeybaha kala duwan ee Soomaalida inay si niyad sami leh uga wada qeyb galaan kulanka sabtida ka dhici doona magaalada Khartuum ee dalka Suudaan. Golaha Ammaanka ee Qaramada Midoobay wuxuu taageeray kulankii 22-kii bishii hore ay magaaalda Khartuum ku yeesheen dowladda federaalka iyo Maxkamadaha Islaamiga. Wuxuuna cambaareeyay dagaalkii dhowaan ka dhacay magaalada Muqdisho ee caasimada dalka Soomaaliya. Iid Bedel Maxamed oo ah ku xigeenka ergayga Soomaaliya u jooga Qaramada Midoobay ayaa soo dhoweeyay go’aanada ka soo baxay golaha Ammaanka. Wuxuu sheegay inay tahay markii ugu horeysay ee Goluhu uu ka jawaabo codsi uga yimid dowlada sharciga ah ee hadda Soomaaliya u dhisan. Wuxuuna ku tilmaamay go’aanka Goluhu inuu yahay dhambaal ku sii jeeda Maxkamadaha Islaamiga ee Muqdisho qabsaday inaan loo aqoonsanayn inay sharci yihiin. C/qaadir Nuunow SBC Monitoring nuunow16@hotmail.com

Iran denies Israel fears that soldiers head to Iran 13 Jul 2006 16:24:41 GMT Source: Reuters TEHRAN, July 13 (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Ministry denied on Thursday Israeli suggestions that Iranian-backed Hizbollah guerrillas could take two captured Israeli soldiers from Lebanon to Iran, saying Jerusalem was "talking absurdities". "I strongly deny such reports," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. "Because of its desperation and increasing isolation in the world and because of the tension and crisis created inside Israel, it is now talking absurdities." Lebanese soldiers secure fuel tanks on fire at Beirut international airport after being attacked by Israeli aircraft July 13, 2006. Israel struck Beirut airport and Hizbollah's television station on Thursday and killed 22 civilians in raids on south Lebanon, intensifying its reprisals after Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight

^^^Rubish as usual, I stand firm in my position, I am not interested in your slimy clan centric comments, its pathetic how you always chase me, because of my clan . Your dilema is you belive that all members of my clan are out for revenge, out to kill the people of Mogadishu, who happen to be no different to them. No Xoogsade, you are mistaken, it is you who is disturbed, who is suffering, it is you who can not see beyound clan.. Remember I was against the warlords of Moadishu long before it became fashionable, I have and continue to support the unarmed clans which you conveniently overlook. I support the national government of Somalia. I will continue to.. You need to reflect on what you writte.... Now back to the topic...

Interesting piece, the man seems to be saving his own skin, but who knows...

Iranian President Warns Israel About Syria By NASSER KARIMI The Associated Press Thursday, July 13, 2006; 10:00 PM TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's president warned Israel against extending its offensive in Lebanon to neighboring Syria, saying such a move would be regarded as an attack on the whole Islamic world and be met with a "crushing response," the official Iranian news agency said Friday. Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon to put pressure on the government and force Hezbollah to free the two Israeli soldiers it captured Wednesday. Syria and Iran are the top backers of the Shiite Hezbollah guerrilla group in Lebanon. Syrian workers and families fleeing from Lebanon pass through the Syrian border post of Jdeideh July 13, 2006. Hordes of travelers poured into Syria from Lebanon on Thursday, fleeing Israeli bombing that turned Syria into Lebanon's only outlet to the world.(AP Photo /Bassem Tellawi). (Bassem Tellawi - AP) PHOTOS The week's events from around the world, captured in pictures. » VIEW THIS WEEK'S PHOTOS Diplomatic Dispatches Nora Boustany 's column reporting on Washington's diplomatic community appears each Wednesday and Friday in The Post. July's Calm Disrupted by Stormy Events Slovenia's Energy-Minded Premier Shares Hopes for a Solution on Iran More Diplomatic Dispatches Save & Share Tag This Article Saving options 1. Save to description: Headline (required) Byline 2. Save to notes (255 character max): Blurb 3. Tag This Article "If the occupying regime of Jerusalem attacks Syria, it will be equivalent to an attack on the whole Islamic world and the regime (Israel) will face a crushing response" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by IRNA. Ahmadinejad made the comments in a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar Assad to assure him of his support, the agency said. The Iranian leader called on Muslim countries to create a united front against Israel. "The Islamic world, especially countries in this region, need more unity and integrity, particularly in the context of Lebanon and Palestine," Ahmadinejad said. Separately, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Hamid Reza Asefi, denied Israeli allegations that the captured Israeli soldiers were being transferred to Iran. On Thursday, Israel said it had information that Hezbollah guerrillas were trying to transfer the soldiers to Iran, apparently to prevent Israeli troops from rescuing them. "These sort of accusations are simply nonsense," Asefi said, according to IRNA. The head of Israel's northern command, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, said Wednesday that Israel did not intend "at the moment" to take action against Syria over Hezbollah's capture of the soldiers.

Israelis take cover as rockets rain down on north Jerusalem Friday July 14, 2006 The Guardian First came the whistling whooshing noise, then two earth-shuddering bangs. The rockets had landed and people started running everywhere in panic. Naharia hospital was in emergency. The loud-hailers around the hospital erupted. "Go to the bunkers, go to the bunkers", they barked in Hebrew. A handful of workers, taking a break after helping the wounded from an earlier Katyusha rocket barrage, rushed back inside. Dark smoke was swirling through the hospital grounds. "Don't go out there," a man in white warned ominously. Hizbullah fighters in Lebanon fired at least 70 rockets into northern Israel yesterday, killing at least one woman in Naharia and injuring 42 people across the region. The woman was sitting on a fifth-floor balcony when a rocket hit her building and sliced through her ceiling. Residents in towns near the Lebanese border were ordered to take cover in bomb shelters during what was the heaviest rocket barrage seen in northern Israel in a decade. Cars were seen driving south with suitcases tied to the roof, and rockets were reported to have landed up to 30km inside Israel. Several buildings were damaged at the Meron Air Force base when rockets hit, the army said. Inside Naharia hospital there was a mood of controlled panic - but also one of defiance. Mano Cohen, a Holocaust survivor, was locking up the canteen much against his will. "The management told us to do it but I think they're wrong," he said angrily. "I feel it's important to stay here and to serve the people." His co-worker, an Argentinian Jew, had just come off the phone from her panicked son in Buenos Aires. She started to cry and he placed a comforting arm around her. Mr Cohen admitted he had sent his children and grandchildren to Tel Aviv in the south but he was going nowhere. As a child he had survived by hiding from the Nazis in underground basements in Poland and vowed never do so again. "Look, when I opened my front door this morning I saw a Katyusha rocket fly by, literally. It was a bit strange but I've seen a lot of strange and frightening things in my life. In Naharia they've not seen so much, that's why some people are worried," he said. Hospital workers agreed: the last time a rocket landed in the town was 10 years ago and the last barrage was at the height of the Lebanon war in the early 1980s. As a precaution yesterday many of the patients, including women and children, were taken to the underground hospital - a reinforced basement which can hold 250 patients. It was completed in 2003 and was being used for the first time. Walking through the corridors, a hospital spokeswoman, Judy Jochwitz, showed where dozens of patients were lined up in underground wards. "It's a very dramatic development," she said. One of the survivors of a rocket attack, Dr Pesach Gal, 59, was nursing wounds from flying glass. "The missiles hit the wall 40 metres from me. The windows, doors, everything was shattered but I guess God helped me today," he said. Propped up on a nearby bed, Ruth, a resident of Naharia with a broken arm and hip, said: "We're frustrated and angry. Now we have to change our whole life and go back 20 years. It's an unbearable situation living on the ground, but I think the real panic will only last for a few days. After all Jewish people are used to it - to fight, to suffer, to fight for our existence." But no one in the hospital or Naharia city appeared to offer a clear idea of what they wanted the government or military to do - or how to do it, just so long as they made the rockets stop. Later in the day a trickle of traffic made its way through Naharia's near-deserted streets. Men, women and children slowly emerged from underground bunkers. Eli Ran, 22, had kept his kiosk open all day but knew a rocket had hit the adjacent building. He was thinking about closing, but only because of a lack of customers. "I've just left the army," he said. "So I've seen this kind of thing happen. What are we supposed to do?" he said, without seeking an answer. Meanwhile Israel destroyed the office of the Palestinian foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, in Gaza city in an air strike. Palestinian officials said no one was hurt. Mr Zahar is a senior figure in the Hamas movement. The International Committee of the Red Cross said water and fuel supplies had become a big concern in the Gaza Strip and called on the Israelis to ensure food, water, health care and shelter for the 1.4 million Palestinians living there.

NEW YORK: Golaha Ammaanka oo sheegay inay isku raaceen in la qafiifiyo cunno-qabteynta hubka Somalia Posted to the Web Jul 14, 09:55 New York (PP) - Golaha Ammaanka ee Qarammada Midoobay oo kulan ku yeeshay xarunta Qarammada Midoobay New York ee dalka Mareykanka ayaa waxay shaaca ka qaadeen in golahaas uu isku raacay in cunnoqabteynta hubka ee saaran Soomaaliya la qafiifiyo. Goluhu wuxuu sheegay in ay si weyn u tixgelinayaan hadallada ergayga gaarka ah ee Qarammada Midoobay u qaabisan Arrimaha Soomaaliya Danjire Fall oo dhawaan warbixin uu siiyay Qarammada Midoobay ku sheegay in haddii aan Soomaaliya laga gaarin ay dhici karto inay lugaha la gasho khatar weyn. Xubnaha golaha ee kulmay ayaa waxay sheegeen inay ka hortagayaan khatar walba oo laga yaabo inay ka timaaddo dalka Soomaaliya isla markaana ay tixgelin weyn siinayan codsigii Midowga Afrika ee ahaa in Soomaaliya loo diro ciidammo nabad ilaalin ah oo ka qaybqaata nabad ku soo dabaallidda dalka ay dagaallada sokeeye la dageen in ku dhow 16-sano. Waxay sheegeen in laga fiirsanayo ciidamamda nabad ilaalinta ah ee loo dirayo Soomaaliya isla markaana ay tixgelinayaan wax walba oo lagu gaari nabad, iaygoo ku boorriyay labada dhinac ee Dowladda iyo Maxkamadaha inay horay u sii hijiyaan wadahadallada uga socda dalka Sudan oo ay ku sheegeen inay noqon karaan kuwo nabad u horseeda Soomaaliya oo dhan. Maxamed Xuseen Jantiile Wakiilka Puntlandpost - Mogadishu E-mail: puntlandpostmog@hotmail.com

Israel widens bombing campaign as Lebanese militia groups retaliate By Donald Macintyre in Nahariya and Eric Silver in Jerusalem Published: 14 July 2006 Israeli forces blockaded Lebanese ports and bombed runways at Beirut airport yesterday in a series of fierce reprisal attacks that Lebanese officials say have killed 55 civilians. Tthe biggest military operation since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon six years ago came in response to a raid by Hizbollah on Wednesday in which two soldiers were seized while on patrol on the Israeli side of the border. The most serious casualties were caused by a series of air raids on south Lebanon that Lebanese security officials say killed 55 people and wounded 110. Sources said 10 members of a single family were killed in Dweir village and seven from another family were killed in Baflay. The Israeli military said Hizbollah guerrillas fired more than 100 Katyusha rockets in retaliation at towns and villages across the north of Israel, killing two women in what was the most serious barrage since the mid-1990s. One woman was killed in Nahariya and another woman died from her wounds in Safed. The guerrilla group appeared last night to have dramatically exceeded the rocket's previous range by launching two at the coastal city of Haifa. Another landed in the suburbs. Danny Ayalon, Israeli ambassador to the US, said the attack was a "major, major, escalation" but Hizbollah's initial reaction was to deny its rockets had been fired at Haifa. Israeli planes late last night launched a second attack on Beirut's airport, setting fuel tanks ablaze, and leafleted residents in the crowded southern suburbs of Beirut, warning them to stay away from Hizbollah sites in an apparent prelude to further air raids. Israeli jets also bombed the highway linking Beirut with the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad responded by warning Israel against an attack on Syria. "If the Zionist regime commits another ****** move and attacks Syria, this will be considered like attacking the whole Islamic world and this regime will receive a very fierce response," he said. Earlier, Israeli forces attacked two military bases and hinted at a ground offensive, the Lebanese Information Minister, Ghazi al-Aridi, said that Lebanon wanted a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to "this open-ended aggression" by Israel. Israeli helicopters also fired on three facilities of the Hizbollah-operated al-Manar television network. One person was reported killed and 10 wounded. The US vetoed a UN resolution last night that demanded Israel halt its military offensive in Gaza ­ the first UN Security Council veto in almost two years.Ten of the 15 countries voted in favour; while Britain, Denmark, Slovakia and Peru abstained. President George Bush voiced concern about the fate of Lebanon's fragile government, which is no longer dominated by Syria, but said: "Israel has the right to defend herself." Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said Israel should respond to the "inexcusable provocation" in a "measured and proportionate" way. The seized Israeli soldiers were named as Ehud Goldwasser, 31, of Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, 26, of Kiryat Motzkin. The deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry, Gideon Meir, said Israel would not negotiate "with any organisation that kidnaps soldiers". The operation in Lebanon has opened a second front a fortnight after Israeli troops staged their first military operations inside Gaza since withdrawing from the Strip last summer. After 23 Palestinians were killed in attacks on Wednesday, Israel's air force bombed the Hamas-controlled Foreign Ministry overnight. The operation in Gaza was launched with the stated aim of freeing an abducted 19-year-old army corporal, Gilad Shalit, and stopping Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza. Israel said it was hitting targets that were of assistance to Hizbollah and which had been operating without interference from the Lebanese government. The main players as Israel fights on two fronts Ehud Olmert Four months after his election victory promising a West Bank withdrawal and greater security, Prime Minister Olmert is fighting on two fronts. Amir Peretz Leader of Israel's Labour party, he has had his pacifist beliefs sorely tested since becoming defence minister in March. Faces international pressure to minimise civilian casualties. Bashar Assad The Syrian President will feel increasing international pressure to rein in his Hizbollah and Hamas allies. The US holds Syria responsible for the crisis. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah Hizbollah's leader, believed to be in southern Beirut, threatened further rocket attacks if Israeli air strikes continue, and said the two soldiers will be freed only in an exchange. Khaled Mashal The Hamas political leader is in hiding in Damascus. Has said Hamas will only release the Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza in exchange for prisoners. Israeli forces blockaded Lebanese ports and bombed runways at Beirut airport yesterday in a series of fierce reprisal attacks that Lebanese officials say have killed 55 civilians. Tthe biggest military operation since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon six years ago came in response to a raid by Hizbollah on Wednesday in which two soldiers were seized while on patrol on the Israeli side of the border. The most serious casualties were caused by a series of air raids on south Lebanon that Lebanese security officials say killed 55 people and wounded 110. Sources said 10 members of a single family were killed in Dweir village and seven from another family were killed in Baflay. The Israeli military said Hizbollah guerrillas fired more than 100 Katyusha rockets in retaliation at towns and villages across the north of Israel, killing two women in what was the most serious barrage since the mid-1990s. One woman was killed in Nahariya and another woman died from her wounds in Safed. The guerrilla group appeared last night to have dramatically exceeded the rocket's previous range by launching two at the coastal city of Haifa. Another landed in the suburbs. Danny Ayalon, Israeli ambassador to the US, said the attack was a "major, major, escalation" but Hizbollah's initial reaction was to deny its rockets had been fired at Haifa. Israeli planes late last night launched a second attack on Beirut's airport, setting fuel tanks ablaze, and leafleted residents in the crowded southern suburbs of Beirut, warning them to stay away from Hizbollah sites in an apparent prelude to further air raids. Israeli jets also bombed the highway linking Beirut with the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad responded by warning Israel against an attack on Syria. "If the Zionist regime commits another ****** move and attacks Syria, this will be considered like attacking the whole Islamic world and this regime will receive a very fierce response," he said. Earlier, Israeli forces attacked two military bases and hinted at a ground offensive, the Lebanese Information Minister, Ghazi al-Aridi, said that Lebanon wanted a comprehensive ceasefire and an end to "this open-ended aggression" by Israel. Israeli helicopters also fired on three facilities of the Hizbollah-operated al-Manar television network. One person was reported killed and 10 wounded. The US vetoed a UN resolution last night that demanded Israel halt its military offensive in Gaza ­ the first UN Security Council veto in almost two years.Ten of the 15 countries voted in favour; while Britain, Denmark, Slovakia and Peru abstained. President George Bush voiced concern about the fate of Lebanon's fragile government, which is no longer dominated by Syria, but said: "Israel has the right to defend herself." Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said Israel should respond to the "inexcusable provocation" in a "measured and proportionate" way. The seized Israeli soldiers were named as Ehud Goldwasser, 31, of Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, 26, of Kiryat Motzkin. The deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry, Gideon Meir, said Israel would not negotiate "with any organisation that kidnaps soldiers". The operation in Lebanon has opened a second front a fortnight after Israeli troops staged their first military operations inside Gaza since withdrawing from the Strip last summer. After 23 Palestinians were killed in attacks on Wednesday, Israel's air force bombed the Hamas-controlled Foreign Ministry overnight. The operation in Gaza was launched with the stated aim of freeing an abducted 19-year-old army corporal, Gilad Shalit, and stopping Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza. Israel said it was hitting targets that were of assistance to Hizbollah and which had been operating without interference from

^^^Man you are foolish, nothing less. I have answered your clan accusations against my person many times before, but despite many response, you still try to picture me as a heathen against my own family. You only attcak me because of my clan. You read an article about the Middle East and of such magnitude and all you remember is that duke belongs to that clan.. Pathetic indeed.. Now more on the story...

Beirut under siege as Israel attacks from air and sea · Chris McGreal in Jerusalem Friday July 14, 2006 The Guardian Smoke rises from Beirut international airport after being hit by Israeli planes. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters Israel laid siege to Lebanon yesterday bombing Beirut airport, blockading sea ports and declaring its northern neighbour's airspace closed to everything but its jets launching waves of attacks. Hizbullah, the Lebanese militia group, responded by bombarding Israel with scores of rockets, some of which for the first time hit a major city - the port of Haifa about 20 miles from the border. Israeli air force planes ranged freely across Lebanon, bombing villages, army bases, bridges and a television station as the Jewish state intensified its campaign to win the release of two soldiers captured by Hizbullah on the border on Wednesday. The air raids also severed the main road between Beirut and the Syrian capital, Damascus. Israeli gunboats turned ships away from Lebanese ports and last night flames were billowing from fuel tanks after a second attack on the capital's crippled airport. At least 50 Lebanese were killed in the assault, including 17 members of two families. Hizbullah's rocket attacks on Israeli towns and kibbutz killed a woman and sent families fleeing from their homes for bomb shelters or areas away from the border. No one was injured by two rockets that fell on Haifa, but they had an important psychological impact because Hizbullah has not been able to hit targets so deep into Israel before, nor such a large city. As the violence escalated it appeared to polarise reaction, with the US and EU taking markedly different stances. George Bush said Israel had the right to defend itself, but cautioned against bringing down the Lebanese administration. "The concern here is that any activities by Israel to protect herself will weaken that government ... topple that government, and we have made that clear in our discussions," he said during a visit to Germany. "Having said all that, people need to protect themselves." He also said that Syria needed to be held to account for supporting Hizbullah and Hamas. But the EU said the sea and air blockade was unjustified and it deplored the "disproportionate" use of force and the loss of civilian life. The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, said he would dispatch a three-person team to the region to try to defuse the crisis. The Israel-Lebanon crisis, coupled with anxiety over the mounting confrontation over Iran's nuclear ambitions, drove the price of crude oil to a record of almost $77 a barrel yesterday. Hizbullah is demanding the release of Arab security prisoners in Israeli jails in return for the two captured soldiers and a third soldier held in the Gaza Strip after he was snatched by Palestinian militias last month. Israel dropped leaflets warning residents of a Beirut suburb where Hizbullah's leader, Hassan Nasrullah, lives, to evacuate their homes. Its justice minister, Haim Ramon, suggested that the Hizbullah chief could be a target. "All those who plan the attacks, all those who allow such terror activities, are also a target," he told Israel radio. The Israeli military told a meeting of the government's security cabinet it also favoured attacking crucial infrastructure such as power plants. Israeli tanks were gathering on the border for what may be a wider ground operation. An Israeli army spokesman, Erik Snider, said the blockade of Lebanon could go on for some time. "We're trying to isolate Lebanon to prevent attacks from Lebanon against Israeli soldiers and civilians," he said. Israel said it feared the two captured soldiers - Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and Eldad Regev, 26 - could be taken to Iran, and the blockade and attacks were aimed at making that more difficult. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, said last night that Israel was "talking absurdities". Lebanon appealed for an immediate ceasefire, saying it did not endorse the Hizbullah attacks. But Israel appeared determined to press ahead, saying it was responding to an "act of war" by the Lebanese government which contains members of Hizbullah. Israel also kept up its campaign against Hamas in Gaza by blowing up the offices of the Palestinian foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar. It launched an assault on the Gaza Strip nearly three weeks ago after a soldier, Gilad Shalit, was seized by Palestinian militias. At the UN security council last night, the US vetoed a resolution backed by Arab countries condemning Israel and calling on it to end its military offensive in Gaza. Britain abstained, calling the resolution unbalanced. But the UK's ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, said Israel should defend itself "in a way which does not escalate the situation".

Iam 100 % behind an Islamic state.. 100% against the secesionist, rememebr that 80% of Somalia is against the secesionist. Whoever wins the TFG or courts the losers will be the sceionists... Islam is for all..

Bring on them Ethiopians,...............

Suldanka, I thought the people from SOOL were part of Somaliland? Come on brother, lets all live together, we are after all Somali's and it is our Land..

Its over blown hype. Many here are jumping to conclusions, the TFG is not Qaynyare, Qaybdeed and the other jokers. The clan courts know this, thus their willingless to negotiate for now, they have suffered many losses in the latest clashes and are not ready. Xasan Dahir is in his regions building up support forces. I remember an allpuntland article a month ago warning about an eminant attack on Baidoa, it did not materialise. Or an attack by the TFG on lower Shabbele and Mogadishu..

Security Council SC/8773 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York Security Council 5486th Meeting* (PM) Security Council expresses support for somalia’s transitional government, parliament; says prepared to consider exemption to 1992 arms embargo The Security Council this afternoon expressed its support for the Transitional Federal Government and Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia as “the internationally recognized authorities to restore peace, stability and governanceâ€, and expressed its readiness to consider an exemption to the 1992 arms embargo in order to pave the way for deployment of a peace support mission and help facilitate the re-establishment of the country’s national security forces. In a presidential statement read by Council President Jean-Marc de la Sablière ( France), the Council also stated its willingness to consider possible deployment of a peace support mission on the basis of a detailed mission plan from the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) or the African Union. The Council welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached 22 June in Khartoum between the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia and the Islamic Courts. It condemned the recent fighting in Mogadishu and requested all parties to adhere to the ceasefire and requested all parties inside and outside of Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke violence and violations of human rights and endanger the ceasefire. Expressing its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country, it demanded that all Somali leaders ensure complete and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as providing for the safety and security of the humanitarian aid workers in Somalia. The meeting, which started at 3:09 p.m., was adjourned at 3:15 p.m. Presidential Statement The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2006/31 reads as follows: “The Security Council reaffirms all its previous statements and resolutions concerning the situation in Somalia, in particular the statement by its President of 15 March 2006 (S/PRST/2006/11). “The Security Council reiterates its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia and its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, consistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. “The Security Council reiterates its strong support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. François Fall. The Security Council encourages Ambassador Fall and other UN agencies and offices to actively engage in the region to promote peace and stability. It calls upon all Member States to provide him their full support in this regard. “The Security Council supports the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) as the internationally recognized authorities to restore peace, stability and governance to Somalia. It notes the importance for stability in Somalia of broad-based and representative institutions and of an inclusive political process, as envisaged in the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC). “The Security Council welcomes the agreement reached in Khartoum on 22 June between the TFG and the Islamic Courts, sent to the Presidency of the Security Council on 29 June 2006 (S/2006/442). The Security Council commends the League of Arab States (LAS) for facilitating the talks. The Security Council condemns the recent fighting in Mogadishu and requests all parties to adhere to the ceasefire agreed on 22 June. In this regard, the Security Council emphasizes the importance of dialogue between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and the Islamic Courts. “The Security Council therefore urges all parties involved in this dialogue to engage constructively at the next round of talks scheduled for 15 July, where it looks forward to further progress in pursuit of a lasting political process. “The Security Council requests all parties inside and outside of Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke or perpetuate violence and violations of human rights, endanger the ceasefire and political process, or further damage the humanitarian situation. “The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, and demands that all Somali leaders ensure complete and unhindered humanitarian access, as well as providing guarantees for the safety and security of the humanitarian aid workers in Somalia. “The Security Council commends the African Union (AU) and the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) for their continuing efforts to promote peace and stability in Somalia and the region. The Council notes their meetings of 19 June and 28-29 June 2006, and welcomes the role of the AU/IGAD/LAS and European Union fact-finding mission to Somalia on 5-7 July 2006 in promoting peace, stability and a political process. “The Security Council welcomes the meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the AU in Banjul on 5 July 2006, and notes that meeting’s request for the Security Council to consider an exemption to the arms embargo imposed on Somalia by resolution 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992, to pave way for a possible deployment of a Peace Support Mission (PSM) and to help facilitate the re-establishment of the national security forces of Somalia. “The Security Council states its willingness, if it judges that a PSM would contribute to peace and stability in Somalia, to consider the above request for a PSM, on the basis of a detailed mission plan from IGAD or the AU. “The Security Council welcomes the fact that the TFG and the TFP were able to agree on 14 June 2006 to adopt the National Security and Stabilization Plan for Somalia. The Security Council believes that the adoption of a security plan is an important step towards providing a framework for effective security sector reform in Somalia, in order to help deliver peace for all Somalis. “The Security Council expresses its readiness to consider a limited modification of the arms embargo to enable the TFIs, on the basis of a sustainable peace process, to develop Somalia’s security sector and national institutions capable of responding to security issues. “The Security Council emphasizes, however, the continued contribution made to Somalia’s peace and security by the arms embargo, and calls on all to comply with it. The Security Council reiterates its intention to consider urgently how to strengthen the effectiveness of the arms embargo. “The Security Council welcomes the outcome of the first meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia.†* *** *

As for the Arms embargo issue, NN, and the Shiekh have covered all the areas. Horn's opposition highlights only what he wishes for, he knows that things will change when the TFG gets the support it requires to equip its troops. Here is the latest news on this topic... U.N. council opens door to peacekeepers in Somalia By Irwin Arieff UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Thursday expressed for the first time its willingness to consider a long-delayed deployment of foreign peacekeepers in Somalia. Council support for a "peacekeeping support operation" proposed for the lawless Horn of Africa state by the African Union and the seven-nation regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, is crucial as troops could not go in unless the council first eased a 1992 arms embargo. A statement read by French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, the council president for July, said the 15-nation U.N. body "states its willingness" to consider such a peacekeeping operation if it feels it would contribute to peace and stability in Somalia. The statement, drafted by Britain, also expressed the council's readiness to ease the arms ban to enable Somalia's shaky Transitional Federal Government to develop its own security forces. Somalia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Idd Beddel Mohamed, welcomed the statement, saying it marked the first time the council had accepted "a request from a legitimate government in Somalia to partially lift the arms embargo so it can establish its security forces." He said the declaration sent a message to militant Islamists who captured Mogadishu on June 5 "that they are not a legitimate and responsible actor in Somalia." The Islamists oppose letting in foreign peacekeepers, although interim President Abdullahi Yusuf says they are needed to get his government on its feet and pacify the country. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has denounced letting in foreign troops as part of a crusade against the Muslim world. Somalia has had no real central authority since 1991. The Western-backed interim government was formed in neighbouring Kenya in 2004 with help from IGAD. It is based in Baidoa, 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Mogadishu, because it was too weak to set up in the former capital. Council action on the proposal for foreign peacekeepers had been stalled for weeks over internal divisions. The United States had been hesitant to embrace the idea of easing the arms embargo, while China had argued this was merited by the need for a peacekeeping mission. © Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1024922006 Last updated: 13-Jul-06 00:36 BST

Israel bombs Beirut airport Israel widened its offensive against Hizbullah guerrillas today, targeting the country's only international airport and forcing its closure, and bombing southern Lebanon in what appeared to be Israel's fiercest military campaign against Lebanon since the 1982 invasion. A shell crashed shortly after 6am (0300GMT) on the eastern runway, one of three, airport employees reported. Another impact was heard shortly afterwards. Two flights arriving at the airport had to return to Larnaca Airport on the island of Cyprus. Lebanese police reported the shells hit the runways and a road leading from the city. A senior airport official announced its closure shortly after the shells landed and asked scheduled flights to divert to the neighbouring island of Cyprus. The main terminal building, which was built in the late 1990s, was intact. It was not clear if all the shelling came from Israeli military aircraft or if gunboats also participated in the attack on the seaside facility, which is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hizbullah guerrillas. In Israel, the military confirmed it had targeted Beirut airport, saying in a statement the facility "is a central hub for the transfer of weapons and supplies to the Hizbullah terrorist organization." It is the first time since Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and occupation of Beirut that the airport has been hit by Israel. The Israelis in 1968 sent commandos to Beirut airport, blowing up 13 passenger planes on the runway in retaliation for Arab militants firing on an Israeli airliner in Athens. The last major air, ground and sea offensive against Lebanon was in 1996 in which about 150 Lebanese civilians were killed. In southern Lebanon, at least 22 civilians were reported killed in overnight Israeli attacks, including a family of 12 in the village of Dweir, the TV station LBC reported. Other TV stations, including Hizbullah's al-Manar, put the figures at 27 killed, including 10 children. Police had no immediate confirmation of the latest casualties. The latest fighting erupted in southern Lebanon yesterday after Hizbullah attacked Israeli border positions, capturing two Israeli soldiers. Eight other Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting and Israel promised harsh retaliation, blasting bridges and roads in southern Lebanon. The Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah yesterday offered to trade the soldiers for Arab prisoners, warning Israel that he will fight if attacked. Hizbullah has declared it has more than 10,000 rockets and has in the past struck northern Israeli communities in retaliation for attacks against Lebanese civilians. Hizbullah's TV station reported today that guerrillas fired Katyusha rockets at the Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona, targeting an airstrip in the upper Galilee panhandle. Another barrage of rockets targeted Nahariya near the coast. Three Israeli civilians were wounded by Katyusha rocket fire in the town, the Israeli military said. Rescue services said one person was badly injured, while the others were slightly hurt. A bridge on the main highway between Beirut and southern Lebanon was hit overnight by bombs that plowed wide craters, blocking traffic. Some people who were leaving southern Lebanon had to walk across the craters near the town of Damour, about 10 miles south of Beirut.