Hold up a minute. Do not blame outsiders for our own faults/ Yes external factors were a key but, It was the Somali factions noitably the USC,SSDF and SNM that destroyed the Somali state. It was the action of the regime that enabled the nation to deteriorate. This US meeting is a posative step, for the fisrt time the Americans are realising they need a unilateral approach. The fact that the EU, ARAB League and IGAD will participate will help the TFG. Federalisam is not the problem nor even Somaliland. The problem in Somalia is the lack of security that stems from Mogadishu, call them warlords or clan courts, once Mogadishu has a single adminstartion things will change fast... The world needs to support the TFG. Lets wait and see what the Americans do.

U.S. to Hold International Meeting on Somalia By Karen DeYoung Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 10, 2006; Page A12 The Bush administration will convene an international meeting next week on political developments in Somalia, following an abrupt shift in policy this week after Islamists seized control of the Somali capital from U.S.-backed, warlord-led militias. The formation of a "Somalia Contact Group" was announced yesterday by the State Department, which had long expressed concern inside the administration that a policy largely restricted to counter-terrorism priorities might prove counterproductive. On Wednesday, the administration indicated that it was open to discussions with the Islamists as long as they were prepared to seek a peaceful resolution and pledged not to allow Somalia to become an al-Qaeda haven. The goal of the group's meeting, to be held in New York, is "to promote concerted action and coordination to support the Somalia transitional federal institutions, and so we are going to be working with other interested states and international organizations on this matter," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "We think it's the right time." The decision to launch a multinational diplomatic initiative reflects a lack of immediately viable options in Somalia short of overt military engagement, and it appears to indicate a further resurgence of the State Department's voice in foreign policymaking under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. McCormack said the contact group will be open to "interested parties" from governments and international organizations, and suggested that "the U.N. would want to participate in this." A United Nations spokesman said yesterday that Washington had provided few details on the initiative but that the proposed timing coincides with the return from Somalia of Francois Lonseny Fall, the U.N. representative who met with different factions this week. Representatives from the European Union -- which also expressed interest this week in talks with the Islamists -- are expected to attend. The U.S. delegation is to be headed by the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Jendayi E. Frazer. A rethinking of U.S. policy was provoked by fast-moving events over the last several weeks in the chaotic country on the Horn of Africa. Without a coherent government since 1991, and left largely to its own devices since the 1994 withdrawal of a U.S.-dominated U.N. military force, Somalia has been riven by turf wars among clan warlords and their well-armed militias. A transitional government established under U.N. auspices two years ago has proved incapable of control and was forced to retreat several months ago from Mogadishu, the capital, to Baidoa, 150 miles away. U.S. interest in Somalia has long focused on the presumed presence there of a group of al-Qaeda operatives, believed to be led by Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan citizen also known as Harun Fazul. Indicted in absentia in the United States in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Fazul was on the U.S. "Most Wanted Terrorists" list issued immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Washington's concern grew over the past year with the expanding power of the Islamic Courts Union, a coalition of 11 autonomous, clan-based courts that have sought to bring order to southern Somalia through the imposition of Islamic law. As court-backed militias gradually became the country's most powerful fighting force, secular warlords who fashioned their own "anti-terror" coalition in opposition found that the Bush administration -- while officially backing the transition government in Baidoa -- was willing to provide clandestine financial support. Although those in the Defense Department and the CIA favoring aid to the warlords prevailed, other administration officials argued that putting all U.S. support behind the warlords was unwise. The relationship between the al-Qaeda cell led by Fazul and the Islamic courts has always been unclear, said one senior official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "We think that there are elements within this Islamist group that are providing refuge and support to this al-Qaeda leadership, but not the Islamic courts as a whole. We don't know that, and we don't believe that," the official said. The takeover of Mogadishu by Islamic forces Monday brought the internal debate to a head. On Tuesday, after the Islamic Courts Union leadership issued an open letter to the international community to "categorically deny and reject any accusation that we are harboring any terrorists," and declared its desire to establish peace and "a friendly relationship" with the outside world, the administration decided to extend a tentative olive branch. Washington now hopes that a new multinational contact group can shepherd an accommodation between the Islamists and the transition government. Awad Ashara, a member of the Somali parliament, told the Reuters news agency yesterday that a meeting between the two is in the works. "The government will in the coming days be sending cabinet members, lawmakers as well as influential traditional elders to Mogadishu," Ashara said. "They will try to achieve reconciliation between the Islamic courts and the other groups." Although Ashara said the government hopes to "work out voluntary disarmament" between the Islamists and the warlord-led militias, reports from outside the capital indicated that the warlords are gearing up to try to retake the city.

Ciidammo ka yimid xeryaha Waajid oo ka mid ah kuwa Dowladda oo soo galay Magaalada Baydhabo Posted to the Web Jun 10, 10:24 Baydhabo (PP) - Ciidammo gaaraya 1500-askari oo ka tirsan ciddammadii dowladda ee ku xareysnaa Xeyaha Waajid ee Gobolka Bakool, watana gawaarida dagaalka oo aad u fara badan ayaa waxay xalay soo galeen gudaha magaalada Baydhabo. Imaatinka ciidammadaan ayaa ka dambeeyay kaddib markii shalay uu iska horimaad ku dhex maray gudaha Magaalada Baydhabo ciidammo beeleed ka soo jeeda beesha Geeladle iyo ciidammada Madaxtooyada dowladda Fedraalka Soomaaliya gaarka ka haya, waxaan dagaalkaas ku dhintay inta la og yahay 17-qof, iyadoo dhaawucuna uu aad u soo kordhayo. Ciidammadaan ayaa imaanshahoodu wuxuu yimid kaddib markii kulan aad u xasaasi u ah ay yeesheen xalay Madaxweynaha Soomaaliya C/llaahi Yuusuf Axmed, Ra’iisul wasaaraha Dowladda Prof. Cali Maxamed Geeddi, Wasiirka Beeraha Xasan Maxamed Nuur (Shaargaduud) iyo Wasiirka Caddaaladda Sheekh Aadan Maxamed Nuur (Sheekh Aadan Madoobe), waxaana la sheegay inay madaxdaas ka tirsan Beelaha Digil iyo Mirifle ugu jira dowladda ay ogolaadeen inay dowladdu maamusho koontroolka magaalada Baydhabo. Ciidammadaan ayaa waxaa la kala dajiyay goobo ay ka mid yihiin Hotel Bakiin, Garoonka Diyaaradaha ee Baydhabo iyo Duleedka Daynuunaay, waxaana la sheegay inay sugayaan ammaanka guud ee magaalada Baydhabo. Magaalada Baydhabo ee gobolka Bay ayaa xaaladdeedu aad u daggan tahay hadda iyadoo ay furan yihiin dhamaan goobihii ganacsiga ee magaaladaas, dadkuna waxay hadal hayaan intooda badna shaqaaqadii ka dhacday Shalay gudaha Magaalada Baydhabo ee geysatay dhimshada iyo dhaawaca aadka u fara badan. Wararka puntlandpost ka soo gaaraya magaalada Baydhabo ee Gobolka Bay ayaa sheegaya in lagu wado in magaalada dhexdeeda lagu lagu daadiyo warqado lagu sheegayo in dowladdu ay koontaroolayso amaanka magaalada Baydhabo ee Gobolkay Bay, halkaasoo ammaankeeda la xallin waayay tani yo sidii ay dowladdu u soo dagtay Dowladdu magaaladaas. Maxamed Xuseen Jantiile Wakiilka Puntlandpost - Mogadishu E-mail: puntlandpostmog@hotmail.com

Qudach, was it not Yusuf Yey who blew that secsionist bubble called Somaliland. How come you guys are the first to writte something about President Yusuf? Humm, funny thing how Cade Musa of Puntland state was in Las Anood for Garad Jamac ceromomny, where was the secesionist President? Anyone seen him oustide the Berbera-Burco-Traingle? Give us a brake, can you stop talking, what is there to talk about. Your argument is bogus. It is a tragic incident that took place today in Baidoa. But it will not deter the project for restoring our nation...

Ciidankii ku xeraysnaa xerada Manaas oo si ku meel gaar ah amaanka u sugaya Baydhabo:- Isku dhacaan oo silama filaan ah saaka uga aloosmay meel aan is badan ka fogayn xarunta madaxtooyada ayaa sida ilo xog-ogaalihi noo sheegeen ka bilowday isbaaro halkaa la dhigay oo ilaa shalayba wada hadalkeedu socday sidii meesha looga qaadi lahaa. Malayshiyaadkaan ayaa la sheegay in ilaa shalay waan waan lagu waday sidii ay meeshaas isbarada uga qaadi lahaayeen hase ahaatee wax guul laga gaari kari waayey, waxayna ku gacan sayreen dhamaan odayaashii waday howsha nabadaynta , waxaana ay isbaaro kale dhigeen wadada isku xirta xerada Manaas iyo magaalada Bayhdabo.. Arinta isku dhaca ayaa la sheegay inay sii hurisay ka dib markii qayb kale malayshiyaadka isbaarada dhigtay aaga guriga madaxtooyada ay isbaarada kale ee ay dhigteen wadada isku xirta xerada Manaas iyo magaalada Baydhabo ay baarteen dad rayad ah oo halkaa ku safrayey, waxaana taasi keentay ciidanku xeraysan xerada Manaas ay isbaaradaas qaadaan soona xir xiraan malayshiyaadkii isbaarada dhigtay. Arinta Malayshidaankaan isbaarooyinka dhiganaya ayaa la sheegay inay arintoodu salka ku hayso dhismayaasha golayaasha deegaanka oo aan beelaha qaarkood ku qanacsanayn qaabka loo qabiyey, waxayna bilaabeen inay khal khal geliyaan amaanka iyo kala danbayta magaalada baydhabo oo ayaantaan amaankeedu ka soo raynayey. Waxaa kale oo wararku intaas ku darayaan in halka uu dagaalku ka dhacay ay geeriyoodeen illaa 2 kamid ah ciidanka madaxtooyada iyo 11 ka mid ah malayshiyaadkii isbaarada dhigtay waxaa isna halkaas ku dhintay oday beeleed lagu magacaabi jiray Malaaq Soomow Risaaq, waxaa iyana jira dhaawaca 3 ka mid ah Ciidanka madaxtooyada iyo 14 ka mid ah malayshaadka isbaarada dhigtay, waxaa isna lagubay baabuur tikniko Dhinaca kale magaalada baydhabo ayaa hadda degan waxaana guud ahaan magaalada gacanta ku haya qaybo ka mid ah Ciidanka ku xeraysnaa Xeradda manaas kuwaas oo la sheegay inay gacanta ku sii hayn doonaa ilaa inta booliiska magaalada loogu tala galay oo gaaraya 500 askari ay tababarka soo dhamaysanayaan. A/Razak Yasiin Caanogeel Waayaha,Baydhabo,Soomaaliya

I disagree with you on this one old friend. Hiiraale like him or not and I dont, has the support of his clan and is no way comparable to Inda Cade, who played a major role in these battles, he lead some of the battles, Galgalato, Dayniile and Balcad. So he is part of the very armed groups that make up the Union of Courts. The point about Abdiqasin I do not undrestand, Abdiqasin never built an armed forces and holed himself up in his house in Mogadishu, it is liek Abdullahi staying in Galkacyu and concentrating on it. Aside from the fanfare of some here , I belive the TFG and the old man are still in a very powerful position. Their troops have not engaged and thus did not lose, they are getting stronger in Baidoa. Mogadishu is still the same place though now you have independent clan based courts controling where the clan warlords controled...

CIA Funding Undermined Somali Warlords: Report IslamOnline.net & Newspapers "We've strengthened the hand of the people whose presence we were worried most about," said Prendergast. CAIRO – Secret funding by Washington's CIA for Somali warlords against the Islamic Courts in Somalia has backfired, empowering the same groups the Bush administration has sought to marginalize, US government officials and experts have said. "This has blown up in our face, frankly," John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group told The New York Times on Thursday, June 7. "We've strengthened the hand of the people whose presence we were worried most about," added Prendergast, who worked on Africa policy at the National Security Council and State Department during the Clinton administration. US government officials said support to the warlord Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) has dealt a sharp blow to US policy in the region. They believe that the US activities in Somalia have caused to break the warlord's hold on the capital Mogadishu. Somalia's Islamic courts on Monday, June 5, declared victory over the warlord alliance after four months of fierce fighting in the capital Mogadishu. Up to 347 people have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded in fierce fighting between the two sides since February. Warlords have controlled Mogadishu since the 1991 overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre. The African country has lacked almost all the trappings of a functional state, such as national systems of education, healthcare and justice. Short-sighted A US official said that concerns had been expressed that US activities in the war-torn country were being carried out in the context of a broader policy. "They were fully aware that they were doing so without any strategic framework," he said. "And they realized that there might be negative implications to what they are doing." Prendergast said US activities in Somalia were not closely coordinated among various American national security agencies. "I've talked to people inside the Defense Department and State Department who said that this was not a comprehensive policy," he said. "It was being conducted in a vacuum, and they were largely shut out." Support for the warlords has also drawn severe rebukes from senior Foreign Service officers at the US embassy in Nairobi as short-sighted. Leslie Rowe, the embassy's second-ranking official, earlier signed off on a cable back to the State Department detailing grave concerns throughout the region about US efforts in Somalia, according to several people with knowledge of the report. Around that time, Michael Zorick, the State Department's political officer for Somalia, was reassigned from Kenya to Chad after he sent a cable to Washington criticizing funding Somali warlords. CIA Trips Through its Nairobi's station, the CIA channeled hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year to the warlords inside Somalia, according to government officials. This included trips to Somalia by Nairobi-based CIA case officers, who landed on warlord-controlled airstrips in Mogadishu with large amounts of money for the warlord militias, according to US officials involved in Africa policy making. Support for the warlords has been approved during a National Security Council meeting about Somalia in March, according to people familiar with the meeting. Porter J. Goss, who recently resigned as CIA director, traveled to Kenya this year and met with case officers in the Nairobi station, according to one intelligence official. The interim government has accused the US of fanning the flames of civil war by backing the warlords, not only financially but also militarily. The decision to use warlords as proxies was prompted by fears of using American personnel in such operations. In 1994, US troops hastily left Somalia after a catastrophic intervention in the country left 18 American soldiers killed.

Yusuf Siad Inda Cade, a self proclaimed Shiekh, who occupies the lower Shbbele thanks to his clans millitary hardware. Is close to Col Xasan Dahirm, Abdiqasin Salad Xasan and Daylaaf. This man who the UN monitoring group accuse of being a drug dealer, is damaging the image of the courts and their claim of being a real alternative to the norm, or the warlords. Inda Cade

Somalia: Bush Hawks Down Inter Press Service (Johannesburg) June 6, 2006 Posted to the web June 7, 2006 Jim Lobe Washington The takeover of Mogadishu this week by Islamic militias marks a major defeat for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which had secretly backed a coalition of warlords that has reportedly been routed from the Somali capital. While the victors, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), sought to assure the international community that they have no intention of setting up a Taliban-style fundamentalist state, U.S. officials have expressed strong concerns about their possible ties to al Qaeda associates believed to be in Mogadishu, including at least one individual who allegedly helped organise the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. "We do have real concerns about the presence of foreign terrorists in Somalia and that informs an important aspect of our policy with regard to Somalia," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormick Monday. U.S. officials say their biggest fear is that the UIC will offer safe haven to al Qaeda and other radical Islamists as the Taliban did after it took control of Afghanistan. Some independent analysts, on the other hand, said the outcome could actually contribute to Somalia's stabilisation after 15 years of rule by rival warlords, and even make way for the transitional national government that has been based in Baidoa since its formation in 2004 as part of a national reconciliation process to set up shop in Mogadishu. "The so-called Islamists provided a sense of stability in Somalia, education and other social services, while the warlords maimed and killed innocent civilians," Ted Dagne, a Horn of Africa specialist at the Congressional Research Service, told the New York Times. He said radical Islamists within the UIC were unlikely to wrest control from more-moderate factions. "In the short term, this is good news in that the warlords in Mogadishu have been dealt with, but, in the long term, it depends on what the courts' agenda is," one knowledgeable foreign diplomat told IPS. "They're probably looking at least for stronger roles in the education and justice sectors within the transitional government, but what their specific terms of negotiation will be is at this point anyone's guess." The UIC's victory Monday capped two months of fighting against the forces of three Mogadishu warlords who called themselves the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. The violence, described as the worst since 1991 when starvation and anarchy provoked the dispatch of a U.S.-led U.N. peacekeeping operation to Somalia, is believed to have killed at least 300 people over the past several weeks. The warlords, who since the outset of the U.S. "global war on terror" have reportedly been paid by the U.S. to monitor and help "snatch" suspected terrorists in Somalia, began receiving more cash -- 100,000-150,000 dollars a month, according to the International Crisis Group -- to challenge the UIC's militias that were expanding their control over the capital earlier this spring, just as the transitional government in Baidoa was to convene parliament for the first time. While the operation was reportedly organised by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the cash reportedly was funneled through the Pentagon's Joint Combined Task Force (JCTF), a 1,800-troop force based in neighbouring Djibouti since shortly after the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Defence Department. The JCTF is apparently charged with carrying out surveillance, "snatch", and related operations against suspected terrorist targets in Yemen and the Horn. "Support for the warlords came at a really bad time and made a lot of people, particularly the Europeans who were trying to support the government, very angry," noted the diplomat, who asked not to be identified. "Convening the parliament was a big objective for everyone, but then it's overshadowed by the fighting in Mogadishu that followed the injection of money for the warlords." The U.S. move also provoked some controversy within the U.S. government, although at relatively low levels that did not gain the attention of senior policy-makers. In one case, a Kenya-based U.S. diplomat, Michael Zorick, reportedly submitted a dissent paper to both his State Department bosses and the Pentagon in which he complained that support for the warlords was counter-productive to U.S. aims in Somalia. He was subsequently transferred to the U.S. embassy in Chad. Indeed, State Department officials and independent analysts have long argued that Washington's single-minded focus on catching suspected terrorists in Somalia, combined with its failure to support efforts to rebuild state institutions and, most recently, to provide real support to the transitional government, would prove self-defeating. But they were overruled by hawks in the White House and the Pentagon. "The U.S. now has nothing to show for three years of investing in these warlords as the sole element of their counter-terrorism (CT) strategy in Somalia," noted John Prendergast, a Horn expert at the International Crisis Group here. [/b]"It's a travesty that this has been the only strategy Washington has followed after 15 years of no government, no state, in Somalia."[/b] There simply hasn't been a U.S. comprehensive policy on Somalia; just a counter-terrorism policy that takes no account of the political context," noted the foreign diplomat. "Do you give priority to snatching individuals by any means necessary, including backing warlords, at the expense of a wider political process? That's essentially what the U.S. has done. One would hope that this could get them to broaden their thinking, but I think that may be a naïve." The current chairman of the African Union, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, also criticised U.S. support for the warlord alliance during a White House visit Monday. "We think, and what we told president (George W.) Bush, that most important is to establish a government that must help the Somali people to have a real government. We think that if this effort is needed, we have to move in this direction, in order that the Somali government can truly be established in Mogadishu," he said. Ironically, some of the warlords who have benefited from U.S. backing fought its troops in 1993 when Washington was trying to crush resistance to U.N. efforts to pacify the country following the ouster in 1991 of President Siad Barre, a U.S. client during the Cold War, according to Dagne. A disastrous raid in October 1993 by U.S. forces against another Mogadishu warlord in which 18 soldiers -- as well as hundreds of Somalis -- were killed, the subject of the book and blockbuster movie, "Blackhawk Down", led to Washington's withdrawal from Somalia and its subsequent refusal to commit U.S. ground troops to peacekeeping operations in Africa. Regarding the warlords' recent ouster, Amb. Robert Oakley, who acted as special advisor on Somalia for the U.N. during the intervention in the early 1990s, told IPS, "That's a good riddance. If the provisional government can work out some kind of understanding with the Islamic courts, it does create the possibility of some stability." He also said the U.S. "should work with the African Union, the U.N., and the neighbouring states" to promote such an understanding. "I wouldn't expect us to put a huge effort in there, but there's some possibility (of the U.S. doing so). I think it's worth exploring." To Prendergast, Washington's most recent misadventure in Somalia recalls earlier debacles. "During the Cold War, U.S. officials armed strongmen to carry out our perceived national interests, and the consequences for Africa were disastrous," he said. "It appears they've learned nothing since, as they're repeating the same strategy of arming strongmen and ignoring institutions. The consequences, predictably, are equally disastrous."

Canadian Muslims shocked over arrests 6/8/2006 5:00:00 PM GMT The Canadian Muslim community expressed shock over the weekend arrests of 17 Muslim men and youths, according to Reuters. Over the last several days, Canadian police arrested 12 Muslim men and five juveniles, who are allegedly accused of planning to blow up landmark locations in southern Ontario. According to court documents, the men, all from Ontario, face charges ranging from "conspiracy to carry out a terrorist activity, to training for terrorist purposes, to bomb-making and illegally importing guns and ammunition." Many of the accused have attended prayers at the al-Rahman Islamic Center for Islamic Education in Ontario, which has been mostly deserted after the arrests. "I was shocked, it (the alleged criminal element) should not be here. This is a religious place," said the owner of a nearby store, who said he attended the mosque about once a week. The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations put out a statement expressing relief that the arrests stopped “potential terror attacksâ€. But other Islamic groups warned of a possible backlash against Canada’s 600,000 Muslims, who make up an estimated 2% of Canada's population of 33 million. The Toronto Islamic Foundation said that it might be the beginning of religiously motivated reprisals against Canadian Muslims. "A backlash is a given," said Fatima Rakie, 24, a Canadian-born woman of Lebanese descent. "People are aggravated with us already. They will think all Muslims are extremists. But all religions have their extremists." Vandals smashed the windows of a Toronto area mosque on Saturday night. Police said they were investigating the incident, which helped prompt a nationally televised "community meeting" Sunday involving Muslim leaders and police, with both sides urging tolerance and cooperation.

Islamists in talks with Somali leaders Thursday 08 June 2006, 16:42 Makka Time, 13:42 GMT At least 330 people were killed in the battle for Mogadishu Islamic leaders who have seized Somalia's capital after weeks of fighting are beginning talks with the UN-backed government, while the defeated regional commanders are advancing back towards Mogadishu from their stronghold of Jowhar. The Islamic militia captured the capital and surrounding areas after defeating a US-backed alliance of regional commanders, tightening its grip on Somalia. The weak interim government, wracked by infighting, has not been able to enter the capital because of the violence, instead operating 250km away, in Baidoa. Abdirahman Nur Mohamed Dinari, the government spokesman, said two ministers from the interim government were meeting top leaders of the Islamic Courts Union on Thursday. The growing power of the Islamic militia, which has alleged links to al-Qaeda, has raised fears that Somalia - which has been in chaos for more than a decade - could fall under the sway of Osama bin Laden's group. US officials have confirmed co-operating with the secular regional commanders in an attempt to root out "terrorists". Bloodshed In a letter to the United States and other governments, the chairman of the Islamic Courts Union said the US bore some blame for the fighting. The battle for Mogadishu killed at least 330 people, many of them civilians caught in the crossfire. According to the letter, which was signed by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, "the alleged support of the US government to these warlords has contributed considerably to the recent fighting in Mogadishu and the killing of the Somali people who have suffered so long in the hands of these warlords". Somalia has been without a government since largely clan-based regional commanders overthrew Mohamed Siad Barre, the president, in 1991 and then turned on each other, dividing the nation of 8 million into a patchwork of rival fiefdoms. On Wednesday, the remnants of the secular alliance tried to regroup as the Islamic militia rolled through its newly captured territory. Militiamen toting heavy machine guns installed an Islamic court in Balad, about 30km from the capital. Residents said an Islamic state would help pacify the nation. Defences The capital's residents said the regional commanders had moved into the positions south of Jowhar, previously occupied by Islamic militias loyal to Mogadishu sharia courts. "The coalition has moved forward to Qalimoy, where the Islamic courts militia were yesterday, while the Islamic militia have moved back and are now in Gololey, which is 20km from Balad," said Abdi Warsame, a farmer. "I think they moved back because their leaders are busy meeting in Mogadishu and they want to tighten their defences there." The commanders have pledged to win back the capital. Washington, which has shied away from direct involvement in Somalia since a humiliating 1994 exit of US and UN troops, has refused to discuss reports that it is funnelling $100,000 a month to regional commanders, but says it will support anyone fighting terrorism.

Al-Zarqawi killed in air strike Thursday 08 June 2006, 17:29 Makka Time, 14:29 GMT Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led al-Qaeda in Iraq The Iraqi prime minister has announced the killing of al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Nuri al-Maliki announced the killing of Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of an organisation known as al-Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers, at a news conference in Baghdad broadcast live by Iraqi state and international media organisations on Thursday. He said al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides on Wednesday evening in an air strike on a house 50km northeast of Baghdad, in the province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital, Baquba. "Today, al-Zarqawi was eliminated," al-Maliki told a news conference, drawing applause from reporters in the hall where he made the announcement, flanked by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador, and US General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq. Al-Zarqawi's identity was confirmed by fingerprints. Al-Maliki said the air strike was the result of intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by residents in the area, and US forces acted on the information. "Those who disrupt the course of life, like al-Zarqawi, will have a tragic end," he said. Success Khalilzad said: "The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror." The US had put a $25 million price on al-Zarqawi's head The Jordanian-born fighter, who is believed to have beheaded at least two American hostages, became Iraq's most wanted man. The US had put a $25 million bounty on al-Zarqawi, the same as on Osama bin Laden. Campaign In the past year, al-Zarqawi had moved his campaign beyond Iraq's borders, claiming to have carried out a November 9, 2005, triple bombing against hotels in Amman that killed 60 people, as well as other attacks in Jordan and even a rocket attack from Lebanon into northern Israel. An al-Zarqawi photo released by the US state department in 2004 US forces and their allies had come close to capturing al-Zarqawi several times since his campaign began in mid-2003. His closest brush may have come in late 2004. Major-General Hussein Kamal, the then deputy interior ministry, said Iraqi security forces caught al-Zarqawi near Falluja but then released him because they did not realise who he was. In May 2005, web statements by his group said al-Zarqawi had been wounded in fighting with Americans and was being treated in a hospital abroad - raising speculation over a successor. But days later, a statement said al-Zarqawi was fine and had returned to Iraq. Previous attempts There was never any independent confirmation of the reports of his wounding. US forces believe they also just missed capturing al-Zarqawi in a February 20, 2005, raid in which troops closed in on his vehicle, west of Baghdad, near the Euphrates river. His driver and another associate were captured and al-Zarqawi's computer was seized along with pistols and ammunition. US soldiers twice launched massive invasions of Falluja. An April 2004 offensive left the city still in fighters' hands, but the October 2004 assault wrested it from them. However, al-Zarqawi - if he was in the city - escaped.

Why should the process take long, it is unjust to attack populated areas while allowing the likes of Inda cade to keep their feifdom in Lower Shabbele. My point is simple someone like Alle Ubahane who is simply a clan court supporter should not claim to be closer to the Holly faith. Abdurd that he will never address the true issues that are holding thousands of families in bondage. Are the people of Barava, Marka, Afgoyee not Mulsim? Do they not deserve protection from the clan supremicist of Inda Cade, Goobaale, and the like? Mr Alle Ubahane will take swipes at President Yusuf and call him names, Yusuf was elected who the hell elected the occupation of these men he supports? I will not differentiate INda Cade and Xasan Dahir because they are colleques, they work together and fight on the same side, thus they are both part of the same illegal and inhumane occupation. The charcoal trade, the alleged drug business. I will tell it as it is, Mr Alle Ubahane bring it on. Lets debate the workings and the hypocracy of the courts, if they are Islamic they would and hopefully will protectt he trees never mind the people. As for you Horn, dont get involved in this. Mr Ubahane seems to confuse me for someone he knows.

Why should the process take long, it is unjust to attack populated areas while allowing the likes of Inda cade to keep their feifdom in Lower Shabbele. My point is simple someone like Alle Ubahane who is simply a clan court supporter should not claim to be closer to the Holly faith. Abdurd that he will never address the true issues that are holding thousands of families in bondage. Are the people of Barava, Marka, Afgoyee not Mulsim? Do they not deserve protection from the clan supremicist of Inda Cade, Goobaale, and the like? Mr Alle Ubahane will take swipes at President Yusuf and call him names, Yusuf was elected who the hell elected the occupation of these men he supports? I will not differentiate INda Cade and Xasan Dahir because they are colleques, they work together and fight on the same side, thus they are both part of the same illegal and inhumane occupation. The charcoal trade, the alleged drug business. I will tell it as it is, Mr Alle Ubahane bring it on. Lets debate the workings and the hypocracy of the courts, if they are Islamic they would and hopefully will protectt he trees never mind the people. As for you Horn, dont get involved in this. Mr Ubahane seems to confuse me for someone he knows.

lol. Question my Islam all you like, Mr Clan court supporter. A man who follows "shiekh" Inda Cade and the like should not speak one about hypocricy. Your ignorance knows no bounds, the Taliban lost and so did the regime of the Sunni's in Iraq. Both events pains me but they happened because of ****** boast such as "Bring the Americans" on and the ' Mother of all battles". Fakeness as in your case will not do the cause of the Ummah any good. The test for you as a card carrying memebr ofIFKAHALIN is will and can these courts perform any better than the USC before it. Will the clan occupations and looted properties be addressed in an Islamic way. Or will they just [despense justice] throuth shooting members of Unarmed clans as they have done before. ???? Address the question, dont avoid it by hiding behind the noble faith.Or pointing out that il-President is from my clan?

lol. Question my Islam all you like, Mr Clan court supporter. A man who follows "shiekh" Inda Cade and the like should not speak one about hypocricy. Your ignorance knows no bounds, the Taliban lost and so did the regime of the Sunni's in Iraq. Both events pains me but they happened because of ****** boast such as "Bring the Americans" on and the ' Mother of all battles". Fakeness as in your case will not do the cause of the Ummah any good. The test for you as a card carrying memebr ofIFKAHALIN is will and can these courts perform any better than the USC before it. Will the clan occupations and looted properties be addressed in an Islamic way. Or will they just [despense justice] throuth shooting members of Unarmed clans as they have done before. ???? Address the question, dont avoid it by hiding behind the noble faith.Or pointing out that il-President is from my clan?

Alle Ubahane, who lost out? The courts only beat the obsticle to the TFG, the warlord minister who split the governemnt and who yesterday you was cheering for. The ones who were working with Sharif Xasan and Xasan Dahir only yesterday who with Inda Cade were meeting up in Balcad to derail the government. Big mouth Qaynyare, Sudi and ignorant bafoon Mohamed Dheere are finished, and it topok the courts 6 months and a thousand souls to claim a partial victory. I dont see how it bothers the government in any way if those who opposed it are wiped out? It is the logic of the ignorant to pretend otherwise. The TFG has not lost one soldier or an inch of territory, and its worst enemies have been defeated by the people renegade ministers are gone. Lets suppose this is al Itixad all over again. Give me a break will you, Xasan Dahir lost Gedo and Bari before who is to say he will be successful this time?

think they will go as far consodilating their power in the Benadir region, and then engage peacefully with the rest of the country. They know perfectly they can't take on the US armed forces, and are already sent press release reassuring the big players.Hopefully, they will stick to what they stated, and bring about peace in the south rather casting themselves as the defenders of the faith taking on the infidels. Good analysis of the situation. They know what happened to the Taleban and Iraqi Sunni's.

think they will go as far consodilating their power in the Benadir region, and then engage peacefully with the rest of the country. They know perfectly they can't take on the US armed forces, and are already sent press release reassuring the big players.Hopefully, they will stick to what they stated, and bring about peace in the south rather casting themselves as the defenders of the faith taking on the infidels. Good analysis of the situation. They know what happened to the Taleban and Iraqi Sunni's.

MMA, well put brother. Its one think supporting the religion, but it is amazing, to think that only in Mogadishgu are Muslim concers. Much like how ALi Mahdi, Aydeed and Abdiqasin thought the whole country was Mogadishu. The test for the courts is to bring justice to the lower Shabvbele and the south, by removing the clanist warlords Inda Cade, Seerar, Goobanle, Dhuxulow, and giving back the country back to the people of the region. Let every clan rule its area. We are on a Jihad makes no sense when they profit from drugs, charcoal and the tax on the back of the poor.

Keep out of Somalia, Islamist warns US Dubai, United Arab Emirates 07 June 2006 01:43 The leader of Islamist fighters controlling Somali capital Mogadishu warned the United States it would pay dearly for any intervention in the country, a pan-Arab paper reported on Wednesday. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the chairperson of the Islamic courts that have battled warlords for four months, said the US would face a disaster similar to a botched 1993 intervention that left 18 US army officers and 300 Somalis dead. "If US forces intervene directly against us in Mogadishu, then we are ready to teach them a lesson they will never forget and repeat their defeat in 1993," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told Saudi-owned daily Asharq al-Awsat. He rebuffed US accusations that his group, which are militias affiliated with the country's 11 Islamic courts, may be linked to the al-Qaeda terror network. "We are not terrorists and we have said hundreds of times that America's talk about terror in Somalia is fabricated for suspect political motives," he said. "We have no link to those being pursued by America, which is the biggest terrorist nation in the world despite its calls for democracy and respect for noble human values." On Monday, the Islamists declared victory over a US-backed warlord alliance and their control of the capital following four months of bloody battles. US President George Bush said on Tuesday that he was "concerned" about unrest in Somalia and that the US would ensure that the country does not become a haven for al-Qaeda. Washington has never publicly confirmed or denied its support for the alliance but US officials told Agence France-Presse they had given the warlords money and intelligence to help to rein in "creeping Talibanisation" in Somalia. The Horn of Africa nation was plunged into anarchy with the 1991 ousting of strongman Mohamed Siad Barre and analysts have long warned it could become a hotbed for radical Islam along the lines of Afghanistan. Eighteen US army officers and almost 300 Somalis were killed in fighting in 1993 following a botched rescue attempt of a downed US helicopter in Mogadishu. US troops left Somalia in March 1994 after arriving in December 1992 on a humanitarian mission. -- AFP

The lies or misreporting on the situation on the ground continues. The courts have said they will abide by the wishes of the peoeple. They have categoricly denaid any links to terror. Yet we get these unbalanced and at times biased reports...Here is one. Somalia : Islamists declare war on 'infidels' June 7, 2006, 1 hour, 54 minutes and 25 seconds ago. By ANDnetwork .com Islamic militia in Somalia's capital Mogadishu have declared war on "infidels" further hightening tensions in the country. Mogadishu has become the focus of recent fighting between Islamic militia and the US-backed warlord alliance leaving many in doubt as to whether peace will ever fully prevail in the country. Islamic militia, who are controlling much of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, have declared war on "infidelsâ€, raising fears of new clashes between militia and the battered US-backed warlord alliance. The warning was issued on Wednesday. With the opposing forces locked in a tense standoff outside the alliance's last remaining stronghold north of Mogadishu, elders from both sides appealed frantically for peace. Islamic militia and members of the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) however showed no signs of backing down from positions that have resulted in hundreds being killed in the last four months fighting. Mogadishu's most senior Muslim cleric, Sheikh Nur Barud, called on Somalis to crush secular resistance to the imposition of Sharia law, and to reject warlord efforts to gain support by appealing to clan and tribal loyalties. “All Somalis must defend the Islamic courts because this is not about inter-clan fighting, but about war with the infidels," he said in an address aired by local radio stations. "We are against those who want to make this war appear like inter-clan fighting," Barud said. "This fighting is between those who support Islam, and godless invaders and those who support them." Barud referred to the ARPCT and the United States, which has provided financial and intelligence support to the warlords to track down Islamic extremists, including suspected Al Qaeda members. On Tuesday US President George W Bush expressed concern over the fall of Mogadishu to Islamic forces a day earlier, and said that Washington would ensure that Somalia does not become a haven for terrorists.

Sheekh Shariif Axmed oo shaaca ka qaaday in uu ka degi doono jagadii uu u haayay maxkamadaha, mana caddayn in lagu beddelayo sheekh Daahir Aweys Somaliweyn -Holland - 07/06/06 Guddoomiyaha isbahaysiga maxkamadaha islaamiga sheekh Shariif Axmed ayaa caddeeyay in uu Soomaaliya ka dhisi doono dawlad islaami ah,wuxuuna Shariifku hadalkaa sheegay kaddib markii ay isugu soo baxeen boqolaal taageerayaashiisa ka mid ah,wuxuuna caddeeyay in dagaalka islaamka oo ka bilowday Soomaaliya la wadi doono ilaa aan ka taagayno dawlad islaami ah. Fu'aad Axmed oo isagu xubin ka ah maleeshiyada daacadda u ah maxkamadaha islaamiga ayaa wakaaladda waraarka ee Royters u sheegay in halgankani uu yahay halgan islaam ah oo dheer wuuna socon doona ilaa dalka oo dhan la hoos keeno xukunka shareecada,waxaana diyaar u nahay in aynu dhiiggeena daadino ilaa uu halgankayagu uu guul ku dhammaanayo,wararkaa oo shalay iyo maanta lagu faafiyay mediaha adduunka ayaa haddana wareysi uu siiyay Shariifka BBCda carabiga wuxuu u sheegay in maxkamaduhu aysan ahayn dhaqdhaqaaq siyaasadeed,waxaana doonayna buu yiri in xukunka aan ku wareejino shacabka Soomaaliyeed si ay ugu suuraggasho in uu go'aankiisa qaato aayatiinkiisuna uu ka taliyo. Dawladda Washington waxay iyadu si dadban u aqoonsatay in maxkamadaha islaamiga ay la wareegeen magaalada Muqdishow,afhayeen u hadlay wasaaradda arrimaha dibedda ee dawladda Mareykanka wuxuu sheegay in ay cabsi jirto oo ku saabsan in waddada ay u furnaatay dhaqdhaqaaqa Al-Qaacidda si ay meesha ugu noqoto hooy nabadgelyeed,waxaana si dhab ah u aaminsanahay buu yiri afhayeenku in Soomaaliya ay ku sugan yihiin argaggixiso ajnebi ah. Maxkamadaha islaamiga waxay imminka qorshaynayaan sidii ay u gaari lahaayeen magaalada Baydhabo,hayeeshe waxaa kaloo jira abaabulo ka dhan ah maxkamadaha oo ay wadaan kooxo ka tirsaan isbahasiga la dagaalanka argaggixisada. Dhinaca kale wuxuu wargeyska asharqalawsat uu maanta (07/06/2006) daabacay in uu wareystay guddoomiyahay maxkamadaha islaamiga sheekh Shariif Axmed kuna waresytay telefoon isagoo shariifka jooga Muqdishow,wuxuuna sheegay in uu ku fekerayo sidii uu uga degi lahaa jagadii uu haayay,waxaana jeclahay buu yiri in aan fursad siiyo dadka kale si ay u qabtaan mas'uuliyaddaa aan hayo. Shariifka oo 42 jir ah wuxuu ka gaabsaday in uu caddeeyo in jagadiisa lagu beddelayo sheekh Daahir Aweys,go'aankaasina buu yiri waxay u taal maxkamadaha,wuxuu kaloo shariifku sheegay in Mareykanku uu duullaan ku yahay Muqdishow isagoo kaalmaysanaya Ethiopia,wuxuuna shariifka canbaareeyay hadalkii afhayeenka Mareykanka ee wasaaradda arrimaha dibedda oo sheegay in Muqdishow ay hooy u noqotay Al-Qaacidda,wuxuuna Shariifku ku eedeeyay Mareykanku in uu yahay argaggixisada ugu weyn addunka. Shariifku wuxuu kaloo sheegay in dagaalkii Muqdishow ay qayb ka qaateen haween niqaabka sitay. Somaliweyn media center

Gudoomiyaha Maxaakimta Islaamiga oo sheegay inuu iscasilayo. Muqdisho:-Gudoomiyaha Midowga Maxaakimta Islaamiga Soomaaliya Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed ayaa sheegay inuu ku fekarayo sidii uu isku casili lahaa kadib markii guulo is xiga ay ka soo hoyiyeen dagaaladii ay la galeen Maleeshiyaad ka Hogaamiyaasha ku sugnaa Caasimadda Soomaaliya ee Muqdisho. Shariif oo 42 jir ah ayaa Telefonka ugu sheegay Wargeyska Asharqalawsat ee ka soo baxa London in guul aanu fileyn uu ka gaaray dagaalkii uu la galay hogaamiyaasha, waxaanu yiri “ waxaa la gaaray xilligii muhiimada ii laheyd, Alxamdulilaah, waxaana jeclahay inaan fursad siiyo ragga sideyda oo kale ah ee howshan ku haboonâ€. Guusha ay ka soo hoyiyeen hogaamiyaasha dagaalka ayuu ku sheegay wax mucjiso ah, isagoo ka hadlayay tabar darada heysatay xag qalab, wuxuu sheegay inuu filayo duulaan Magaalada uu ku soo qaado Mareykanka ama howlgal loo soo adeegsado Ethiopia, si warcelin ay ugu noqoto guulaha Maxaakimta ay soo hoyeen. Shariif ayaa cambaareeyay hadal ka soo yeeray Afhayeenka wasaaradda arimaha dibadda Mareykanka oo ka qisoonayay cabsida Washington ay ka muujineyso xaaladda cusub ee Muqdisho ay lugta la gashay inay fududeyso in hoy ay u noqoto firdhadka Alqaacida, waxaana uu yiri “ Maxaakimta ma taageerayaan argagaxisada, mana ogolaanayaanâ€. Waxa uu ku eedeeyay Mareykanka inay tahay dowladda ugu weyn ee argagaxisada Caalamka, waxaana uu is weydiiyay cidda xaq u siisay Mareykanka inay garsoore ama macalin ay u noqoto Caalamka, waxa ayna dadka ku oraneysaa “ sidaa sameeya, kaana ka fogaadaâ€. Cali Suxeyfa Wayaha-Muqdisho-Somalia

A remarkable man, his actions are unlike the usual.. Sheekh Shariif "waxaa la gaarey xiligii aan iscasili lahaa" Nairobi- 07.June.2006 Gudoomiyaha Midowga Maxaakimta Islaamiga ee magaalada Muqdisho Sheekh Shariif Sheekh Axmed ayaa daboolka ka qaadey in uu ka fakarayo sidii uu isaga casili lahaa xilka uu hayo ka gadaal markii waa sida hadalka uu u dhigay'e ay gaareen maxkamaduhu guulo la taaban karo oo ay ka gaareen dagaaladii ay la galeen maleeshiyaadka Isbahaysiga la dagaalanka argagixisada oo ay ku mideysan yihiin qabqablayaasha dagaalka. Shariif Sheekh oo u waramayey Wargeyska Asharqalawsat ee ka soo baxa magaalada London ayaa tilmaamey in sababah uu u qorsheeyey in uu xilka ka dego ay tahay ay tahay isagoo doonaya in uu fursad siiyo dadka la midka ah ee shaqadan ka bixi kara. Sheekh Shariif wuxuu la yaab ku tilmaamey tabardarada ka muuqata hogaamiye kooxeedyada, isago sheegay inay aheyd mucjiso guushii ay ka gaareen dagaaladii ka dhacay magaalada Muqdisho isagoo tilmaamey in la gaarey xiligii guusha. Wareysigan ayuu Sheekh Shariif wuxuu tibaaxay in uu si weyn uga walaacsan yahay fargalinta Mareykanka ee ku aadan arimaha Soomaaliya, isagoo iswaydiiyey cidda xaq u siisay Mareykanka inay garsoore ama macalin ay u noqoto Caalamka, "Mareykanku sidaa sameeya iyo sidaa ka fogaada ayuu dadka ku leeyahay" ayuu yiri Sheekh Shariif. Sheekh Shariif wuxuu sheegay in uu filayo duulaan uu ku soo qaadayo Mareykanku iyo in dalal kale loo adeegsado weeraradaas, wuxuuna si kulul uu u cambaareeyay hadal ka soo yeeray Afhayeenka wasaaradda arimaha dibadda Mareykanka oo ka sheekaynayey cabsida Washington ay ka muujineyso xaaladda cusub ee Muqdisho ay lugta la gashay inay fududeyso in hoy ay u noqoto firxadka Al-Qaacida, waxaana uu yiri “ Maxaakimta ma taageerayaan argagaxisada, mana ogolaanayaanâ€. Keyse Caamir