Somali Islamists declare 'jihad' on Ethiopia
Pastor Dale Morgan
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*Somali Islamists declare 'jihad' on Ethiopia*
09 Oct 2006 14:21:21 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Guled Mohamed
MOGADISHU, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Somalia's powerful Islamists on Monday
declared holy war against Horn of Africa rival Ethiopia, which they
accused of invading Somalia to help the government briefly seize a town
controlled by pro-Islamist fighters.
Both sides confirmed the takeover of Buur Hakaba, the first military
counter-strike by President Abdullahi Yusuf's interim government since
the Islamists took Mogadishu in June and went on to grab much of
Somalia's south.
"Starting from today, we have declared jihad against Ethiopia," Islamist
leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told a news conference, wearing combat
fatigues and clutching an AK-47 assault rifle.
Ahmed, usually viewed as a more moderate voice among the Islamists,
appeared angry as he addressed reporters.
"Heavily armed Ethiopian troops have invaded Somalia. They have captured
Buur Hakaba. History shows that Somalis always win when they are
attacked from outside," he said.
Residents of Buur Hakaba, seen as a potential flashpoint because it had
put the Islamists within 30 km (20 miles) of the government's base in
Baidoa, said Ethiopian troops accompanied government fighters who took
the town early on Monday.
A government militia commander in Buur Hakaba denied that, and Addis
Ababa has consistently said it has not sent any soldiers except for
military advisers.
The Islamists, unaccustomed to losing since their spectacular rise, said
the government move was the first salvo in a longer -- and long-expected
-- conflict.
Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad "Inda'ade", the Islamists' defence chief, told
reporters Ethiopia had 35,000 troops inside Somalia. "This is a clear
war. We are telling the Ethiopians to leave our country or be
responsible for whatever happens," he said.
SHORT TAKEOVER
Ethiopian Foreign Affairs ministry spokesman Ambassador Solomon Abebe
dismissed the comments as the Islamists' "usual propaganda aimed at
deceiving the international community".
"Ethiopia wishes to live in peace and good neighbourly relations with a
united and peaceful Somali republic. It has no other ulterior motives,"
Solomon said.
Somali government officials were not available for comment.
The Islamists, keenly aware of Somali resistance to foreign --
especially Ethiopian -- interference often accuse the government of
being a puppet of Ethiopia, the Horn's top military power.
Ethiopia says the Islamists are led by terrorists, and witnesses say its
troops have crossed the border to support the government in recent weeks.
Western governments fear any incursion by Ethiopia, viewed by many
Somalis as a Christian imperialist power, could give foreign jihadis a
reason to flood Somalia as the newest battleground of Islam against the
West.
The takeover of Buur Hakaba was short-lived. Residents said the
pro-Islamist militia returned by midday after the government contingent
left inexplicably.
But the Islamist defence chief Inda'ade said it appeared the government
offensive had not ended and its troops intended to march to coastal city
Kismayu.
The warlord alliance the Islamists removed from Kismayu last month has
also threatened to take back the strategic southern port, rocked by
repeated protests against the new rulers.
The Islamists have all but dashed the aspirations of the Western-backed
government to restore central rule to Somalia for the first time since
the 1991 ouster of a dictator.
The Islamists say sharia law is the solution to Somalia's anarchy, but
critics say they harbour al Qaeda-linked militants. (Additional
reporting by Sahal Abdulle in Mogadishu, Hassan Yare in Baidoa, Ibrahim
Mohamed in Jowhar and Tsegaye Tadesse in Addis Ababa)