A quiet little war

As Somali jihadists, under the banner of al-Shabaab and Boko Haram continue to wreak havoc in the southwestern areas around the border with Ethiopia and Nigeria the carnage became too much for the Ethiopian government and they have sent troops and material across the border into Somalia. Go to Google Earth and roam around that area; there is nothing there, just desert, scrub and a few villages. The border is quite porous in that area and the ease of movement of jihadists back and forth across the border is a main cause of the problems in both Ethiopia and Nigeria.

We will see escalation between the infidels and Islamists in the area increase over the next year and no one in the administration or any pundit will tell you that the problems there have anything to do with Islamic doctrine.

That would be Islamophobic, doncha know.

From AFP/Yahoo November 20 by Ali Musa

Somalia's Shebab vow to defeat Ethiopian forces

Somalia's Shebab rebels warned Ethiopia on Sunday they would "break the necks" of its troops, a day after reports that Addis Ababasent hundreds of soldiers into the war-torn country.

"Soldiers of our enemy, the black colonialists of Ethiopia, made some movements into our region on Saturday, but they do not scare us," said Sheikh Yusuf Ali Ugas, the insurgent group's commander for the Hiran region.

"We will break the necks of the invaders ... Our troops are ready for anything, if the Ethiopian enemy tries to attack us," Ugas added, speaking on the Al-Qaeda-linked group's radio Al Andalus.

Convoys of Ethiopian troops in lorries and armoured vehicles entered southern and central Somali regions, local elders said Saturday, although Addis Ababa has denied all reports.

Hardline Shebab insurgents control much of southern Somalia, but are also battling both the Western-backed government in Mogadishu and Kenyan troops in the far south, who crossed the border last month to attack rebel strongholds.

Kenya said Sunday that its "jets supported by naval fire" had destroyed two Shebab bases in the southern Lower Juba region, army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said in a statement.

Shebab fighters said they had destroyed a Kenyan navy boat at Madhawa island, south of the rebel-held port of Kismayo early Sunday morning, but Chirchir dismissed the reports, claiming no "warship was sunk or engaged".

The extremist insurgents also claimed Sunday they had ambushed Kenyan forces between the villages of Taabto and Dobley.

"We have ambushed the Kenyan Christian invaders...the mujahideen fighters destroyed one armoured vehicle and killed dozens of the enemy," Sheikh Ibrahim Mohamed, Shebab commander for Kismayo, said.

Kenya's army statement made no mention of the alleged attack, but local elders confirmed there had been heavy fighting.

"We have seen Kenyan military ambulances heading towards the area but I cannot say how many have died in the fighting," said Abdulahi Qorane, an elder.

"We have seen smoke and heard loud explosions but we are not sure if the smoke was a destroyed vehicle -- both sides have exchange heavy fire," said Ahmed Moalim, another elder.

Ethiopian troop convoys were also reported to have entered the south of Somalia after crossing through Kenya, which shares borders with both nations.

"I have seen as many as 20 trucks full of Ethiopian soldiers entering Somalia," said Idris Kasim, a resident of the Kenyan-Somali border village of Bulahawa. Another convoy of 15 trucks was reported to have crossed nearby.

Small numbers of Ethiopian forces have been reported operating in Somali border regions in the recent past, but witnesses said the scale of troop movements was far larger this time.

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