Somalia militia take over key port

[lisainmilo]

Way to go Bush, while we are busy taking over Iraq, the terrorist are taking over key ports!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060923/ap_on_re_af/somalia

[Straight Shooter]

1. More from link ...

"An official government was formed in 2004 with U.N. help in hopes of restoring order after years of lawlessness. But the Islamic movement seized Mogadishu in June and now controls much of the country's south.

The government controls just one town, Baidoa, 150 miles from the capital, but it has a strong ally in Kismayo. The government's defense minister, Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire, is a member of the Juba Valley Alliance that rules the town.

The United States has accused the Islamic group of sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden has portrayed Somalia as a battleground in his war on the U.S.

The group's strict and often severe interpretation of Islam raises memories of Afghanistan's Taliban, which was ousted by a U.S.-led campaign for harboring bin Laden and al-Qaida fighters. Still, many residents credit the courts with bringing a semblance of order."

[OKNancy]

2. Please change the subject line of your post to read:

Somalian militia looks to take over port

LBN rules state that the title of the article and subject line must match exactly.


OKNancy
LBN Moderator

[rodeodance]

3. Islamic leaders banned the sale of a leafy stimulant called khat,

Also this week, Islamic leaders in the capital banned the sale of a leafy stimulant called khat, which is wildly popular among Somalis, during daytime in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this weekend. Islamic officials in Balad, about 18 miles from the capital, banned khat altogether during Ramadan.

Islamists consider khat un-Islamic but have generally tolerated it since they came to power. Users chew khat like loose tobacco and experience a mild buzz that lasts for anywhere between 90 minutes to a few hours. It can also cause an elevated heart rate and create a feeling of euphoria.

[Moderator]

4. kick

[n2doc]

5. Somalia's Islamists Seize Seaport

Somalia's Islamists Seize Seaport
By NASTEEX DAHIR FARAH
The Associated Press
Sunday, September 24, 2006; 1:03 PM


KISMAYO, Somalia -- Hundreds of Islamic militiamen in heavily armed trucks took over the southern town of Kismayo, one of the last seaports that had been outside their control in Somalia, witnesses said Sunday."The Islamic courts have entered Kismayo," said resident Abdi Gashan, adding that the warlords who previously ruled the area had fled. "We welcome the Islamic courts." The peaceful takeover was the latest blow to Somalia's virtually powerless government. The country's defense minister, Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire, had been a leading member of the Juba Valley Alliance that had been ruling Kismayo and was among those who fled. Hirale's deputy, Yusuf Mire Mohamud, said "the Juba Valley Alliance has collapsed today."

Members of the Islamic group, which the United States accuses of harboring al-Qaida terrorists, were not immediately available for comment. Leaders from the Islamic militia _ which controls the capital, Mogadishu, along with much of southern Somalia _ have been in Kismayo for several days, in direct challenge to the alliance. Fearful residents of the town, some 260 miles southwest of Mogadishu, have been fleeing across the border to Kenya in case fighting breaks out.

Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on one another, throwing the country into anarchy. An interim government was formed in 2004 with U.N. help in hopes of restoring order after years of lawlessness. But the Islamic movement seized Mogadishu in June and now controls much of the country's south. The government controls just one town, Baidoa, 150 miles from the capital.

The United States has accused the Islamic group of sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden has portrayed Somalia as a battleground in his war on the U.S. The group's strict and often severe interpretation of Islam raises memories of Afghanistan's Taliban, which was ousted by a U.S.-led campaign for harboring bin Laden and al-Qaida fighters. Still, many residents credit the courts with bringing a semblance of order.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/24/AR2006092400267.html