US supports Ethiopian war in Somalia

Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, claimed that his country was halfway to winning its war against Somalia's Islamic Courts militias as his troops began to march towards the capital, Mogadishu, on Dec. 27. He said that Ethiopian troops had "broken the back" of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which were now, he said, in full retreat. "We have already completed half of our missions," he added, "and as soon as we finish the second half, our troops will leave Somalia." Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, one of the main leaders of the UIC, admitted that his troops had withdrawn from some areas, but hinted at a change in tactics to counter Ethiopia's superior firepower. "The war is entering a new phase," he said. "We will fight Ethiopia for a long, long time and we expect the war to go every place." The UIC, which controls most of southern and central Somalia, including Mogadishu, have been under heavy attack since fighting broke out eight days ago. Ethiopian jets bombed Mogadishu airport on Christmas Day and Meles claimed that more than 1,000 soldiers aligned with the Courts' militias have now been killed. The UIC claim they too have killed hundreds of Ethiopian and Somali government troops. Neither claim has been independently verified. The Red Cross said that its hospitals and clinics in Somalia have treated al least 800 people–civilians and combatants. Somalia's interim government has little military firepower or expertise of its own. Without the support of Ethiopia, analysts say, the government would have been severely outgunned by the UIC. If Ethiopia makes good on its promise to leave Somalia once its objectives have been fulfilled, it may be difficult for the government–which is increasingly unpopular–to hold on to the towns the Ethiopians have helped them take. The UIC had grown steadily in power for six months until the dramatic entry into the war by Ethiopian troops last week. The US State Department has signaled support for the Ethiopian military operations in Somalia. Ethiopia's Christian-led government has received "counter-terrorism" assistance from the United States. The US has not only given its approval to the invasion, but has troops in Ethiopia training the country's soldiers, and is providing intelligence to the Ethiopian armed forces. Somalia has not had an effective government since warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Two years ago, the United Nations helped set up a central government for the arid, impoverished Horn of Africa nation. But until the past week, it had little influence. The country was largely under the control of CIA-backed warlords until this past summer, when the Islamic militia movement pushed them aside. Experts fear the conflict in Somalia could engulf the region. The African Union and the Arab League have called for Ethiopia to pull out, as have Kenya and Djibouti. The UIC has accused the United States of tacitly giving Ethiopia a green light to invade. In a recent interview, Ibrahim Hassan Addou, foreign minister for the UIC, said that even if the movement was harboring terrorists, the United States should pursue them lawfully by presenting evidence, rather than "by threats and intimidation." "If war breaks out, the US is siding with Ethiopia... and the consequences of war will be because of Ethiopia and the US," he said. Somalia has historically been of great strategic importance to the United States because of its proximity to the Middle East and Red Sea oil-shipping routes. But US policy there has failed to do much more than incur the antipathy of ordinary Somalis. Earlier this year, the CIA financed warlords who called themselves an "anti-terrorism coalition" but mostly terrorized ordinary Somalis, who came to hate them. It was in that context that the UIC came to power in June. Since then, the US has become increasingly headstrong in its assertion that the UIC must be stopped from gaining control of Somalia. The US pushed a resolution through the UN Security Council earlier this month that allowed for foreign troops to enter Somalia to prop up the government. US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer asserted last week that the UIC is now "controlled by al-Qaida cell individuals." But that is not a view shared by the majority of diplomats based in the region. It is understood that very few US diplomats with knowledge of the Horn of Africa share Frazer's assessment. Matt Brydon, an independent Horn of Africa analyst who has traveled extensively throughout Somalia, said Frazer's comments were a "gross exaggeration" that were unlikely to be backed by intelligence reports. He said the US has "elevated an obscure regional problem into a global issue and potentially attracted a broad range of anti-American and anti-Western interests to the side of the Courts." "Calling the Courts al-Qaida could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It isolates them and leaves them very few allies except al-Qaida and its sympathizers," he added. Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned a humanitarian disaster is unfolding because fighting has forced the suspension of relief air food operations for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people. "Close to half a million flood-affected people needed urgent humanitarian assistance and the current insecurity will further complicate the humanitarian situation in Southern Somalia," said WFP deputy Country Director for Somalia, Leo van der Velden. An estimated 1.4 million Somalis need humanitarian assistance and "for the past one week, significant numbers of internal displacements have been reported," Van der Velden said. "There is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Somalia," he warned.