Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility 

New York Times: Mission Accomplished

The New York Times reports the Islamists in Somalia have retreated:

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 27 — The Islamist forces who have controlled much of Somalia in recent months suddenly vanished from the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, residents said Wednesday night, just as thousands of rival troops massed 15 miles away.

Cowards. They vowed to fight to the death. The Times thinks this was unexpected. To me, it looks like a pattern of behavior.

Many of the teenage troops who made up the backbone of the Islamist army had blended back into the civilian population, walking around without guns or their trademark green skullcaps.

The sudden reversal left it unclear whether a war that had threatened to consume the Horn of Africa had quickly ended, or the Islamists had merely gone underground, preparing to wage a guerrilla insurgency, as some leaders had threatened.

Yes indeed, it's a pattern of behavior. When faced with overwhelming force the Islamists run and hide. Then they attack from behind their human shields.

At 10 p.m. on Wednesday, several Islamist leaders emerged to hold a news conference at their headquarters in Mogadishu. They did not explicitly concede defeat to the transitional government, but seemed to be preparing their forces for such an eventuality. “We need our soldiers to return to their positions for the sake of the people,” said Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, one of the leaders. “Even if your positions are transferred to the government, you must stay where you are and make sure Mogadishu is as safe as it was before.”

As he spoke, Mogadishu was rapidly descending back into the clan-based anarchy that had been its hallmark for most of the past 15 years, before the Islamists came to power and pacified the city.

And so, the Times writer shows his paper's true sympathies. The Islamists are the "good guys", pacifying the city. When they are beaten back by the Christian imperialist aggressors the city falls into anarchy.

Quick! Somebody check the museums! There's probably looting going on right under the Ethiopian military's noses!

The Islamists started out as a grass-roots movement of clan elders and religious leaders who banded together earlier this year to rid Mogadishu of its notorious warlords, earning them a lot of public support.

That just lends support to the argument doesn't it. The Islamists were a "grass roots" movement, removing the "warlords". The Ethiopians are the evil aggressors putting down the "people's" choice.

The Islamists attacked Baidoa, the seat of the transitional government, on Dec. 20; a few days later, they announced that Somalia was open to Muslim fighters around the world who wanted to wage a holy war against Christian-led Ethiopia.

That provoked a crushing counter-attack by the Ethiopians, who command the strongest military in East Africa. For the past week, the Islamists have lost one battle after another, their adolescent soldiers no match for a professional army.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? Calls for Jihad are met with superior force by the people that are threatened. When that happens, the Jihadis collapse and hide. Meanwhile, the media emphasizes the contrast between the "adolescent" soldiers of the "people's army" against the "professional soldiers" of the aggressors.

Never mind that the "adolescent" soldiers that are no match for a professional army just overthrew a government, apparently by overwhelming military force. That just messes up the comparison doesn't it?

By Wednesday, the Islamists were cornered. Thousands of troops from the transitional government were closing in on the seaside capital from two directions.

Which is it, the "transitional government" that was just displaced by the "adolescent" soldiers or the Ethiopian aggressors?

Mogadishu was coming unhinged. The ports and airports had closed, leading to a shortage of just about everything, sending prices for food, medicine and fuel skyward. A gallon of gas in Mogadishu now costs $8.

Oh the humanity! The foul cruelty of the counter-attack. The greed of the oil companies!

One adviser to Western diplomats who has close contacts with both the Islamists and the transitional government described the unraveling as an “organic process that rose up from the people, in an unorganized way, Somali style.”

Disappointment in the Islamists, however, does not necessarily translate into widespread enthusiasm for the transitional government, which until last week had been considered weak and divided by many Somalis. Thousands of people in Mogadishu, a war-weary city of two million, have begun to pack up and leave, residents said, afraid not only of the possibility of heavy urban fighting but also of a return to warlord rule, which kept Mogadishu in anarchy for years.

Yes, the transitional government is EVIL! The Islamists were better for us. It's just too bad they're cowards. This is the New York Times' "Mission Accomplished" moment. The quagmire is about to begin.

This whole thing sounds too much like the early days of the Iraq war. The Islamists seem to have found a pattern that works.

They talk a big game early, then collapse and run into hiding when faced with overwhelming force. Once the enemy is firmly entrenched they wage a "guerrilla insurgency", and attack from behind human shields. They call for fighters from other nations to support their "insurgency".

Their willing allies in the media compare them to a "grassroots movement" or to the founding fathers of the U.S. Revolution. When they attack, disguised as civilians, the "rightness of their cause" is trumpeted. When the military counter-attacks they are chastised for committing "atrocities" and attacks on "civilians".

The longer it goes on, the more calls for "negotiation" will be heard. The longer it goes on the more "human rights" organizations will decry the atrocities committed by the "occupying" armies. The longer it goes on the greater the sympathy for the Islamists in the international community.

Ethiopia has walked into it. Soon the United Nations will be calling for sanctions against them. After all, you can't fight the Jihadis and expect support from the U.N. or the New York Times.

Hat tip: Big Dog's Weblog.

Others commenting on the New York Times unbalanced reporting: Webloggin.

Playin' Possum at NWBloggers.com wants to know why the Islamists are so "<expletive deleted> poor" in a stand and slug it out fight.

Trackposted to Rightwing Guy, Pirate's Cove, Dumb Ox News, The HILL Chronicles, Don Surber, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe, now that Bruce has hit himself with a hammer :-).

Trackback URI for this post: http://perrinelson.com/track.aspx?postid=342
Permalink URI for this post: http://perrinelson.com/2006/12/28/342.aspx

Webloggin trackbacked with "NY Times Reports Grassroots Islamist Movement in Somalia"

The idea that public executions,floggings and amputations ushered in a semblance of order is ludicrous and could only be furthered by someone who is short sighted or highly biased. ...