381 Killed In 4 Days Of Somalia Battles (Gov't tell residents to flee)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

381 Killed In 4 Days Of Somalia Battles
381 Killed In Somali Fighting; Government Warns Of New Offensive,
Tells Residents To Flee

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Apr. 2, 2007

(AP) Four days of fierce fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents
has killed 381 people in Mogadishu, a local human rights organization said Monday,
as the government warned residents to abandon their homes ahead of a new
military offensive.

During a lull in the violence, civilians were told to leave insurgent-held areas
in Mogadishu as Somalia's transitional government said it planned new attacks with
Ethiopian troops, tanks and helicopters to crush insurgents, backed by the
remnants of an Islamic group driven from power in December.

On foot, using donkey carts, cars and trucks they poured out of the ruined coastal
city, joining the exodus of 47,000 people _ mainly women and children _ who have
sought safety in the last 10 days, according to the U.N.'s refugee agency. Since
February almost 100,000 people have fled the growing violence.

-snip-

"We call on the civilians living in terrorist-held areas in Mogadishu to abandon
their houses because it is possible that government troops may target these areas
any time," Jelle said. "We have to clean al-Qaida elements from Mogadishu."

-snip-

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/02/ap/world/main2637020.shtml

[Kagemusha]

1. Weren't right-wingers saying this was a cakewalk?

How are the insurgents managing to put up any fight at all if they were all crushed that thoroughly at the start? Oh, wait - I get it. They weren't. They dispersed, like guerillas like to do when confronted by a superior frontal attack. And the US called it Victory.

[joshcryer]

3. It's called foreign funding.

Do some research. They had to regroup.

[maddezmom]

2. how many US troops are on the ground?

[ohio2007]

4. Didn't Ethiopia say their troops would be out in a matter of days

after the initial invasion?


.....Somalia's transitional government said it planned new attacks
with Ethiopian troops,
tanks and helicopters to crush insurgents,

Looks like Ethiopian troops will be labeled "occupiers"