Judging by the newly arrived décor I am seeing in storefronts, the holiday season is evidently upon us once again. As you already know, two friends and I are going to spend our holiday in Africa to film footage for a documentary (Christmas in Darfur), capture the feel of conditions on the ground, and interview the extraordinary people who have given and risked so much to lend a hand in a portion of the world that needs all the help it can get. I would like to thank you for your help and generosity in getting us started towards our goals. more...

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The BBC has an update on the Darfur Jihad:

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he has documented evidence of thousands of killings of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, investigating alleged crimes against humanity, says the killings include large-scale massacres and hundreds of rapes.
. . .

more...

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What am I saying. They're all bad guys. It's just that some of the bad guys are slightly better than the worse bad guys.

The 1400 year old jihad machine chugs on:

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic militants captured the last strategic town held by their warlord rivals Wednesday, consolidating their hold over a large swath of Somalia even as the country's parliament called for help from foreign peacekeepers.

The brave troops of the U.S. backed warlords show us how they earned our hard-earned tax dollars:

Hours after the Islamic force attacked the town of Jowhar from three directions Wednesday, the last of the warlords' remaining fighters fled east, some in pickup trucks with rooftop-mounted machine guns. Militiamen seized the airport, just outside town. Residents were fleeing and witnesses reported as many as 19 dead.

Talk about take the money and run.

So the country's ineffectual and worthless parliament is calling for international peacekeepers. Sorry chums, we've been down that road and we've seen what happens.

It may not be realpolitik, it will never be given the Official Government Seal of Approval, but it's plausible that the only thing now to keep Somalia from being the new base of operations for Osama and Co. is a nice carpet bombing.

It's either that, or wait until Somalia is used as a base to launch another 9/11.

And, since you didn't ask, but were thinking it, yes, nearly 13 years on, I'm still bitter. If you were doing word association, and said "Somalia," the first thing that would pop into my head would be "fuc* 'em."

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As reported by Vinnie yesterday at The Jawa Report, Islamist militias with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network have succeeded in taking over the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. It should never be forgotten that al Qaeda's first sucess was in fighting American troops in Mogadishu during the famous "Black Hawk down" incident.

Although not mentioned in the movie by the same name, Osama bin Laden later admitted that he had sent fighters into Somalia to help warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid. Bin Laden, it is said, had had a mystic "vision" in which U.S. was revealed as a paper tiger & that American forces would withdraw from Somalia, defeated. When his "vision" came true, many came to think of bin Laden as a man with supernatural powers.

Thousands of U.S. troops are currently stationed in Djibouti, which borders Somalia to the north. Strategy Page (via Glenn) has the Somalia timeline.

We cannot afford to lose the Horn of Africa to Islamists.

Reuters:

The Islamic side, which supports sharia courts in Mogadishu, announced they controlled the city in radio broadcasts and public meetings. Both residents and some members of the warlords' own militia said the city was in Islamic hands.

"The era of warlords in Somalia is over," resident Mohamed Asser said. "This morning Mogadishu is under only one hand, the Islamic courts."

Today, protests erupted in the Somali capital over the new Islamist masters of the city. The protests, though, seem to be along tribal lines. Times:

Hundreds protested today against the Islamist takeover of the capital of Somalia....

At least 1,000 protesters, from the Abgal clan, a faction of the Hawiye tribe that used to control much of northern Mogadishu, rallied in a football stadium and on the streets.

"We want to establish an Abgal sub-clan defence line, politically and militarily," said Hussein Sheikh Ahmed, an Abgal leader. "Advances into Abgal territory should be halted immediately."

Today's protests, which were left unhindered by Islamist militias, came as the interim Somali Prime Minister, Mohamed Ali Gedi, congratulated the Muslim forces on taking control of the city.

Mr Gedi called the Islamist victory, which the US fears could lead to the development of a Taleban-style African state, "an excellent step forward" today, telling Radio France Internationale that the fallen warlords had been "hurting the reconciliation, stabilisation and pacification of Somalia".

More on why we should worry from All Africa:

Al Qaeda elements responsible for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Tanzania and the 2002 attack on the Paradise Hotel in Kikambala near Mombasa have been moving in and out of Somalia with the aid of local sympathisers, according to US officials.

Preventing Somalia from becoming a second safe haven for al Qaeda has been a primary objective of American policy in the Horn of Africa ever since US forces ousted Afghanistan's Taliban regime in 2001. The Afghan Islamist group had provided al Qaeda with the protection and resources needed to plot the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The theory goes that we should stabilize first, and then worry about al Qaeda sympathies later. Which, of course, is the same arguement I heard when Kabul was "liberated" by the Taliban. That "stability" was more important than the radical political philosophy of the group--which at the time no one really understood very well.

So, our covert proxy war in Somalia seems not to be working. But is the alternative the installatioin of another Taliban-like government in the Horn of Africa in the name of stability? Insanity!

Related: Kim at Wizbang: "As far as the Islamists are concerned, there is no Transitional Federal Charter of Somalia."

John at Op-For: "Another collapsed state that has the potential to turn into a big-time breeding ground. Somalia is starting to look alot like pre-Enduring Freedom Afghanistan." Indeed.

Malkin: Not Good.

Rule 308: "You want sharia? Have it, be my guests. But I bet you won't like it."

Sandbox: "True democracy cannot coexist with Sharia law."

If the Onion were half as funny as this, I'd subscribe.

This Boston Globe article reports on the covert operations the U.S. has been engaged in: more...

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Eight Westerners, including one American, working in Nigeria's oil fields have been taken hostage. Unlike other attacks which are usually claimed by the separatist MEND group within hours, this one was not. Whoever is behind the hostage-taking, we demand their immediate and unconditional release.

Reuters:

Gunmen abducted eight foreign workers in a night-time raid on an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria on Friday, raising new security fears after a series of militant attacks that cut output from Africa's top oil producer...

"Some unknown persons boarded the rig at 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) and took eight workers. They are six from the UK, one Canadian and one from the U.S.," said an executive from one of the companies that operate the Bulford Dolphin rig. He denied reports that eight Nigerians were also abducted in the attack.

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There is a reason the U.S. is supporting a coalition of warlords fighting in Mogadishu. There is little doubt that the Islamist militias fighting for control of Somalia are associated with al Qaeda. This would not be the first time al Qaeda linked forces battled the U.S. in Mogadishu.

As the U.N. begins to fret over the growing violence in Somalia, do not let their equivocations fool you--while both sides may be filled with people who do bad things, at least one side is filled with our SOBs. The other side is led by bin Laden's SOBs (if not bin Laden himself).

Keep your eyes open, this one is getting hot. [Image right: Somalians carry pictures of Osama bin Laden during a 2002 protest against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan] more...

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(Kinshasa, Congo) In the run up to the July 30 national elections, the Democratic Republic of Congo has arrested 32 foreigners, including 10 Nigerians, three Americans and 12 South Africans, in a suspected coup plot. No names have been disclosed.

From Reuters.co.uk:

"About 30 people claiming to work for a security company have been arrested. They say they were working for the company but our information suggests they had other intentions," government spokesman Henri Mova Sakanyi told Reuters.

"They wanted to destabilise the institutions of the country, that means a coup attempt."

Sakanyi said the group had been arrested a few days ago but did not give any details other than that they worked for security firm.

From another source, ANDNetwork.com:

According to the South African diplomatic mission in the DRC, 19 of the 32 mercenary suspects arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo hold South African passports. Sixteen of the suspects work for the Omega Security Company, while three work for a mining company as interpreters.

From WaPo:

The United Nations said it could not confirm Congo's allegations.

"We are not concerned about this, it appears to be a case of political manipulation by Congo's government," said Jean-Tobias Okala, U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa. "We have almost 18,000 troops here to achieve our goal of peaceful and transparent elections."

From Interested-Participant.

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(Mogadishu, Somalia) After 15 years without a national government, Somalia is a battlefield. Tribal militias and Islamic fundamentalists, allegedly tied to al-Qaeda, are struggling for control and many people are dying.

From KhaleejTimes.com:

Islamic militiamen and secular fighters battled Wednesday for control of Somalia's capital despite promises of a cease-fire, as the death toll rose to at least 90, with nearly 200 others wounded.

The sounds of heavy weapons echoed through the city, but the fighting was not as intense as it had been in the previous three days. The battle between the Islamic Court Union and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counterterrorism has centered on the northern neighborhood of Sii-Sii, with neither side gaining an advantage.

It's worth noting that every time I read of Somalia, I recall Blackhawk Down. I think of how the media plastered breaking news images of starving Somalians in front of the public, day after day, until the politicians were forced to send help. Food was sent and U.S. military units were there to distribute the food in the lawless country. Fighting started and the American forces soon were overwhelmed. Reinforcements were requested, but too little came, too late.

Some of the finest American fighting men ever to have lived died in Mogadishu. Needlessly, I think. And it all began with media reports of starving Somalians.

From Interested-Participant.

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(Algiers, Algeria) Sources indicate that a convoy of Algerian customs officials was attacked by Islamist militants in the southern part of the country.

From Middle-East-Online.com:

Thirteen Algerian customs officials were killed (pic) and eight others injured Friday when their convoy was ambushed south of Algiers, security sources and the Algerian news agency APS reported.

A security source said the convoy of about 12 four-wheel-drive vehicles came under rocket attack by Islamist militants around 8:00 am (0700 GMT) at Ouardhia on a Saharan road to In Salah.

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Yes he's a war-criminal, but here is the final word on Charles Taylor:

Yes, certain do-gooding goo-goos can cheer that "justice is being served," but if this becomes common proactice, how many hundreds of thousands will die needlessly because dictators understand that the deals they are being offered aren't worth the spit they will be signed with?

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How can I ever thank da Oyster enough for pointing out this article. Every single article I've seen about the Ijaw rebels who have recently begun attacking oil platforms in the Niger delta is careful to make the point that the Ijaw people are generally Christians or animists. It's true. They are.

So, when Ijaw rebels begin to take hostages, we are to draw the conclusion that since most Ijaw are Christians or animists then the group responsible for the kidnappings must also be composed of Christians and animists. Except that mostly doesn't count in this case:

If the rising cost of the world's oil can be blamed on any one man, a portly African militia leader with a poster of Osama bin Laden glowering from his wall is the most likely culprit.

Al-Haji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, the leader of a motley collection of gunmen styling themselves the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, managed to push the world oil price above $50 a barrel last year....

"Our struggle is like those in Chechnya, Kosovo, Palestine and South Africa. That is how we are going to fight. We are not going to just sit down. We are capable of defending ourselves."

Mr Asari, 40, who shuns military fatigues and sports a trilby and a silver-topped cane, is an unabashed admirer of bin Laden. Songs praising his "gallantry" echo from a stereo in his spacious home in Port Harcourt, the Delta's largest city.

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I'm *shocked*, *shocked* I tells ya! Al Qaeda warns UN not to send peacekeepers into Darfur.

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Be on the lookout for creeping facscism in Africa. Two questions: How is it that the traditional interpretation of Islamic law is now somehow 'fanatical'? Why is it that so few seem to realize that 'freedom of religion' in Islam means its Orwellian opposite?

Incidentally, if a 'moderate' Islamists wishes only to impose a lesser penalty on apostates--say, a fine--it's still religious fascism.

CBN News:

"It is our duty to spread Islam, and to especially try to convince the Christians to change their faith,” Hamdan said. “A man has the right to choose his religion, but once he is a Muslim, then he has lost that right. If he changes, under the laws of Sharia, he should be put to death.”

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When Northern Nigeria became an Islamic state-within-a-state, it was supposed to become a peaceful utopia....Kristallnacht in Nigeria against Christians: 15 dead, 11 churches razed. ROPMA.

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1 Where is the Christian outrage? Not one word.... Especially from Christians who push DIVESTMENT from Israel... These Christians do not give a rat's ass about freedom or persecuted people. This is why Hitler was so successful for so long. Christians do not give a crap, and Jews are so naive that they think everything will be ok in the end....real brilliance! If Islam is not eradicated-entirely-Islam will eradicate everyone else.

Posted by: Steve Sharon at February 18, 2006 04:41 PM (dbpS1)

2 Damn straight Steve. It's them or us, and for my part, it's damn sure not going to be us.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 18, 2006 04:47 PM (0yYS2)

3 11 churches hmmmm. that is the same number as were recently burned in Alabama.

Posted by: john ryan at February 18, 2006 04:59 PM (TcoRJ)

4 Dude, 11 churches burned in a RIOT over CARTOONS in a single DAY. Who's to say the SEVEN churches burned in Alabama weren't burned by ROPers who were pissed over same thing?

Posted by: Rusty at February 18, 2006 05:28 PM (JQjhA)

5 Muslims, despite all the years they have been supposedly trying and despite billions in oil wealth have been unable to create ONE utopic islamic society. Turning dozens of islamic countries into one utopic islamic country is just not possible and all the blame lies with themselves.

Posted by: Graeme at February 18, 2006 05:57 PM (6TH8d)

6 john No clue as to what your point is supposed to be - but I finally realized why you are rarely if ever subjected to some of the more hostile (and occasionally vile) attacks a few here on the right sometimes launch into against other liberal/leftists. Curious?

Posted by: hondo at February 18, 2006 06:01 PM (fyKFC)

7 Graeme, I been preaching about that same subject ever since I saw the photos Michael Totten took in Kurdistan over the past few days. The Kurdish leaders have a vision for their people, a vision to make things better and become a part of the civilized world. And there is no reason the Arabs could not have a paradise in the Middle East. They have the money, the people, but not the mental capacity. Why? It is because of radical Islam. The religion, as it is now being practiced in the ME, is full of hate and bile spewed at a small nation insignificant in comparison to the Arab nations. Dictators, poverty, hate and ignorance reign supreme. Paradise lost, indeed!

Posted by: jesusland joe at February 18, 2006 07:21 PM (rUyw4)

8 I think we can drop the "radical" label in front of the word "Islam" -- it's already implied JJ

Posted by: dave at February 18, 2006 08:24 PM (CcXvt)

9 Radical is to islam, as virulent is to plague.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 19, 2006 07:12 AM (0yYS2)

10 Just to tell you that Christians in Nigeria launched reprisal attacks against the muslims . More than 30 muslims were killed. Christians in Nigeria fight back. All these events are regrettable

Posted by: joe at February 22, 2006 10:45 AM (esXWj)

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This can't be the same Sudan that is on the United Nation's High Commission on Human Rights? That's some other Sudan, right? Because the savior of the world, the U.N., would never allow one of the worst violators of human rights in the world to help police human rights violations. That's simply not possible.Amnesty International:

At 5:55 pm local time yesterday, security forces in plain clothes entered the building where the NGO Forum was being held. The security forces -- their number varying from six to 15 during the occurrence -- ordered all delegates to switch off their mobile phones. They said that the meeting was "unauthorized" and demanded the names of all participants. Participants, numbering approximately forty, were ordered to hand over all documents and laptops. Some resisted; the security forces forced upon their bags. Some small scuffles broke out. At this point more security forces entered and surrounded the room. Still and digital photographs, along with recorded video, were taken of all the participants. Some participants were pushed, threatened, and told "you better do what we say or you will face problems later". There were repeated demands to participants to hand over their belongings.

Security forces attempted to divide the participants into international and national groups. Attempts were also made to separate women from men. Many refused both requests.

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An American oil worker taken hostage by Nigerian terrorists claiming to be part of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta has been identified as Patrick Landry. Three others were taken hostage. They are: Briton Nigel Watson-Clark, Honduran Harry Ebanks, and Bulgarian Milko Nichev.

As I speculated earlier, the terror organization is part of a larger Ijaw rebellion. Although Nigeria is dominated by Muslims, the ethnic Ijaw minority are mainly Christian and have been complaining for decades about corruption, mismanagement, and mistreatment by the central government. Whatever the misdeeds of the Nigerian government, taking hostages is NEVER a legitimate avenue of political protest.

Melbourne Herald Sun:

SEPARATIST rebels in Nigeria are close to achieving their aim of paralysing oil production in the Niger delta, after a series of attacks and kidnappings.

Yesterday four foreign oil workers kidnapped by militants spoke to the media by phone on their sixth day in captivity.

They read their captors' demands, including a 48-hour deadline, and warned the military against attempting rescue.

The kidnappers have staged a series of attacks on oil pipelines, platforms and workers over the past three weeks, denting supply from the world's eighth largest exporter and driving up world prices...

"I'd like to contact my family and let them know that I am all right and everything with us is good," said a man who identified himself as Harry Ebanks from Honduras. "The only thing (is) the environment is not good with us because there is a lot of mosquitoes and it is dangerous for us."

The Briton, who identified himself as Nigel Watson-Clark, read a list of five demands by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.

"The Nigerian Government should not make any military intervention," he said. "They should not make any attempt to rescue us as it has been made clear that it may result in the loss of our lives."

A man identifying himself as Patrick Landry, a US citizen, said: "This climate in the conditions we're in is not conducive to us, especially as I am an older man and my health is not good.

"I'd like y'all to contact my family and let them know that I'm all right, these people are treating me good, but the climate is not what it should be." ...

The group demands local control of the delta's oil, payment of $1.5 billion by Royal Dutch Shell to the Bayelsa state government to compensate for pollution, and the release of three men including two ethnic Ijaw leaders.

"If the Nigerian Government does not meet these demands in 48 hours, whatever happens is in their own doing," the British hostage said.

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Probably victims of Ijaw extremists (who are animists and Christians), but there is a growing Islamist movement in Nigeria as well with its accompanying violence. Nigeria is proof that oil has a terrible track record at making nations wealthy.

UPDATE: Regular commenter Jesusland Joe informs me that his cousin works for Shell in Nigeria. If any one learns of the name of the hostage, please e-mail me. We pray that this hostage will be released unharmed. UPDATE II: Jesusland Joe has confirmed his cousin is o.k.

Washington Post:

Gunmen stormed an offshore oil platform run by Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria and kidnapped four foreign workers, including an American, while apparent sabotage ruptured a pipeline at a facility processing 106,000 barrels of crude daily, officials said Thursday.

Gunmen in three boats seized the workers from a support vessel attached to the oil platform Wednesday, Shell spokesman Andy Corrigan said in London.

Military spokesman Maj. Said Hameed said the four included an American, a Bulgarian, a Briton and a Honduran, and "efforts are being made to secure their release."

In a separate incident, a major pipeline feeding Shell's Forcados oil export terminal ruptured overnight at Brass Creek, forcing the company to stop production of 106,000 barrels of oil daily, Shell said.

A Shell spokesman in Lagos said the pipeline exploded, though details were sketchy. In December, a major Shell pipeline was blown up by unknown attackers, forcing the company to shut down large volumes of crude oil.

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Sick. Disgusting. Disheartening.

While African women in Darfur were being raped by the Janjaweed militiamen, Arab women stood nearby and sang for joy, according to an Amnesty International report published yesterday. The songs of the Hakama, or the "Janjaweed women" as the refugees call them, encouraged the atrocities committed by the militiamen. The women singers stirred up racial hatred against black civilians during attacks on villages in Darfur and celebrated the humiliation of their enemies, the human rights group said....

During an attack on the village of Disa in June last year, Arab women accompanied the attackers and sang songs praising the government and scorning the black villagers.

According to an African chief quoted in the report, the singers said: "The blood of the blacks runs like water, we take their goods and we chase them from our area and our cattle will be in their land. The power of [Sudanese president Omer Hassan] al-Bashir belongs to the Arabs and we will kill you until the end, you blacks, we have killed your God." ...

The Janjaweed have abducted women for use as sex slaves, in some cases breaking their limbs to prevent them escaping, as well as carrying out rapes in their home villages, the report said.

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Spanish authorities have announced that they have captured seven terror financiers. The seven are said to have helped finance the al Qaeda linked GSPC.

BBC:

At least seven people have been arrested in Spain on suspicion of helping to fund an Islamist terror group said to have links with al-Qaeda....

He said the detainees were suspected of raising money and providing logistical support for the Salafist Group for Call and Combat - an Algerian-based extremist group.

He said the group was "perfectly structured", had a hierarchy and was dedicated to committing petty crime and forging documents and credit cards.

Mr Alonso added that money was sent to Algeria either in person or through a complex system of bank transfers that made it difficult to trace.

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Jason at Generation Why does the yeoman's work of investigating Rep. John Murtha's (D-France) policy stances. The single greatest mistake made by the Clinton Administration was cutting and running from Somalia. Why, you ask? Because the financial and logistical force behind the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid was a much more insidious and, at the time, unknown character: Osama bin Laden.

As Jason notes in his excellent post, Murtha urged cutting-and-running from Somalia too--making the sacrifices of the men who died their vanity.

Osama had something of a religious experience while in Somalia in which he predicted that America would cut-and-run. When the U.S. did pull its troops from Somalia, some Muslims--including Osama himself--took this as a sign that bin Laden had mystical powers. Bin Laden would later recall to ABC News:

"Our people realize[d] more than before that the American soldier is a paper tiger that run[s] in defeat after a few blows," the terror chief recalled. "America forgot all about the hoopla and media propaganda and left dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat."

More from Jason at Generation Why. more...

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