Todays NYT article again reiterates the very same reasoning:
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.
When your country is threatened as the Islamists in Somalia threatened Ethiopia, the threatened country has EVERY RIGHT to strike.
I hope Israel is watching and I hope that the international community uses the same standards when Israel attacks Iran for the very same reason.
In fact, in Irans case, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has publicly stated his intentions about Israel, his comments made in October, 2005 was that "Israel would be wiped off the map", if that isn't a direct threat, what is?
As I shown multiple times, in Never Forget, How much do YOU know about the Holocaust and A couple points about Iran, Ahmadinejad has made dozens of comments, in public, to that effect and I do not think anyone, from either side of the aisle is naive enough to doubt that the second Iran has a nuclear bomb it is Israel first that will be hit.
Also I do not think anyone doubts that after Israel, that same technology will be used against us, whether it be by Iran or from terrorists that Iran hands their nuclear technology to, we are next in line.
Back to Somalia, the Islamists fighters are deserting because this time instead of shooting at the helpless, they are fighting against men with guns that are fighting BACK. Wat exactly did they expect? One has to wonder.
The once feared Shebab, the devout young Islamic fighters, began deserting in droves. (Shebab is the Arabic word for youth.) “We can’t resist,” said Musa Abdullahi, an 18-year-old Shebab who quit his unit after half his comrades were cut down by Ethiopian helicopter gunships. “We thought this fighting would be like the others. It’s not.”
Ahmed Nur Bilal, a retired Somali general, said the war had been a horrible miscalculation.
One of the first things the Islamists did after the fighting started was to close all schools in Mogadishu in order to send more young people to the front. “They’ve misled our children to their deaths,” Mr. Bilal said.
The use of the children in this manner is horrible and I am glad Ethiopia fought back, took the threats seriously and struck. It is a lesson that everyone shoud learn:
When Islamic extremists makes threats, it behooves us to listen to them, to take them seriously and to confront them head on.... not to wait until it is too late.
Other News stories about this:
Strategy Page.
NYT.
Hot Air.
Keep up with who is discussing this at memeorandum.
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