The routing of the Islamic forces is complete:
Ethiopian-backed government forces captured the last remaining stronghold of the Islamic movement in southern Somalia, the Somali defense minister said Friday, hours after warlords met with the president and promised to enlist their militiamen in the army.So everything looks good, right? Well, there is this:
The southern town of Ras Kamboni fell after five days of heavy fighting, Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire told The Associated Press. He said government troops backed by Ethiopian forces and MiG fighter jets chased fleeing Islamic fighters into nearby forests and the fighting would continue. He did not give casualty figures.
Ras Kamboni is in a rugged coastal area a few miles from the Kenyan border. It is not far from the site of a U.S. airstrike Monday targeting suspected al-Qaida militants — the first U.S. offensive in Somalia since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993.
The report of the town's fall came after Somalia's warlords met with President Abdullahi Yusuf in the capital of Mogadishu and pledged to disarm their militias, a major step toward bringing calm to this city after years of chaos.
The meeting sought to establish enough security in the capital so international peacekeepers can deploy and protect the government until it can establish an effective police force and army.
Outside the peace talks, however, a fight over where to park an armored car left at least six people dead and 10 wounded. Clan gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade and briefly exchanged gunfire with government troops during the fight.Better reserve a space for the warlords' armored car or the peace might not hold. Six people dead and you call the meeting "successful?"
Nevertheless, government officials said the meeting between Yusuf and three top warlords was successful. "The warlords and the government have agreed to collaborate for the restoration of peace in Somalia," said government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari.
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