Somalia

From Pajamas Media:

The al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic Courts Union’s (ICU) rapid retreat in the face of Ethiopia’s military campaign in Somalia has puzzled many observers. How could the Ethiopians roll up the jihadists so quickly? Pajamas Media has learned that one significant factor is that U.S. air and ground forces covertly aided the Ethiopian military since its intervention began on Christmas day.

U.S. ground forces have been active in Somalia from the start, a senior military intelligence officer confirmed. “In fact,” he said, “they were part of the first group in.”

So, right after the Democrats are elected to power over widespread unhappiness about our stalled out non-war in Iraq, we expand the war, invading another country, a country where we had suffered a miserable defeat and pullout during the Clinton Presidency.

Am I the only one who finds this remarkable? It’s encouraging, too. Would a Democrat President have done this?

For all of Bush’s faults, and they are many, he has to get credit for this one. It looked like the Islamicists were advancing in Somalia and we were just going to watch it happen, as we did for the previous two or three decades – and as the State Department and the left wish we still would. I didn’t hear one angry word from our government. Instead, we quietly and efficiently did the job with the Ethiopians and rolled back totalitarian Islam in Somalia.

This sends a powerful message to the bad guys: the election of the Democrats has not taken the fight out of us, at least not yet. I'm not claiming the war is won or is being fought well, but this battle is a victory for America.

If this report is true and my interpretation is right, then this is big story.

(HT: Kriegsegefahrzustand)

UPDATE:

Brussels - The European Commission on Tuesday criticised the reported United States airstrike against a suspected al-Qaeda cell in southern Somalia, calling it counterproductive to peace efforts for the war-torn African country.

Wrong, Euroweenies. Killing terrorists is highly productive of peace.