Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Once More On Somalia

Josh Trevino, still guest-blogging on Hugh Hewitt's blog site, has yet another insightful posting on how most of the MSM is simply getting the story wrong. Of all things he credits the NY Times writer, Jeffrey Gettleman, of actually getting the story right. Here is the summary paragraph from the NY Times. It is as concise a statement of what's happening in Somalia right now as I have seen.
The [Somali] Islamists came to power earlier this year as a grassroots movement that drove out Mogadishu’s warlords and restored a semblance of order to a city that was once one of the most violent on the planet. But the goodwill they earned is being sapped away by their decision to attack the transitional government and declare a holy war against Christian-led Ethiopia. That provoked a crushing counterattack by the Ethiopians, who have the strongest military in East Africa and have sided with the transitional government because Ethiopia views the Islamists as a threat to its own security.
UPDATE: Latest reports from Somalia say that the Islamists are fleeing and their militias are disintegrating. Ethiopia now believes that Mogadishu can be taken without a fight. (I'll believe that when I see it. Still, it sounds promising!)

HT: Powerline