Mogadishu down

By Creature

Today the NYT is reporting that the battle for Mogadishu is over and the "terrorists" have won.

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 5 — Islamic militias declared victory today over Somalia's traditional warlords in the battle for control of Mogadishu, quelling months of fierce fighting in the lawless capital but raising new questions about whether this regime, which American officials have accused of sheltering terrorists, will steer the country down an extremist path.

Is this another blow for the Bush administration's war on terror? Yes, but they won't admit it. If you remember last month Michael focused our attention on the growing battle for control of Mogadishu. As Michael stated:

Remember Black Hawk Down? Some of these warlords may have been fighting against the U.S. in those bloody street battles in Mogadishu. And now they're on our side? How things change, eh? I suppose the enemy of my Somali enemy must somehow be my friend. Something like that.

So how did the U.S. backing of our once former enemy play out in the fight for Mogadishu? Well, not so good.

Washington has been widely accused of secretly financing the warlords, who fashioned themselves into a counterterrorism alliance to root out Al Qaeda elements in Mogadishu. Although American officials have yet to confirm giving payments to the warlords, the widespread belief that money was changing hands only seemed to strengthen the hands of the Islamists among many Somalis.

Whether or not these Islamic militias turn out to be terrorist sympathizers is yet to be seen, but the fact that a backlash to the Bush administration's meddling may have contributed to the rise of a new Islamic state is interesting indeed. So much for winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)