Not good. This very dangerous development puts the US and the rest of the civilized world in a difficult position. The US can't simply stand by and watch this chaotic, pseudo-nation slip into the hands of deadly Islamic terrorists, who may or may not have direct ties to Al Queda but sure as hell are on the same side of the world-wide fight that pits Islamic fundamentalists against the modern, civilized world. On the other hand, it would be extremely distasteful for the US to have to ally itself with some of the very same Somalian warlords whose fighters dragged the bodies of American soldiers through the streets in 1993.

This is another harsh lesson for George Bush - in the war against Islamic terrorism, the targets must be chosen more carefully. Our ongoing misadventure in Iraq, which we can't possibly abandon until the Iraqi govt and military is strong enough to stand on their own feet (if we want to prevent Iraq from becoming the next safe haven and workshop for Islamic terrorists) is hampering our efforts to fight REAL terrorism elsewhere in the world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13141625/

Islamic militia says it takes Somalia’s capital
Takeover raises fears that nation could wind up in hands of al-Qaida

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Islamic militia said Monday it has seized Somalia's capital after weeks of some of the bloodiest fighting in 15 years of anarchy in this Horn of Africa nation.

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, said his forces have fought off a secular alliance of warlords who have been trying to retain their grip on Somalia. The militia appeared in control of the capital.

"We want to restore peace and stability to Mogadishu. We are ready to meet and talk anybody and any group for the interest of the people," Ahmed said on a radio broadcast.

The Islamic militias have made steady gains in recent days, seizing villages and enlisting former alliance commanders.

Their growing power is raising fears that the nation could follow the path of Taliban Afghanistan into the hands of al-Qaida.

The most recent surge in violence here started last month, killing more than 300 people and wounding 1,700, many of them civilians caught in crossfire. The fundamentalists accuse their rivals of working for the CIA, while the alliance says the militias have links to al-Qaida.

The United States is widely believed to be supporting the alliance but American officials have refused to confirm or deny that. The U.S. has carried out no direct action in Somalia since the last intervention resulted in the deaths of 18 servicemen in a 1993 battle.

Somalia, an impoverished country of 8 million, has been divided into rival fiefdoms since 1991, when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.