WASHINGTON — The United States has ruled out an attack on Somalia to
oust Al Qaida forces which have seized effective control of the country.
Officials said the Bush administration has no plans to send U.S. troops
to oust the new Al Qaida-aligned regime in Somalia. The regime, known as the
Council of Islamic Courts, has defeated the U.S.-backed militia and taken
over much of the country.
"The Council of Islamic Courts is now controlled by Al Qaida cell
individuals, East Africa Al Qaida cell individuals," U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer said. "The top layer of the court are
extremists. They are terrorists."
But Ms. Frazer ruled out a U.S. military option in Somalia. Instead, the
State Department official, responsible for African affairs, called on
Somalia's rival factions to negotiate the formation of a stable government.
"That's not a plan that we have on the table, for the U.S. government
and our U.S. military to deploy to Mogadishu [Somalia]," Ms. Frazer told a
briefing on Dec. 14. "That's not really something that we're saying to our
Congress and our public that we want as part of our strategy."
In June 2006, Al Qaida conquered the Somali capital Mogadishu. Since
then, thousands of Al Qaida fighters, many of them who had served in
Afghanistan, were advancing to take over the rest of Somalia.
"They are killing nuns," Ms. Frazer said. "They have killed children and
they are calling for a jihad. Frankly, public executions, killing people for
watching soccer matches, is not consistent with the Somali culture and
traditions."
The head of the Council of the Islamic Courts, Hassan Dahir Aweys, has
been on the terrorist list of the United Nations and United States.
Officials said Eritrea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were helping the new Al Qaida
regime.
The Council of Islamic Courts has given Ethiopia a Dec. 19 deadline to
withdraw its troops from Somalia. Ethiopia, with more than 30,000 soldiers
in Somalia, has sought to protect Somalia's interim government, based in
Baidoa and recognized by the UN.
"Otherwise their fate will be defeat and we will fight them until we
evict them from Somalia," Sharif Ahmed, the military commander of the Al
Qaida-aligned force, told the state-owned Yemeni satellite channel from
Aden.
The U.S. intelligence community has determined that Somalia has become
the new haven for Al Qaida. Officials said at least three of the plotters
behind the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya were living in
Somalia.
In her briefing, Ms. Frazer said the United States does not seek the
overthrow of the Al Qaida-aligned regime. She said the Bush administration
wants the Islamic Courts to become moderate, end military expansion and
negotiate with the transitional government.
"The problem is that the CIC is led by extreme radicals right now, not
the moderates that we all hoped would emerge," Ms. Frazer said. "The
analysis is that there are many more in the courts that are moderate and are
just going along. And we would hope that, eventually, the conditions will be
such that they can break off and join with governing Somalia in the
traditions of Somalia."
