Ethiopia decided to join the war on radical Islamist terror by launching a series of airstrikes on jihadi-held sectors of Somalia this morning. The new front will complicate the Islamists' attempt to consolidate the power they seized a few months ago in Mogadishu:

Fighting escalated in Somalia Sunday as Ethiopian planes and helicopter gun ships attacked Islamist targets in several central provinces.

One area that came under heavy attack was the town of Baledweyn, 220 miles south of the capital Mogadishu, the Shabelle Media Network of Mogadishu reported.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's information minister said his country had launched "self-defensive measures" against the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia, known as the UIC. On Saturday, the UIC issued a worldwide call for Islamist fighters to join the jihad, or holy war, in Somalia.

The situation in the Horn of Africa has been unstable for years, and the Islamist triumphs this year ensured that it would get worse. The Ethiopians decided to take the bull by the horns rather than wait for the Islamists to infiltrate their own country and topple it from within. They see the grand strategy planned by the leading Islamists to gradually take over all of the ancient Islamic empire, and they have no desire to wait for overwhelming provocation to keep from becoming their next victim.

This will probably come as a body blow to the Somalian Islamists. Ethiopia has much better strategic positioning than Somalia, which resembles a cap on Ethiopia's eastern border. All of Somalia's cities are within easy striking range of Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia has no direct access to the Indian Ocean, one might suppose that American and British naval operations in the area might be tempted to lend them some intelligence in their efforts to derail the Islamist takeover in Mogadishu.

This points to the need for more attention to the Horn of Africa in the war on terror. Just as Afghanistan could not be allowed to be a puppet state for radical Islamist terrorists, Somalia must be stopped from becoming al-Qaeda's latest de facto state. Even Ethiopia recognizes this, and the West had better get over its embarrassment over colonialism quickly enough to stop it before it grows. (via Power Line)

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Ethiopia Enters Somalia ConflctJohn Hinderaker The situation in Somalia is very dire, with Islamic militants controlling Mogadishu and much of the country. Ehiopia has now joined the fighting:Fighting escalated in Somalia Sunday as Ethiopian planes and... [Read More]

Tracked on December 24, 2006 11:11 AM

» The Christmas War from Blue Crab Boulevard
Ethiopia has sent warplanes into Somalia to bomb towns and the Islamist militias that have been overrunning the neighboring country. Ethiopian tanks are also going into battle against the Islamists. It was the first time Ethiopia acknowledged... [Read More]

Tracked on December 24, 2006 2:50 PM

» The Exploding Horn of Africa from A Blog For All
Ethiopia recognizes the threat knocking at its door, and is attempting to fight back before it is too late...Islamic court leaders are talking about jihad; they want to recover the Dar al Islam - the lands of Islam and by doing so ignore the borders ... [Read More]

Tracked on December 24, 2006 8:49 PM