Israel Matzav

Israel Western civilization v. Hezbullah Islam

Some of you may not like the re-cast of this past summer's war that's implicit in this post's title. But there's more evidence this morning that it's correct. The problem is getting the rest of the world outside of Israel and the rightwing of the United States political sphere to open their eyes and recognize it.

The New York Times is reporting this morning that more than 700 Somalis fought alongside Hezbullah terrorists in Lebanon this summer. Somalis. Got to get out my map and see how far that is from here. It took me a while but I finally found an overview of the 'Arab world' at Wikipedia and you can see it above. Somalia is that green striped horseshoe type shape on the eastern edge of Africa. And if you follow the white line (the Red Sea) between the greens from there, Israel is the tiny gray strip on the top right of the Red Sea, which is barely perceptible (the green triangle that juts into the Red Sea is the Sinai). So what the heck are Somalians doing fighting in Lebanon? Is it all for money? The Times says no.

More than 700 Islamic militants from Somalia traveled to Lebanon in July to fight alongside Hezbollah in its war against Israel, a United Nations report says. The militia in Lebanon returned the favor by providing training and — through its patrons Iran and Syria — weapons to the Islamic alliance struggling for control of Somalia, it adds.

...

The report also says Iran sought to trade arms for uranium from Somalia to further its nuclear ambitions, though it does not say whether Iran succeeded.

The 86-page report was issued by four experts monitoring violations of a 1992 United Nations arms embargo on Somalia, which was put in place after the country lapsed into civil war and remains in effect. The report is to be discussed Friday at the Security Council. [Maybe they'll try to condemn Israel for inciting the Somalis. CiJ]

The panel does not say how the information was obtained. But the members had access to information from the intelligence agencies of the Security Council’s 15 current members, including Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States, a United Nations official said.

Any involvement by Somalis would be surprising because Hezbollah’s effectiveness is widely attributed to its deep familiarity with the region.

...

While the sources of the information remain unclear, the report is dense with details about arms shipments to the groups vying for power in Somalia.

It states that in mid-July, Aden Hashi Farah, a leader of the Somali Islamist alliance, personally selected about 720 combat-hardened fighters to travel to Lebanon and fight alongside Hezbollah.

At least 100 Somalis had returned by early September — with five Hezbollah members — while others stayed on in Lebanon for advanced military training, the report says. It is not clear how many may have been killed, though the report says some were wounded and later treated after their return to Somalia.

The fighters were paid a minimum of $2,000 for their service, the report says, and as much as $30,000 was to be given to the families of those killed, with money donated by “a number of supporting countries.”

In addition to training some Somali militants, Hezbollah “arranged for additional support to be given” by Iran and Syria, including weapons, the report found. On July 27, 200 Somali fighters also traveled to Syria to be trained in guerrilla warfare, the report says.

It also indicates that Iran appears to have sought help in its quest for uranium in Dusa Mareb, the hometown of Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of the Islamist alliance in Somalia, which is known as the Council of Islamic Courts.

Hezbollah officials could not be reached Tuesday night for comment.

There's more to this, but the main focus of the Times' article is on Somalia's civil war and the possibility of it spreading to other African countries. To me, the key factor here is that the Islamist nations are - more than ever before - aligning themselves to fight against Western civilization.

There's another curious aspect to the Times' article, which does not bode well for Israel:

The report also accuses Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria of supplying the Somali Islamists with arms, advisers and fighters. It says three nations — Ethiopia, Uganda and Yemen — are aligned with the so-called transitional government based in Baidoa, an inland city.

Note that Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are all on the same side of this conflict. Yesterday, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the United Jewish Communities General Assembly:

"A coalition of Moderate Arab countries can and must unite their common interest in preventing Iran from undermining stability in the Middle East. This coalition must struggle against the dangers of radical Islam that manipulate the very source of Islam itself."

I would think that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are two of the 'moderate Arab countries' that Olmert had in mind. I hope Ehud isn't holding his breath waiting for this coalition of 'moderate Arab countries' to form. At the moment, it looks highly unlikely, at least as long as Israel is in the picture.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:29 AM