The infamous Somalia military operation of 1993, popularly depicted in the Philadelphia Inquirer series (and subsequent Hollywood film) "Blackhawk Down(10)," was not a humanitarian mission, but an undeclared U.N/U.S war launched by the George H.W. Bush administration, and inherited by the Clinton presidency. The operation was spearheaded by Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Howe (who remained in charge of the U.N operation after Clinton took office), and approved by Colin Powell, then head of the Joint Chiefs. http://www.globalresearch.ca/PrintArticle.php?articleId=2524
Two U.N operations, which ran from 1992 to 1995(11), cost nearly $2 billion and 147 lives, including the deaths of 18 American soldiers, who were killed when militias in Mogadishu shot down two Black Hawk helicopters in October 1994. The fighting and global press coverage led to the withdrawal of U.S soldiers.
And now The U.S is seeking to re-establish a presence in Mogadishu(12), the capital of Somalia, after an absence of 12 years following the ousting of Islamist forces this week by Ethiopian-backed Somali allies.
"Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state, hopes to include Mogadishu in a tour that began on Wednesday with the aim of shoring up Somalia's transitional government with multinational African forces and U.S humanitarian aid.
"Ethiopia invaded Somalia last month with U.S. backing. A Pentagon spokesperson said the Ethiopian and Unted States military have a "a close working relationship." United States pours money and weapons into an invasion by Ethiopia. The invasion of Somalia is part of the Bush Administration's war on terrorism.
Somalia is almost entirely Sunni Muslim while Ethiopia has a population consisting of half Muslim and thirty-five percent Orthodox Christian. It is like an island among Muslim countries. Ethiopia has received nearly $20 million in U.S. military aid since late 2002. That's more than any country in the region except Djibouti" http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=010707_somalia_invasion_chaos.htm
But why were they there before and why did they have to leave? What do they want to be present for there now?
The best round-up of all possible reasons why Somalia in particular and Africa in general is rising in importance on the list of U.S foreign policy priorities, was presented on Democracy Now Tues 9 Jan 2007 (13)by Salim Lone, a highly respected Kenya-based commentator who was also referred to in an article.
According to Salim Lone, a highly respected Kenya-based commentator, the United States has cast this as a war to combat terrorism, but its real goal is to obtain a direct foothold in a highly strategic region by establishing a client regime there.
The Horn of Africa is newly oil-rich and lies just miles from another strategic U.S ally, Saudi Arabia, overlooking the daily passage of large numbers of oil tankers and warships through the Red Sea.
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