A recruiting video issued by members of the fundamentalist Islamic movement in Somalia shows Arab radicals fighting alongside the local extremists in Mogadishu, and invites Muslims from around the world to join in their "holy jihad."
The video, obtained by The Associated Press, provides the first hard evidence that non-Somalis have joined with Islamic extremists in Somalia.
The Supreme Islamic Courts Council, which defeated U.S.-backed warlords in Mogadishu last month and is now the country's most powerful force, has repeatedly denied links to extremists such as al-Qaida.
But the one-hour video appears to confirm U.S. fears — and al-Qaida's boasts.President Bush expressed concern last month that Somalia could become an al-Qaida haven like Afghanistan was in the late 1990s. And recordings attributed to Osama bin Laden portray Somalia as a battleground in his war on the United States.
It is interesting that Somalia is where the enemy wants to fight now and not in Iraq where the anti-war side insists we are losing. From the enemy's point of view, they are the ones getting pasted by an American military not at all worn out punching them senseless. Check out the latest fashion craze among Palestinians:
Wearing a green Hamas headband, waving a Hamas flag, swinging a Kalashnikov and chanting for Israel's demise, Bassem Shorah looks to be a prototypical Palestinian militant.
His olive green shirt, however, tells a different story. It's a spot-on replica of those worn by soldiers in the United States Army, replete with combat patches and unit designations.
Why? Because our Army is a symbol of power:
On their television sets these young people see images of US soldiers in Iraq, and they view them as the ultimate symbol of military might.
"People look in the streets and they see gunmen, they watch TV and see the US Army, and they say, 'I want to be a militant, too. I want that shirt,'" says Omar Bilbaysi, who owns three clothing shops in downtown Rafah.
Palestinians see al Jazeera and see our power! Americans and Europeans see Western TV and see only our defeat. Amazing. But I digress.
Anyway, we will have to deal with the jihadis. They may be crippled in Iraq after Zarqawi's well-deserved dirt nap but they are now being called to Somalia.
Of course, it may be that we have not yet addressed Somalia in order to make jihadis in Iraq think they have a safe haven. Better to have the jihadis on less valuable and less hospitable turf in the Horn. And on the move, they'll be more vulnerable to being picked up by police or attacked and killed.
