Word: somali
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...thunderous roar of a full-scale military assault. For 20 seemingly endless minutes, U.S. forces directed a massive array of firepower from AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, M1A1 Abrams tanks and amphibious assault vehicles, all aimed at two arsenals controlled by warlord General Mohammed Farrah Aidid in the Somali capital's northwest. The offensive was ostensibly in retaliation for sniper fire at U.S. troops, but the blazing-gun approach carried a clear warning to Somalia's increasingly bold gunmen that they continue to lurk and menace at their peril. Perhaps 21 Somalis were killed in the confrontation, the bloodiest since...
...rising tension is forcing American commanders to tighten the rules on confiscating Somali weapons. Until now, the troops have seized arms displayed openly and with hostile intent. Now the U.S. military is promising to take a more aggressive role in ridding Somalia of the heavier weapons and the "technicals" -- gun-equipped pickup trucks -- that have terrified the populace for the past two years. "Heavy weapons will be removed voluntarily or, if necessary, by force," a senior U.S. official told Reuters. "From now on, we're going to be doing more enforcement." That will still leave untold numbers of small arms...
...struggle for power that must be settled before peace can return to Somalia. Robert Oakley, the U.S. special envoy, believes Ali Mahdi and Aidid may actually turn out to be irrelevant to an eventual political solution. "Right now they are factors in the political landscape," he says. "But the Somalis don't like domination by a single political party. When people aren't fighting, they don't need military alliances." A former Somali journalist puts the issue in blunter terms: "The U.S. has to deal with these people to stabilize the environment in the short term. But when peace...
...appeared together at a public gathering. Since the Marines landed, however, they have had several private meetings. Both grandly declared that the day of rule by rifle was over. "I believe only in democracy," said Ali Mahdi in an interview with TIME at his seaside villa in Mogadishu. "Every Somali has the right to be President. If left to myself, I would like to be a businessman once again. But if the Somali people wish me to continue, I will do my best to serve them...
...commanders said their troops were moving faster than expected because there had been no opposition from Somali clan militias and armed gangs. Under an agreement with clan leaders, their heavy weapons -- trucks and jeeps mounted with cannon and machine guns -- are withdrawing from towns the multinational force controls...