McClatchy:War between Islamists, government is brewing in Somalia

[Coexist]

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Somalia has been a black hole for U.S. policy in Africa for more than a decade, since the deaths of 18 soldiers in the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" episode in Mogadishu precipitated the withdrawal of 25,000 U.S. troops. There's been no official U.S. presence in Somalia since.

After Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration saw Somalia's mix of poverty and anarchy as a potentially dangerous breeding ground for terrorists. In 2005, CIA operatives began clandestinely funneling money to Mogadishu warlords in exchange for intelligence on terror suspects - an operation that fell apart in June when the Islamists drove the hated warlords from the city.

The U.N. report says that the Islamists - officially a federation of Muslim sharia law courts - have quickly become the most powerful force in the country. They've cracked down on crime by imposing Muslim law and reopened Mogadishu's airport and seaport, boosting economic activity.

With help from Arab allies, they've organized their once-patchwork militias into a coherent fighting force, amassed a huge range of arms and military vehicles, recruited foreign fighters to their cause and begun formal training camps.

I have no words - only fears.