Mortars Greet First Somalia Peacekeepers

Gun Battle After Shelling Kills 3 At Airport Welcoming Ceremony For Ugandan Troops

(AP)  Mortar rounds slammed into Mogadishu's airport Tuesday during a ceremony welcoming peacekeepers, and a deadly gun battle ensued as authorities searched nearby homes for suspects.

Three people were killed in the gun battle and one was wounded in the mortar attack, witnesses said.

The violence is the latest example of the volatility the peacekeepers face in a country that has seen little but anarchy for years.

"I saw around 100 gunmen engaging a fierce battle," Hassan Abukar Sidow told The Associated Press. "They used heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades."

The attacks came as Ugandan peacekeepers arrived in Somalia's capital to protect the still-struggling transitional government and to allow for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops who helped the government topple an Islamic militia.

The Ugandan troops are the vanguard of a larger African Union force authorized by the United Nations to help the government assert its authority. Ethiopian troops entered Somalia in late December, when an Islamic movement threatened to attack the government.

Two cargo aircraft carrying soldiers and armored vehicles landed at Mogadishu's main airport Tuesday and were welcomed by top government officials. Paddy Akunda, the Ugandan forces' spokesman, said 400 troops were on the ground so far in Mogadishu, with the remaining 1,100 expected in the next 24 hours.

"We are very happy to be the first African Union peacekeepers to Somalia. We are welcomed here," Akunda said. "We are not imposing anything on Somalis. We know our mandate; we will work toward restoring law and order in Somalia without targeting anybody."

Residents were not allowed inside the airport during the welcoming ceremony, Jelle said. Ethiopian and Somali troops have beefed up security in the capital.

In Uganda, Deputy Defense Minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the troops understand the dangers of working in Somalia.

"We have not just dropped our troops there without knowing the situation," she said.

Insurgents, believed to be the remnants of the Islamic movement that tried to seize power last year, have staged almost daily attacks against people associated with the government, its armed forces or the Ethiopian military.

[lars008-2009]

fascist nazi islamic muslims global jihad....

Islamic worldview and the reason why it becomes a calamity in the 21st century

The Islamic world view of converting the entire human species to Islam at the pain of death is not something novel. It has existed for 1400 years since this cult of death and destruction was founded by Mohammed-ibn-abdallah, the nefarious bandit and murderer in the 7th century in Mecca. What makes this world view a calamity is the fact that Muslim have started acquiring WMD capability off late. While all these centuries, they could carry on with their murder and mayhem only with swords from the 7th century up to the 16th century. So they could be defeated by those who could wield swords better and more so by those who in addition to this managed to recognize the mortal threat to all non-Islamic civilizations that Muslims represented. There have not been very many on this planet who could see through the murderous message of the Quran, that the Muslims robotically believe is the message from some god, to be divinely followed by placing their swords on the necks of all their defeated victims and giving them the choice Islam or death.
http://www.historyofjihad.org/globaljihad.html
http://www.historyofjihad.com/sitemap.html

[musty2u]

20-30 Thousand sorties of bombs should have preceded this token arrival of peacekeepers. Death is all they know, is all they want; give 'em what they need.

[agnim]

Burn a koran today!

Death to the insane islam!

Life to the unfortunate and mentally poisoned islamists!

Islam should be our target (not the people), along with ALL islam's signs and symbols.