Somali Islamists Tied To Osama

An Islamic fundamentalist who is listed by the State Department as a suspected al-Qaeda collaborator was named Saturday as the new leader of a Muslim militia that has seized control of Somalia's capital.

The militia, which changed its name Saturday from the Islamic Courts Union to the Conservative Council of Islamic Courts, said in a statement it had appointed Hassan Dahir Aweys as its new leader. The Bush administration said Aweys was an associate of Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s.

The Islamic militia seized control of the capital, Mogadishu, and much of southern Somalia from an alliance of secular warlords this month. Aweys's appointment makes it unlikely that the increasingly powerful militia will govern using the moderate brand of Islam practiced by most Somalis.

Aweys appeared on a list of people and organizations accused of having ties to terrorism that the United States released after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A conservative Somali group called al-Itihaad al-Islaami, and its founder, Aweys, were featured for their alleged links to bin Laden while the al-Qaeda leader was living in Sudan in the early 1990s.

Aweys, a cleric believed to be in his sixties, has said in past interviews that al-Itihaad no longer exists and that he has no ties to al-Qaida.

The problems with Somalia can be traced back to the fecklessness of the Clinton Administration in the 1990s. Osama saw the US withdrawal of forces from Somalia following the Battle of Mogadishu (aka Black Hawk Down) as a sign that he could usher larger and more grandiose attacks against the US. Following Somalia, the US suffered casualties at the US Embassy bombings in Africa, the USS Cole attack, and then the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I have to hope that the Bush Administration is working on a plan to deal with this ongoing threat from failed states. Waiting for the UN to act is an act in futility and no one but the US can guarantee our own security. We may have to deal with this threat before the Islamists establish another Taliban like country that harbors and provides aid and comfort to the jihadists who seek to cause us harm.

UPDATE:
Fixed typos.