Somalia - Al Qaida's next stronghold

The US administration sees this action as key to the success of its ‘war on terror' and on Al Qaida in particular. A Taliban/Al Qaida victory in Afghanistan would quickly spill over the border into Pakistan with disastrous consequences for US hegemony, Israel and homeland security.
With all eyes on the Hindu Kush, however, there is a marked failure to recognise the myriad dangers brewing in Somalia which has been torn apart by civil war for nearly 20 years and where the Islamist group, Al Shabab and its allies, are now in control of most of southern and central Somalia.The beleaguered, US-backed, Transitional Federal Government led by President Shaikh Sharif Shaikh Ahmad, now only controls parts of Mogadishu with the help of 4,300 African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops.The failed state is considered the most dangerous place in the world — ideal territory for Al Qaida.Al Qaida has long had a presence in Somalia. When I interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1996, he revealed that some of his men had taken part in the 1993 attack on US Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu.The attack, led by Somali war lord General Mohammad Farrah Aidid, brought two helicopters down, killing 18 US soldiers and injuring 73.The bodies of dead soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu in one of the most humiliating chapters in US military history. Al Qaida's strategy for survival and expansion follows a clear pattern.The organisation forms alliances with ideologically close indigenous groups in failed states who can offer its fighters protection and a safe haven. In exchange, Al Qaida provides military muscle, strategic advice and training...more..http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/somalia-al-qaida-s-next-stronghold-1.517120