Ethiopia continues to clean up Clinton's mess

Yea; that post title will excite the usual subjects.

Anyway, Bill Roggio has some good posts about the goings on in Hell's Horn.

Several American military and intelligence sources have informed us that the Ethiopians are not taking 'foreign' prisoners on the battlefield - al-Qaeda fighters are being summarily executed. Some advantages the Ethiopians possess over the United States is a willingness to use all means necessary to eliminate the ICU and al-Qaeda, and a willingness to ignore international condemnation for its actions.

The Ethiopians have signaled they may quickly withdrawal from Somalia and leave the TFG to deal with the aftermath. The Ethiopians should first ensure the ICU leadership has been decapitated and its forces in the field have been fully defeated, and the TFG can handle the security and follow on operations needed to stabilize Somalia. A precipitous withdrawal will only mean a future Ethiopian expedition to destroy the next iteration of the Islamic Courts.

Where has the ICU gone?

"Unconfirmed reports say that the ICU hardliners and its fighters have gone to Ras-kamboni, a small island in southern Somalia, the Islamist’s former base," notes SomaliNet.

What should we do from here.

If the Transitional Federal Government and the Ethiopians want to prevent the re-emergence of the Islamic Courts and an insurgency, they must pursue the Islamic Courts leaders and al-Qaeda and 'foreign fighter' operatives relentlessly. The geographic location of Somalia gives some hope of sealing the borders. Puntland, which is hostile to the Islamic Courts, lies to the north, Ethiopia to the west, Kenya to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the east. Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa must mobilize all naval assets to prevent the exodus of Islamic Courts and al-Qaeda leaders from the region.

Where is a MEB when you need one?