Mogadishu moment

Somalia | With an Islamic regime controlling the capital, Somalia becomes an American headache again | Priya Abraham

In a country that has known no functioning government for 15 years, about the only thing predictable is anarchy and warlordism. Since Somali warlords ousted dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991, their clans and sub-clans have coalesced into militias and largely run the capital, Mogadishu. But for the first time in 15 years, a new opponent has wrenched power from their hands.

Their nemesis was a coalition of militia-backed Islamic courts, which has been on the ascendancy for two years. After weeks of exchanging gunfire and mortar shells with the warlords in Mogadishu, the Islamic Courts Union took control of the capital. The surge in fighting killed some 300 Somalis, mostly civilians caught in the crossfire. Their victory was as much a defeat for the United States as it was for the warlords, who have received U.S. backing against Somali Islamists.