Ethiopia Invades Somalia - Campaign Scenarios

[MarkSheppard]

Linka

21 July 2006

Ethiopian troops enter Somalia

By Mohamed Oled Hassan
ETHIOPIAN troops in armoured vehicles rolled into the central Somali town of Baidoa yesterday and set up a camp near the home of the interim president, less than a day after Islamic militants reached the outskirts of the base of a UN-backed but largely powerless government.

A spokesman for the Ethiopian government had said that his country would protect Somalia’s transitional government from attack by Islamic militias who control much of southern Somalia.

Numerous witnesses said Ethiopian soldiers arrived yesterday in Baidoa, 240 kilometres north-west of Mogadishu and about 160km east of the Ethiopian border.

Linka 2

Jihad threat after troops enter Somalia
By Steve Bloomfield, Africa Correspondent
Published: 21 July 2006

Islamists controlling the Somali capital, Mogadishu, vowed to "wage a jihadi war" after Ethiopian troops crossed the border into the country last night. International observers have warned that Somalia is on the brink of a conflict that could be as bloody as the civil war 15 years ago in which 300,000 died.

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Goes into scenario slot 210.

Ethiopia vs Somalia I

Date: July 21, 2006

Battle Location: Baidoa, Somalia; The capital of the UN-Recognized Somali Government

Battle Type: Ethiopia vs. Somalian Meeting Engagement

Historicality: Hypothetical-Historical; based on news reports of Ethiopian troops attacking.

Design by: Ryan Crierie

Scenario description: Being threatened by the recent takeover of most of Somalia by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), Ethiopia decided to intervene. By July 21, Ethiopian troops had reached Baidoa, Somalia, where the UN-Recognized Somali Government resides. ICU Jihadist fighters also approached Baidoa, and with the declaration of Jihad against the Ethiopians by a Somali Sheikh, hostilities were imminient.

This will be an 'interesting' scenario, for the simple reason that both sides are very ill trained in the use of their weapons, and morale is generally very low, except for a few highly fanatical Islamic Jihadists.

Sources: The News Media