Ralph Peters on Somalia...

Ralph Peters has a fine column out today on the victory over the jihadis in Somalia.

Here's a few nice bits:

"THE new year is off to a bad start for Muslim extremists and their admirers in the media: After only a few months in power, the Islamist regime in Mogadishu collapsed overnight as Ethiopian troops drove out the fanatics.

The global media line held that the Islamic Courts Council, which seized power last year and immediately imposed Sharia law, was in firm control of the country, with the legal government in Baidoa destined to fall. And Somalia did become the new Terror Central, a safe haven for al Qaeda and a strategic base for Islamist subversion in Africa.

Then Ethiopia stepped in and spoiled the goat roast.

Unconvinced by Western myths that military force is useless against terrorists, Addis Ababa's troops intervened to support Somalia's internationally recognized government against the jihadis. The no-nonsense use of force worked. {....}

Will the Islamic Courts Movement resort to terror and guerrilla operations? You bet. But trust me: They would've preferred to stay in power. The truth is that they were shocked by the speed and resolve of the Ethiopian attack - their al Qaeda advisers had grown used to dithering Western powers crippled by our superstitious faith in the power of negotiations.

The Ethiopians fought. And won. Could there be a lesson here? "

Nice one, Mr. Peters...