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Somalia 2006

Gordon Angus Mackinlay

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

It has been some years since I looked at this site, due to various reasons (but, mainly relating to a former patient) having been unable to access it.  The purchase of a new PC and software having rectified the problem.

Having been in contact with a old friend (Venezuelan) from UN days this week, we discussed his recent activities in Africa with the UN.  He serving in Somaliland (the former British Somaliland) which is a functioning democratic (for Africa) nation, although due to American diplomatic efforts not recognised by the worlds nations.  It distances itself completely from Somalia (and the self-autonomous region of Puntland).

Much of his work entailing the movement of food/material aid into Somalia from Ethiopia, this entailing passage throughout the area of the Belet Huen region, which the Cnd AB Regt BG had controlled.  He is literate in Somali (as well as the widely spoken in Somalia, Arabic and Italian).

The memory of the achievement of the Battle Group is well remembered in Belet Huen, with their accomplishments in the short time there having  obviously made a small difference (similar is felt in the Baidoa centre where Australia held sway).

He states that he frequently made query of people's memory of the torture killing of Shidane Arone - he being unable to find anyone with a recollection of the affair.  Which is quite remarkable in a society/culture which still has a oral history tradition, and a milieu which (in the area now known as Somalia) well remembers the defeat of the Americans, and every household would appear to have a DVD copy of "Blackhawk Down".

In a society where casual brutality, murder are commonplace, it is perhaps an event not out of the ordinary for these people?  But, whatever, the killing of Shidane Arone is no popular cause against Caucasians by the population, and does not reflect in the memory of Canadian military involvement.

In a recent trip to Western and Central Canada, I was quite amazed at the tenacity the Arone affair has with both the media, and a certain faction of political life.  At a family dinner party, the dean of a school of a premier Canadian university, made remarks relating the activities of the Cdn AB Regt with those of the German Nazi SS.  This following comment by a sister (a professor in the same school) that I had served in Somalia, and having absolutely nothing to do with Cnd involvement!!!

Yours,
from Sydney,
 
Just wondering is there a question or point behind this post?
Or are you just looking to open old wounds and have someone here say something stupid about the Cdn AB Regiment?

Gordon Angus Mackinlay said:
In a recent trip to Western and Central Canada, I was quite amazed at the tenacity the Arone affair has with both the media, and a certain faction of political life.  At a family dinner party, the dean of a school of a premier Canadian university, made remarks relating the activities of the Cdn AB Regt with those of the German Nazi SS.  This following comment by a sister (a professor in the same school) that I had served in Somalia, and having absolutely nothing to do with Cnd involvement!!!

Yours,
from Sydney,
 
I believe that time is vindicating the role of the CAR in Somalia.

There were bad mistakes made. (IMHO, It is what it is, move on...)

I think Mr McKinlay is saying, that based on first hand and second hand observations of his that my first statement has some truth too it.

Further I think that Mr McKinlay is pointing out that dunder-headed attitudes of some of the quasi-intellectuals in the Canadian chattering classes are, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, and clearly thorugh a lack of effort on their own part, entirely willing to perpetuate a lie aimed at men and women of such calibre as we should all be proud of them all.
 
Cdn. Royal said:
Just wondering is there a question or point behind this post?
Or are you just looking to open old wounds and have someone here say something stupid about the Cdn AB Regiment? 

Whoa. Reel in the attitude there. Perhaps if you'd looked at the six paragraphs preceeding the one you chose as offensive, you might have caught the purpose of the posting: Somalis retain positive memories of the Canadian Airborne's ops; Canadian left-wing academics (amongst others), choose to hold ill-informed, negative images.

I saw no open wounds or stupidity (by the original poster).
 
Journeyman said:
I saw no open wounds or stupidity (by the original poster).

Same here...his issue is the uninformed chattering intellectuals (hic) that keep perpetuating the myth that the CF is brutal, etc..

I appreciated the post...found it interesting and informative. I would like to hear more either from him or his friend on the "actual" situation down there.
 
I may have jumped a little on this one...and I apologize for that.  However what I am looking for is a clear question or statement on the subject or point he is trying to get across here. Then we can have an open discussion on the subject. It may be his style of writing, or my think skull but  I am not following his flow here.
 
I appreciated the post...found it interesting and informative. I would like to hear more either from him or his friend on the "actual" situation down there.

Ici aussi. (Me too).
 
Icky Ozzy?  Thought you were a Brit...... ;D
 
Ah Somalia.............the fond memories............a nice trench at the airhead, a nice sun baked Castle Lager, the red sands of Mataban, the huge termite mounds......the negative press........This letter is good to go in my books.

Been on a few tours and other than Kuwait in 91, this one was definitely superior!
 
I felt the intent was to make people aware of what the current mood is on the ground there, and to put the effect of the incident into a local perspective, which is mainly that it is forgotten already and even part of their history. Which is a far cry from our societies perceived image.
 
Gordon, good to see you return to these pages. Welcome back.
It's good to hear the Somalis have good memories of the CAR Battle-Group's presence in Somalia, having seen through, or not been exposed to, the BS of the media here.... too bad we can't say the same of some Canadians.
Cheers...
 
Thanks for the remarks, Jungle.  I wrote to Gunner today that when I was in Canada last year with my eldest brother, we stayed with family (with the LSH and PPCLI) and I actually got the telephone numbers of Messrs Bobbit and O'Leary.  Was going to ring to see how to solve the problem, but, we got a free trip away to Fort Churchill,and it totally slipped my mind until we were on the plane going to Hawai! a couple of weeks later.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have been asked off line to explain about Somaliland and Puntland.  As much as I dislike Wikpedia, I have just done a GOOGLE search, and looked at the sites on it.  These both give a good idea of the one actual nation and the other that wishes to become part of a confederation with Somalia.  With the Somaliland one if you look at the various links,the American policy of not recognising this nation can be found and explained (? sort of).  We recently had a very good programe on Somaliland on ABC TV, that was a good primer as how this nation is developing.

Whilst I must admit I am biais, I much prefered the inhabitants of Soaliland to those of Somalia.

In regard to the current situation in Somalia, the British newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph has :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/08/wsomalia08.xml
Islam has tamed a lawless Somalia, but is it raising an African Taliban?

Premiership football on TV replaces real-life rape and killing
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/08/wsomalia108.xml

Whilst both very good, the writers fail to understand that Somali's do not consider themselves Africans, and also superior to Arabs.  And what the first article does not mention is the current situation in regard to Ethiopia, which has a traditional hatred of Somali's, and has moved major military formations up to the border, and minor skirmishes have occurred.  Since Ethiopia is having difficulties with Eritrea which nation is supporting Somalia at this time, the potential for conflict is increasing.

The amount of Somali's that have fled the country is quite unbelievable, with huge refugee populations in Kenya and Yemen.  Whilst on our big trip last year, when going through the Midlands of England, the local papers were describing the Somali despora with some 120 to 150,000 having moved into the city of Liecester in a very short period of time (since, then the bulk of the Somali population in the Netherlands have moved there), and Birmingham also having a large population (when you realise that Toronto has the bulk of the 140K legal Somali migrants in Canada, as well) you get a concept of just how many have left Somalia).  We have taken some 20K refugees into Australia, and these are ending up on the bottom of the job pile, no English, no skills, with problems relating to radical Muslim clerics feeding on these social problems!

A problem that will not go away!

Having just looked at it, see the BBC News Magazine at :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5029390.stm
this and its links give more information.

Anyway to reiterate my initial message, the memory of Canadian soliders in Somali, is a positive one, not the totally negative one maintain the media and certain elements of the population.

Yours,
G/.
G,A.MACKINLAY

 
Thanks for sharing that - nice to hear stuff we're not seeing/hearing anywhere else....
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

in regard to my last posting, the comments re Ethiopia appear to be coming true.  The UK press this morning :

The Telegraph (of London)
Call for jihad as Ethiopian troops go into Somalia
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/10/wsomalia10.xml

The Independent (of London)
Somali Islamists accuse Ethiopia of invasion
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article1826283.ece

And whilst the eyes of the world may be on North Korea, the danger to the world comes not from this broken down nation, but from the other broken down nation becoming a Islamic stronghold..

Whilst in a taxi this afternoon, the driver a Indian had the radio tuned to a programe which had a Canadian 'expert' on terrorism holding forth on the threat of terrorism by the Tamil Tigers.  Discussing the problems with their finance gathering in Canada by legal and illegal means, and how similar actions are occurring with very strong movements in Australia and NZ.

Also about the potential threat, the Somali Diaspora is in many Western countries, where they are a under-class with little hope, which the muslim clerics are using for their own ends.  The end of the programme had the Indian driver make the comment, that his brother had been killed by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka when the Indian forces was defeated by them..

After this, I had afternoon tea with a lady (known for many years) who runs the social work department of a hospital which is now in a area which has a very high muslim population (probably 85%), once staunchly Irish Roman Catholic.  She saying how the incidence of female sexual genitalia mutilation (incorrectly called female circumcision) has increased dramatically within the local community, with a average of ten-eleven female children varying from new borne to 13/14 year old are arriving in the casualty department weekly with genetalia infections.  In her dealings with the various ethnic muslim communities all of the womean are saying the clerics are forcing the concept that it has to be performed under the beliefs of the Koran (which it does not).

Yours,
G/.
G.A.MACKINLAY
 
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