Mogadishu Falls

Most Americans know Mogadishu from the book or film Black Hawk Down. What they may not know is that it is a recent front of the War on Terrorism.

Since the overthrow of its despotic government in 1991, Somalia has been Mad Max land. Warlord controlled militias rule most of the country. Their power is based on the presence of roving militias mounted in armed "technicals" (basically souped up mini-trucks with mounted machine guns). Sound familiar?

Now on the heels of the U.N. forming a nascent government, an Islamic faction, possibly linked with al-Qaeda, from southern Somalia have overwhelmed the loosely allied warlords and have taken Mogadishu.

The U.S. may soon have a new, even more unstable terrorist hotspot on its southern flank.

This certainly bears watching.