New jihad declared by Somalia

For those of you who insist the Islamic term "jihad" never means warfare, I bring to your attention a story from London's Telegraph newspaper.

Oh, to my knowledge, Israel is not getting blamed for the conflict in the horn of Africa.

From the Telegraph:

Radical Muslims controlling much of southern Somalia yesterday declared jihad, or holy war, on Ethiopia after accusing its troops of capturing a town taken by the fundamentalists last month.

The 750 Ethiopians were among forces loyal to the Somalia's weak, transitional president, Abdullahi Yusuf. They seized Buur Hakaba without firing a shot early yesterday.

The Islamic Courts Union responded by stepping up their long-running threats to wage war with Ethiopia, which stands accused of sending thousands of troops into Somalia to defend Mr Yusuf's toothless administration.

"Starting from today, we have declared jihad against Ethiopia," said the union's deputy leader, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

Any questions?

Technorati tags: jihad Islam Muslim Ethiopia Somalia News Religion