SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010
KLMNO
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The World
A7
A capital on edge after hotel attack during Ramadan
Bombings underline weakness of Somalia’s U.S.-backed leadership
BY SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN
mogadishu, somalia — The ceiling of the Hotel Muna was splattered with burned flesh and pieces of clothing, the remains of twoIslamist suicidebomberswho killed 31 people hereTuesday.The blasts blewout doors and covered mattresseswith blood and debris. They also shattered what little sense of security Abullahi War- same had left. “We are in theworst chapter of
our war,” Warsame, the hotel’s manager, said as he touched a grapefruit-size bullet hole, one of scores that pocked the walls after a gun battlewith the attackers. Violence has long riven Soma-
PHOTOS BY MAX BECHERER Cpl.MichaelKlipp, left, supervises Pfc. Trevein Grimaldi, he loads his machine gun before heading out from the base on a mission. A new mission but familiar dangers in Iraq iraq from A1
than a year ago when American soldiers were pulled back from Iraq’s urban centers and for the most part retreated into their bases. But less than twomonths into
their deployment, two of Frost’s men have already been killed. Their mission still involves risks as they escort commanders and trainers to appointments with Iraqi officials. Around them, as- sassinations and violence seem to be on the rise, although at drastically lower levels than dur- ing the darkest days of Iraq’s civil war, between 2005 and 2007. Last week, as news reports in
the United States hailed the de- parture from Iraq carrying the last designated combat brigade, family members eagerly called their loved ones here, asking whether they too were headed home.No, the soldiers toldwives, mothers, fathers and grandmoth- ers. They have more than 300 days left in Iraq. The day after other troops
celebrated their exit from Iraq, soldiers at FOB Warhorse mourned the passing of Sgt. Ja- mal Rhett, a young medic, killed on Aug. 15. A grenadewas lobbed into his vehicle as he and his platoon left federal police head- quarters in Baqubah, northeast of Baghdad. They were escorting a police training team. Despite their new title, sol-
diers know that the battle is not over, not for them and not for Iraq. The names of Rhett and 1st Lt.Michael L. Runyan, both from the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, were added to a me- morial of the fallen that spans at least five concrete blast walls at the base. At the trailers where the Char-
lie Company of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment lives, Staff Sgt. Gilbert Ayala, 28, limped to the showers. Shrapnel ripped into his side and legs about twoweeks ago,whenRhett was killed. Ayala said it doesn’t matter to
him what the mission is called. This is his third deployment, and he has been wounded and lost friends before. But this wound was the deepest, this loss the hardest. “I find new holes in me every
day,” Ayala said.He scoffed at the idea that the war was over. “It can’t be, because things like this are still going down. Boom, and my friend is gone, right in front ofme.” “On a lighter note, we got
coffee,” joked Staff Sgt. Rick Pen- kala, 32, nervously trying to change the subject. “I just hopewe leave this place
better than when we came,” add- ed Staff Sgt. Paul Roderick Jr., 29.
A ‘tactical taxi’ In many ways, Iraq is better,
the soldiers said. There aremore Iraqi forces, they are better equipped, and the violence is down compared with the days of the surge, when U.S. casualties spiked and Iraqis were being killed in far greater numbers. But their interactions with the com- munity are limited, and they see very little of what happens out- side their bases. 1st Lt. Mike Makrucki briefed
his men outside their vehicles. “Yesterday there was a [car bomb] in Baqubah that killed two and wounded 12 others. The [Explosives Ordinance Team]
disabled another bomb targeting the provincial government,” he said. “Assassination attempts are running rampant.” Their mission on this day was
to escort their captain, Burt Eissler, to ameetingwith an Iraqi commander inMuqdadiyah, just outside the provincial capital. The road was new for them, and Makrucki warned that roadside bombs were prevalent. He told the soldiers to keep their heads inside the Stryker armored vehi- cles asmuch as possible. “We’re a tactical taxi now,” said
Spec. Joshua Johnson, 25, the gunner on one vehicle, as he put on his gear and assumed his position. On most of their mis- sions they escort people to their destination and sit outside. “Pray for the best,” he told the
four other soldiers in the vehicle. They rolled out of the base. Half-way to their destination
they stopped and waited for an Iraqi police escort before con- tinuing. Eissler went in to meet an Iraqi army commander as most of the soldiers waited out- side. They rolled down the hatch- es of their vehicles and took off their helmets. “We’re pretty safe in here now,”
said Staff Sgt. Justin Austin, 23, and gestured toward the tower- ing concrete walls surrounding the area. “Muqdadiyah is one of theworst spots in Iraq right now. Thewarmay be over, but combat is definitely not. People still die here.”
Sudden violence Since the death of their broth-
er-in-arms they’ve been more careful. Training their weapons on people to scare themaway, he said. “It was a lucky day for them and unlucky for us,” Austin said.
Sgt. Sylvester Cook, left, talks with Sgt. Ricky Lyles right, outside the brigade’s housing units. Cook was wounded in the leg in an attack.
Lt.Michael Makrucki, 27, of Pittsburgh uses a map to coordinate with Iraqi police commanderMaj. Jassim.
lia. But the carnage at this three- storyhotel, painted insofthues of green and yellow, has triggered a collective dread in the besieged capital that the conflict has en- tered a dangerous new phase. Over two decades, Warsame has witnessedU.S. airstrikes andwar- lords battling for territory. But while they have fought year- round, none of Somalia’s power seekers had targeted civilians so calculatingly during Islam’s holi- estmonth—until now. “How can they kill during Ra- madan?” Warsame demanded, stepping over spent bullet car- tridges. “Something like this has never happened.” The al-Qaeda-linked militant
group al-Shabab asserted respon- sibility for the brazen daylight attack, which many Somalis saw as reflecting the growing influ- ence on themilitia of foreign jiha- dists. The tactics and planning, they noted, mirror those used by militants in Baghdad and Kabul, where assaultsonciviliansduring Ramadan have become routine. “It is very similar to what is
Sgt. Joshua Johnson, 25, prepares his Stryker vehicle for the day’s mission .
“The war may be over, but combat is definitely not.”
Staff Sgt. Justin Austin 6
on
washingtonpost.com Same place, new job
Grappling with a shift from battle brigade to advisory
force.
washingtonpost.com/world
“It’s kind of a slap in the face to see on the news that all combat troops are out. We’re infantry guys, and that’s just a name change. Itmeans nothing.” “We’re going to do ourmission,
nomatter what,” Johnson added. “It seems a lot better. The Iraqi
security forces seema lot better,” Austin said. “But honestly I don’t really care. I just care that we go home.” Then a powerful blast rocked
the vehicle, and Austin threw on his helmet. “Start the truck,” he yelled to
the driver. They closed the hatch, and the soldiers rolled out to see what had happened. “I don’t know what’s going on right now,” Johnson said. “It’s a car bomb, I think.” At the time they didn’t know
that Sunni insurgent groups were setting off bombs in at least a dozen towns and cities across the country inwhat seemed to be a message that they were still here asU.S. troop numbers dwin- dled. The soldiers stayed in their
vehicles andwaited for the bomb squad. A half-hour later, another explosion ripped through an Iraqi army truck in front of them. Amanwas carried away. “At least it’s not us this time,” said Pfc. Stephen James Lapierre, 23. Rhett had been his roommate. They waited in their vehicles
andwatched as peoplewalked by, cars drove around them and Iraqi security forces blocked off the area. After the bomb squad had finally come and gone, they left. Johnson handed Lapierre a
slab of wood. “Knock on it for luck,” he said.
fadell@washpost.com
happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said Mohamed Hassan Haad, an influential clan elder from southern Somalia. “The brains behind this are for- eign. This is not natural to Somali culture.” For other Somalis, the attack
underscored the impotence of the U.S.-backed Somali transitional government and the helplessness that has envelopedMogadishu. It unfolded inside government-con- trolled territory, within walking distance of Villa Somalia, the presidential palace, and it took only two assailants disguised in military uniforms to devastate a hotel known for housing govern- ment officials, military com- manders and lawmakers, many with their own bodyguards. “I am expecting al-Shabab to
overtake the city and the whole country,” saidMussa JamaAbshir, whose family has owned the hotel for four decades. “They are pow- erful. This is the reality on the ground.”
Government turf shrinks It has been a week of mayhem
in Mogadishu, a city accustomed toround-the-clockmortar attacks and fierce battles that have killed hundreds and compelled many more to flee their homes. A day before the hotel was attacked, al- Shabab declared a “massive final war” against the fragile govern- mentandanAfricanUnionpeace- keeping force that is preventing it frombeing toppled. Over the past few days, front
lines have been pushed back, shrinking the sliver of territory the government controls. Clashes have erupted along the Muka al- Mukarama, the main road that connects Villa Somalia and gov- ernment ministries with the air- port. On Friday, pickup trucks load-
ed with gunmen and minibuses filled with fleeing Somalis sped through intersections to evade bullets fired fromal-Shabab posi- tions. African Union armored ve- hicles secured the parliament building, a key target of the mili- tants.Nearby,apatchof earthwas covered with tank shells from nights of bombardment. A few yards farther were remnants of burned tires placed by al-Shabab, a bold sign of its ability to infil- trate government-controlled turf. In recent days, hundreds of
people seeking refuge have ar- rived in the Medina neighbor- hood, the capital’s safest area be- cause of its proximity to the air- port and the African Union base. Many had fled government-con- trolled areas that al-Shabab mili- tants overran.Fewwerewilling to predict that they would remain safe.
SUDAN ERIT. DJIBOUTI ETHIOPIA KENYA TANZ. MOZAM. TURKEY
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“The war has intensified, and
life in Somalia has become more hellish,” saidHalimaMohammed, 32, who arrived Tuesday with three wounded relatives after a shell hit their home. “Only God knows if thewarwill come here.” Hardly anyone in the capital
had thought the war would reach theHotelMuna. The building is nestled in the
heart of Somalia’s seats of power. Dozens of soldiers protect theVil- la Somalia and several govern- ment buildings; the Ministry of Information,protectedbyAfrican Union peacekeepers, is also near- by. The hotel itself had eight guards. The attackers arrived at 9:45
a.m., as neighborhood residents gathered at a coffee shop on the hotel’s first floor to hear thewar’s latest rumors. Boys washed cars nearby; street vendors peddled theirwares. Mohammed Ahmed Bile was
on his way to work at the prime minister’s office. As he passed the hotel, gunfire erupted, followed by explosions. A grenade tore through a woman standing out- side the hotel, severing her head. “Her head hit me in the chest,
andI felldown,” recalledBile,who was struck in the abdomen by shrapnel. “Iwoke up in the hospi- tal.” Shrapnel also struck AbdiWali
Ahmed, a bodyguard for a mili- tary commander staying at the hotel. Being struck saved his life. He fell to the groundandpretend- ed to be dead while the militants shot up the hotel’s tiny lobby, killing four people. “It was just by chance that I
escaped,” Ahmed said from his hospital bed.
Deepening fear The gunmen, Somalis in green
camouflage fatigues, made their way up the hotel’s stairs, going room to room and spraying bul- lets at anyone they saw,witnesses recalled. Soldiers arrived and firedat themen,asdidlawmakers who had guns. Guests and hotel staffwere caught in the crossfire. “When they were finally cor-
nered, they explodedthemselves,” said Isaac Ibrahim Ali, 46, a law- maker who escaped by jumping from a balcony. He landed on a pile of bodies, he said, fracturing his leg. The attack, and al-Shabab’s on-
goingpushintogovernment terri- tory, has heightened calls among Somalis for more international support. “Al-Shabab can get uniforms
easily by buying it from the sol- diers,” said Abdulqadir Abdullahi Hussein, a frontline commander. “Soldiers even sell their weapons to al-Shabab. The government can’t be blamed. They don’t have money.” Today, fear and suspicion have
deepened across Mogadishu. Ho- tels have bolstered their security. Employees are frisked for bombs; at checkpoints, government vehi- cles are inspected for impostors. At Madina Hospital, after a
doctorwrapped newbandages on Ahmed’s legs, the wounded man said the attack had altered his view of his countrymen. “It’s very difficult to trust anyone in the future, especially someone in a military uniform,” he said. Afewminutes later, relatives of
Bile persuaded himto stop speak- ing to a Western journalist. His sister walked up and, in a low voice, apologized. “You must understand that al-
Shabab is everywhere,” she said. “They are listening tous.They are observing us. Whatever we say will have consequences.”
raghavans@washpost.com
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