Somalia: Another example of the failed "war on terrorism"

Back in 2007 I argued the US backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia was more about imperialism than it was about "fighting terrorism." The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was never a monolithic group, they were never even centered around creating an Islamic state let alone spreading political Islam across the region. It is true there was a vocal jihadist minority in the ICU, but the group had gained support from the Somali people by stabilizing areas of Somalia (something the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) had no success in doing), not from banning music and movies. The US throwing their weight behind an Ethiopian occupation and the warlord-led TFG was simply going to create more violence and radicalize a traditionally moderate population.

Now, with the Ethiopian troops gone and US drones more focused on Pakistan, we can see the effects of the scarcely reported American policies. For the first time in Somalia's history we saw suicide bombers being used (with one being a US citizen who lived in Minneapolis). We saw the more extreme fighters, most notably al-Shabaab, separate from the ICU and gain strength. We also saw Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a former leader in the ICU, elected as president (and earn himself the scorn of Osama bin Laden).

So my question is this: Instead of back an occupation that would no doubt kill tens of thousands, displace millions and further extremism, why not praise the stability brought by the ICU and encourage talks between them and the TFG? We know for a fact there were members of the TFG who opposed an Ethiopian invasion and also members of the ICU who were opposed to the hardline factions. Without the occupation, and the death and destruction it brought, extremist groups wouldn't have had their main recruitment tool. (Even within the context of the occupation groups like al-Shabaab are seen by many in Somalia to be foreign influenced extremists.) This, I'd imagine, would be obvious to anyone actually looking to reduce the amount of terrorism in this region. Unfortunately, the US appears more interested in control than limiting violence.

Instead of "fighting terrorism," US policies have created terrorism, strengthening extremist groups at the expense of the vast majority of Somalis. This seems to be the norm during the "war on terrorism."