Captain24 wrote:I think this guy works with the Americans, no doubt about it. How can you explain him giving out press conference out in the open, calling international news to give interviews? We all know Cayrow(aun) never gave public interviews, yet the Americans got to him. How come the Americans aren't getting him, even though he is the most visible Al-shabab member? I don't believe int he sincerity of this elaay
That's because Abu Mansur is a little bit crazy. I remember when that Kenyan journalist interviewed him on the front lines in December 2006, you could hear the artillery duels in the background, and the journalist was wearing a flak jacket and you could tell his men were scared sh*tless, but there he was, Abu Mansuur, standing there in a white robe and an AK, cool as a cucumber. He didn't even look agitated. He even brought his 10 year old son with him to the front lines, and that kid looked more scared than anybody.
Then after the invasion, when everyone else was holing up in Kenya or Eritrea or wherever, he was doing attacks on convoys in Bay. No-one else was ready to even start, and he had a 1-year headstart on literally everyone else. He wasn't ready either, but again, Abu Mansuur is a little bit crazy. He had no technicals, no heavy weapons, nothing really. He was ambushing them with AKs.
Because he's a little bit crazy, no-one can predict what he's going to do. Ethiopia could determine that the logical thing for him to do is X, and set up an ambush there, and he'll go and raid Y and Z, on the other side of Bay, through a jungle, with no support, and catch everyone completely offguard.
On the one hand that's awesome to have in a guerrilla commander, but Abu Mansuur is just going to cause trouble in peacetime. He should be redeployed in Ogaden once the war is over. He has a talent for asymmetrical warfare.