Negotiating With Al-Shabaab Will Get America Out of Somalia

When Ethiopian troops, with the Bush administration’s help, invaded Somalia on Christmas Day 2006 to remove a government suspected of sponsoring Islamic terrorists, it was assumed the war would be over quickly. Ten years later, it’s bloodier than ever. More than 300 people were killed in a truck bomb attack in the capital of Mogadishu on Saturday, and a huge section of the city, previously considered relatively safe, now lies in ruins.

Mogadishu is guarded by Somali government troops, but the terrorists, members of Somalia's own al-Qaeda affiliate, al-Shabaab, hid their bombs under sacks of sugar, rice and other foods. Delivery trucks are usually inspected, but the bombers may have had connections to local businessmen and even security officers who let from the very U.S.-backed peacekeepers who are supposed to be fighting the terrorists. As more details emerge, it is becoming brutally clear that Washington’s militarized approach to the Somali crisis is backfiring. Ghastly as al-Shabaab is, negotiating with the group may be the only road to peace.