The editors of Anole Annals were saddened to learn that an Islamist insurgent group in Somalia has taken the name of our favorite lizard.  According to Voice of America News, the Anole fighters and their ally, the Ras Kamboni Brigade, are among the “clan-based factions of Hizbul Islam, a fundamentalist nationalist opposition group that formed an alliance with al-Shabab earlier this year to oppose the U.N.-backed government in Mogadishu.”  Other news outlets confirm the existence of the anole group, but offer up few additional details [1, 2].  The anole fighters do not appear to have taken their name due to any perceived affiliation between Anolis lizards and the fundamentalist Islamic insurgency in Somalia (it seems more likely that group’s name is derived from an affiliation with the town of Anole in coastal Somalia).  Nevertheless, we at Anole Annals are speaking out today to denounce exploitation of the anole name for violent purposes and to express our support for a non-violent resolution to the ongoing conflict in Somalia.

Rich Glor
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