from fears of once again committing large numbers of American soldiers to Somalia following the disastrous 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. Ironically, the warlords the Americans would fund to fight the Islamic Courts Union were many of the same ones that had fought directly against the Americans in Mogadishu during the bloody summer and fall of 1993. Between May and July 2006 the warlord alliance went on the offensive against the Islamic Courts Union, and attempted to seize total control of Mogadishu. Defeat of the warlord alliance and seizure of Mogadishu On June 5, 2006, the Islamic Courts Union decisively defeated the warlord alliance in the Second Battle of Mogadishu, gained total authority over the capital and proceeded to establish a 65-mile radius of control around the city. This was a seminal moment in modern Somali history, as the ICU was now the first group to have consolidated control over all of Mogadishu since the collapse of the Somali state. According to Chatham House, "The Courts achieved the unthinkable, uniting Mogadishu for the first time in 16 years, and re-establishing peace and security". Over the next few months the Islamic Courts embarked on a campaign to stabilize the city. On 15 July 2006, Mogadishu International Airport, which had been closed since the withdrawal of the international forces in 1995, reopened. The ICU organized a clean-up campaign for the streets of Mogadishu on 20 July 2006. This was the first time litter and rubbish had been collected in the entire city since it collapsed into chaos over a decade earlier. On the 25 August they also reopened the historic seaport of Mogadishu, which had been one of the busiest in ports in all of East Africa. Another action that significantly increased the ICU's popularity was the restoration of proper ownership regarding land and homes that had been lost or stolen during the civil war. The Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism soon collapsed, with the majority of its commanders publicly resigning or expressing support for the ICU. Two of the defeated warlords allegedly fled to an American naval vessel off the Somali coast according to witnesses in Mogadishu. ICU offensive, deployment of Ethiopian troops and First Khartoum ICU/TFG talks With its newfound position of authority, the ICU seized on its popularity and began pushing deep into the regions surrounding the city for the first time. Their offensive capability was greatly