June 6, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Allied forces capture several villages in Bakol region

05 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio RBC/Universal TV – 100 words

Somali federal government forces backed by AMISOM troops have captured Rabdhure district and several surrounding areas in Bakol region in their recent offensive against al Shabaab militants. Bakol Governor, Mohamed Abdi Tol who spoke to Bar-kulan has confirmed the capture of Rabdhure, Lahelow, Garas-weyne and several others villages in the region by the allied forces.Tol further stated that the allied forces seized all the above mentioned areas in recent armed clashes against al Shabaab militant group.He vowed that the government forces and the African Union troops in the region will continue to fight against al Shabaab remnants in the region.

Key Headlines

Somali president visits Turkish destroyer (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Hiiraan Online)
Allied forces capture several villages in Bakol region (Radio Bar-kulan/Radio RBC/Universal TV)
Cabinet ministers present new plans to strengthen security (Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Goobjoog)
Kenya: Opposition leader wants KDF withdrawn from Somalia (Capital News)
Shalaambood DC’s house comes under attack (Radio Dalsan)
Ethiopia Somaliland to sign trade agreement in Addis Ababa for the coming days (Somaliland Informer)
Two foreigners charged over terrorism (Daily Nation)
Ethiopia arrests 25 in ‘terror’ sweep (AFP/Yahoo News)
US and Somaliland Collaborate on Wind Energy Project to Power Egal Airport (Somali Current)

SOMALI MEDIA

Allied forces capture several villages in Bakol region

05 Jun – Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio RBC/Universal TV – 100 words

Cabinet ministers present new plans to strengthen security

05 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Radio Goobjoog – 150 words

The cabinet ministers had their weekly meeting on Thursday which was chaired by Prime minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed. In the meeting the council of Ministers focused on best ways of maintaining security of the country particularly the capital, the cabinet also listened reports from the national security committee. In a press conference after the meeting, government spokesman Ridwan Haji Abdiweli told the media that the cabinet agreed on implementation of new plans to improve the security of the country. Some of the plans include registering all public and private vehicles in the country soas to have close watch in case evil acts are carried out using vehicles. On the other hand the cabinet ministers welcomed strengthening the diplomatic ties between Somalia and United states. The prime minister said that the federal government is ready to build up its existing relations with the US.

Somali president visits Turkish destroyer

05 Jun – Source: Radio Mogadishu/SNTV/Hiiraan Online – 322 words

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud has toured a Turkish destroyer which docked at Mogadishu seaport on Thursday. President Hassan was invited to a luncheon organized on the Turkish destroyer. This is the first time that a Turkish navy destroyer moves closer to Somali capital Mogadishu. Meanwhile, The Turkish Navy Chief staff Admiral Murat who arrived in Somalia on Thursday held lengthy talks with key government officials including minister of defence and army commanders. Admiral Murat visited the defence ministry where he met with minister of defence Mohamed Sheik Hassan Hamud, the Somali army chief of Staff General Dahir Aden Elmi and Somali Navy commander General Madey Nurow Ufurow.

Shalaambood DC’s house comes under attack

06 Jun – Source: Radio Dalsan – 137 words

On Wednesday night, some of the troops in the army attacked the house of Shalaambood District Commissioner Abdulkadir Osman in Shalaambood town.In the process, they were confronted by the Govt. troops who guard his house. However, the motive behind the attack is not clear. “The fighting was not fierce. There was no casualty. The town is calm at the moment. Those who attacked my house have retreated back,” commissioner Abdulkadir said. On the other hand, Commissioner Abdulkadir said those troops who attacked his house were earlier harassing people in the area. “Those troops were nowadays doing crimes such as rape and murdering residents,” The Commissioner said. Government troops in Shabelle clash from time to time, a situation which reflects that the Govt. troops in that region are not united and don’t have tangible cooperation.

Ethiopia, Somaliland to sign trade agreement in Addis Ababa for the coming days

06 Jun – Source: Somaliland Informer – 126 words

A colossal Ship carrying construction materials for Ethiopia has docked the port city of Berbera. Many Ethiopian trucks have crossed the border town of Tog Wajale heading to Berbera to transport the consignment to Jigjiga, the administrative capital of Somali regional government in Ethiopia which is expected t implemented development projects with the use of building stuffs. Berbera Port Manager Eng. Ali Hor Hor has confirmed the ship carrying Ethiopian bound consignment has docked the port. Trucks from both countries will benefit transporting the shipment to Jigjiga. Mr. Ali has further revealed that trade agreement will be signed by delegations from both countries in Ethiopia for the coming days. Ethiopia & Somaliland cooperates on numbers of areas be it security, trade and intelligence information gathering exchange.

US and Somaliland Collaborate on Wind Energy Project to Power Egal Airport

05 Jun – Source: Somali Current – 221 words

The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the self declared state Somaliland Administration officially handed over a wind energy facility project to power the Hargeisa Egal International Airport during a ceremony on June 2, 2014. The Somaliland Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources assumed control of and responsibility for the facility and will oversee its operations.The ceremony was held at the Hargeisa Egal International Airport and was officiated by Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo, and attended by the Ministers of Civil Aviation, Planning, Environment, Interior, Information, and Water, USAID’s Acting Somalia Office Director Hodan Hassan, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya: Opposition leader wants KDF withdrawn from Somalia

05 Jun – Source: Capital News – 125 words

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy leader Raila Odinga says it is time for Kenya to withdraw its troops from neighbouring Somalia. The former Prime Minister who addressed members of the Somali community in Eastleigh said the continued stay of Kenya Defence Forces soldiers in Somalia is hurting Kenyans. “It is high time the Government should evaluate whether there is any reason to still have our soldiers at Somalia. Does their continued stay in Somali bring peace to our country?” he posed. “We went there because there were many attacks then by the thugs.” President Uhuru Kenyatta has insisted that he has no intention of withdrawing the troops from the war torn country until they accomplish their mission.

Two foreigners charged over terrorism

05 Jun – Source: Daily Nation – 129 words

An Israeli and a Moroccan linked to the al Shabaab were Thursday charged afresh in a Nairobi court with eleven counts of terrorism. Mr Jabareen Ahmed alias Harum Osama and his suspected accomplice Mr Mohamed Salim were arrested while planning to commit terror attacks in the country, the court was told. The prosecution said the suspects were found collecting information for possible terror attacks and that various materials implicating them in the scheme were found in their possession when they were arrested onFebruary 25 along Nairobi-Kamiti Road. Mr Ahmed denied he was a member of the al Shabaab terror group and also disowned an assortment of computer hard-disks and video material police said contained militancy related articles and were intended for use in instigating terrorism.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Ethiopia arrests 25 in ‘terror’ sweep

05 Jun – Source: AFP/Yahoo News – 312 words

Ethiopian police arrested 25 people accused of plotting attacks in the country and suspected of having links to Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels, officials said Thursday. Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told AFP that those detained had been trained by the militants in Somalia and were planning a series of attacks in Jimma, about 305 kilometres (189 miles) southwest of the Ethiopian capital and where the arrests were made. “About 25 people have been apprehended on suspicion of organising an underground terrorist cell,” he said, adding that “a number of weapons” were also seized and the suspects likely to be charged. Ethiopia, which shares a 1,600 kilometre border with Somalia, sent troops into the country in 2011 to help African Union and Somali defence forces fight al Shabaab. It currently has around 4,500 troops in the country and has spearheaded a recent offensive against the Islamists.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Al Shabaab has honed its media strategy as aggressively as it has enforced its bans on the Somali population. As the group loses control of parts of the country, it has issued a series of bans on technology”

How Somalia’s al Shabaab militants hone their image

05 Jun – Source: BBC Monitoring – 786 words

A recent al Shabaab directive that all its members change their mobile phone numbers shows how tech-savvy the al Qaeda-linked Somali Islamist group remains and how their communications strategy is key to their survival. Concerned that their messages may be intercepted, the leadership has also banned members from using smart phones. The group has long run what is regarded as a slick media machine. Even without smart phones, it has been known for its sophisticated handling of social media, a reputation at odds with its regular bans on communication technology for Somali citizens. In particular, it has made extensive use of Twitter in order to get its message across. It has also devoted considerable resources to producing a series of promotional videos. Al Shabaab’s material aims to spread the group’s ideology of establishing an Islamic state in Somalia, in line with al Qaeda’s stated ambition of setting up a global Islamic caliphate. It wants to achieve this both by military conquest and also the conversion of souls, in which the effective use of communication technology is a key tool. Al Shabaab’s well-produced video documentaries deliver the jihadi narrative in an appealing form to Somali audiences in the diaspora. They are aimed at young people of Somali origin such as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, a suspect in last year’s Westgate mall attack in Kenya. His family is said to have moved to Norway as refugees in 1999. The group’s documentaries are produced by its media arm, the al-Kataib foundation.