October 23, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Six dies in battle between IJA and Al-shabab

22 Oct – Source: RBC Radio – 155 Words

At least six people are reported to have died in a deadly battle that erupted between interim jubba administration forces and Al-shabab fighters in villages in Lower Jubba.

Interim Jubba Administration spokesman Abdinasir Serar stated that IJA forces have waged heavy onslaught on the militants as they were planning to carry out ambush assault on interim Jubba administration forces in the village.

Al though there are no full reports from this battle, the spokesman has stated that six of the dead persons includes one Interim Jubba Administration solder, while the remaining five killed person are Al-shabab fighters.

Serar had added that there are also 11 wounded Al-shabab fighters and also one wounded soldier from their side.

This is coming as Al-shabab is losing the battle in south and central parts of Somalia after Somali forces along with African Union troops are waging heavy campaign on the militants.

Key Headlines

Six dies in battle between IJA and Al-shabab (RBC Radio)
Government forces arrest dozens in Mogadishu (Radio Goobjoog)
German security forces to hunt German Al shabaab financer in Kenya and Somalia (Radio Dalsan)
PM Abdiweli: The federal government put measures in place to control the spread of Ebola (Radio Goobjoog)
Somalia: foreign minister receives Egypt’s Charge D’affaires in his office (Radio Goobjoog) Ugandan contingent of AMISOM warned against Ebola (Radio Dalsan )
The parliamentary committee of social services visits the wounded people in Mogadishu (Radio Muqdisho)
Most wanted terror suspect arrested in Mwingi (The Daily Nation)
Al-Shabaab stones alleged rapist to death ‘to show power of Sharia’ (International Business Team)
Details emerge of Colorado girls’ possible bid to aid Islamic radicals( Los Angeles Times)

SOMALI MEDIA

Six die in battle between IJA and Al-shabab

22 Oct – Source: RBC Radio – 155 Words

At least six people are reported to have died in a deadly battle that erupted between interim jubba administration forces and Al-shabab fighters in villages in Lower Jubba.

Serar had added that there are also 11 wounded Al-shabab fighters and also one wounded soldier from their side.

This is coming as Al-shabab is losing the battle in south and central parts of Somalia after Somali forces along with African Union troops are waging heavy campaign on the militants.

Government forces arrests dozens in Mogadishu

22 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 105 Words

The government forces have conducted dawn security operations in Heliwaa district of Banadir region on Wednesday.

Over fifty people mostly youth suspected of being Al-shabab members were apprehended during the operations. The forces were targeting some houses in the district as eye witness who spoke on condition of anonymity told the local media.

Heliwaa district commissioner Mohamed Ahmed Haashi confirmed to Goobjoog FM that the government forces succeeded in arresting Al-shabab members after conducting massive operations in some areas of the district.

The commissioner added that the security of the district is fit and the operations will continue until the insecurity is dealt with.

German security forces to hunt German Al shabaab financer in Kenya and Somalia

22 Oct – Source: Radio Dalsan – 146 Words

German security officials are due to arrive in Somalia and Kenya in search of a German businessman who allegedly finances youth recruitment for Al shabaab in Eastern Africa.

The individual is said to be an international terrorist. The name of the man is said to be Mark Schillinger. A security official from the German Ministry of Defense by the name Dr. Ralf Brauksiepe will visit Nairobi and Mogadishu so as to investigate the whereabouts of the man in question.

However, the date those security officials will come to Kenya and Somalia is still tentative, he head of press at the German Embassy in Nairobi, Mr. Martin Falk has said.

The Al shabaab financier Mark Schillinger is believed to be hiding in either Kenya or Somalia while using another name and a forged travel document.

PM Abdiweli: The federal government put measures in place to control the spread of Ebola

22 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 154 Words

The federal government of Somalia is making efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus to the country. Prime Minister Abdiweli speaking immediately after he returned from a successful bilateral trip to Burundi said his government will take all steps possible to stop Ebola virus in reaching the country.

“We are very much concerned about the spread of Ebola virus in West African countries, the federal government puts measures to control its spread” PM Abdiweli said. He said the government put strict measures in place to screen the peacekeeping troops and the other people coming from abroad.

Recently Ambassador Sidikou learnt with great concern about the case and wishes to assure the Somalia people and the international community that AMISOM had already put measures in place to ensure that no soldier from the Sierra Leonean contingent is deployed to Somalia without stringent screening as they prepare to make their contribution in Somalia.

Somalia: foreign minister receives Egypt’s Charge D’affaires in his office

22 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 101 Words

The minister for foreign affairs of federal government of Somalia Abdirahman Duale Beilah has welcomed Dr. Mohamed Mandour, Egypt’s Charge D’affaires in Somalia to his office in Mogadishu.

The two leaders discussed wide range issues including restoration of the bilateral relations between the two nations and backing federal government’s efforts to rebuild the country after more two decades of civil war.

“Egypt is an old ally and current partner” the minister said in his twitter account after meeting Egypt’s Charge D’affaires to Somalia on Wednesday. Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu has been closed since the outbreak of civil war in Somalia 1991.

The parliamentary committee of social services visits wounded people in Mogadishu

22 Oct – Source: Radio Goobjoog/Radio Muqdisho – 133 Words

The parliamentary committee of social services paid visit to wounded people in Madina hospital, especially the injured ones during the car bomb explosions in Mogadishu. The committee first listened reports on the health of the wounded people from the director of Madina hospital Mohamed Yussuf,

The chairman of the committee Dr. Osman Mohamud Mohamed who held press conference after the visit said they very concern about the problems innocent citizens face during the targeted explosions in the country particularly the capital. He added that it’s part of their obligations to observe and assess the problems and the needs of the wounded people in the health centers.

Over 15 people died and more than thirty others wounded during two consecutive car bombs in Mogadishu are getting treatment in various hospitals of the capital city, Mogadishu.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Most wanted terror suspect arrested in Mwingi

22 Oct – Source – The Daily Nation – 265 Words

Police in Mwingi town on Wednesday arrested a most wanted terror suspect as he tried to sneak his way into the Capital Nairobi from Somalia. The suspect identified Mohammed Abdi Wahab, who is believed to be key leader of the Al-Shabaab terror group was intercepted at a roadblock in Mwingi aboard a private Toyota Land cruiser car.

A team of officers from both the National Intelligence Service and Anti-Terror Police Unit in Garissa are said to have been monitoring the movements of the suspect for a while but he slipped by hiking a lift in the high end car. According to the head of police in Mwingi Mr Gerald Barasa, his team was given particulars of the car and the terror suspect’s description by their Garissa counterparts and asked to detain him.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Al-Shabaab stones alleged rapist to death ‘to show power of sharia’

22 Oct – Source: International Business Times – 272 Words

A Somali man accused of rape has been stoned to death by terror group al-Shabaab.
The 18-year-old man allegedly abused his female victim at gunpoint in the outskirts of her village, in the Lower Shabelle region.

“This shows we have the power to sentence anyone who breaks Islamic law,” Sheikh Mohammed Abu Abdalla, the self-styled al-Shabaab governor for the region, told Reuters. The insurgents added that the 28-year-old victim will receive compensation over a period of two years, and the final sum will be equivalent to a dowry payment.

Details emerge of Colorado girls’ possible bid to aid Islamic radicals

22 Oct – Source: Los Angeles Times – 666 Words

On Friday, two Somali sisters in suburban Denver told their father that they were too ill to go to school so they were going to stay home. By mid-morning, they called their father at work and said that they wanted to go to the library.

The father told authorities he didn’t see his daughters again until they were returned on Monday after they and a friend were stopped at an airport in Germany, according to sheriff’s reports.

The three girls were apparently en route to Turkey and eventually to Syria where they were possibly seeking to aid the radical Muslim group Islamic State, according to a U.S. official interviewed by the Associated Press. Officials said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the runaways.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

“A wave of xenophobic violence have plagued the Somali Diaspora in South Africa for about five years and the South African authorities are taking very little steps in protecting Somali citizens and there is no sign of justice for the victims and the wider Somali community.”

Appalling violence against Somalis in South Africa must stop

22 Oct – Source: Hiiraan Onine – 428 Words

Another peace-loving and hard-working Somali business man has been killed in South Africa this week. Another is in a critical condition. Killing Somalis and looting their hard-earned properties has become a daily occurrence in South Africa. The evil criminals who perpetrate crime against Somalis often go unpunished. This needs to stop now. Enough is enough.

For the last three month five to eight Somali shopkeepers residing in Durban, South Africa have been killed after been robbed at gunpoint.
In the latest attack on Monday, a 32 year old male, Farah Dahir Badul was shot dead and a 28 year old, Abdirahman Mohamed Farah is in a critical condition. They were just doing their jobs-running their shops and working on behalf of their customers.

Another shopkeeper, Ahmed Sheik, 24, was spared only because he happened to be sleeping in another part of the building at the time the shooting took place. According to Mr Sheik, three robbers carrying guns came into the shop and started shooting each of the men without saying anything and afterwards, robbed them of what they had including cash and cigarettes.

“If climate change continues at the same rate, East Africa’s food security could get even worse with a 20 percent decline in the growing period of key crops by the end of the century and productivity of bean crops cut in half.”

Drought and climate change in the Horn of Africa require responsibility and resilience

21 Oct – Source: Minn Post – 532 Words

While Ebola occupies the world’s attention, a humanitarian crisis is quickly unfolding in Somalia. In August, the Somali federal government declared famine in several regions. The rain necessary for food arrived a month late and was brief in duration. Drought grips much of the country, leaving nearly 3 million Somalis at risk for food insecurity. In conflict areas, over a million people remain displaced from their homes. UNICEF estimates that 200,000 children could die by the end of the year if no action is taken.

The Horn of Africa is considered one of the poorest regions in the world, and ongoing droughts continue to plague this region. The 2011-2012 drought and famine was the worst to hit the region in 25 years, and claimed 260,000 lives. Half of the lives lost were children under the age of 5.

The United Nations estimates that 16 million people in the Horn of Africa are in urgent need of food and other humanitarian assistance today. If climate change continues at the same rate, East Africa’s food security could get even worse with a 20 percent decline in the growing period of key crops by the end of the century and productivity of bean crops cut in half.