December 31, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

U.S. Airstrike Kills Al-Shabaab’s Intelligence Chief

30 Dec – Wall Street Journal – 349 Words

A U.S. airstrike in Somalia late Monday killed a leading member of the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, the Somali national security ministry said in a statement Tuesday. It named the militant as Abdishakur Tahlil and said he was chief of intelligence for the al Qaeda-affiliated group. A Somali defense official said Mr. Tahlil is believed to have masterminded recent al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya, including the killing of 36 non-Muslim miners in the Kenyan town of Mandera earlier this month.

The Pentagon announced the airstrike in a press statement late Monday but neither named its target nor commented on how successful the operation had been. Pentagon officials said Tuesday that Mr. Tahlil was the target of the strike and were trying to confirm that he had been killed in the attack. Mr. Tahlil’s death comes four months after another U.S. airstrike killed al-Shabaab’s leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, and three days after another leading figure, Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, wanted for $3 million by the U.S. State Department, was apprehended by Somali defense forces. When arrested, Mr. Hersi claimed that he had left the group, and the Somali defense official said Mr. Tahlil, who was killed in Monday’s airstrike, was his replacement.

The Pentagon statement, emailed to reporters by spokesman Mark Wright, said the operation had taken place in the area of Saakow in Somalia, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the capital Mogadishu. “We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information, when appropriate, as details become available,” it said. Al-Shabaab was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 2008 and has been responsible for dozens of attacks in Somalia and in neighboring countries like Uganda and Kenya.

Key Headlines

Unidentified gunmen kill girl in Mogadishu (Radio Goobjoog)
Somali Intelligence dismisses the handover of wanted Al Shabaab commander (Dalsan Radio)
Five die in clan clashes in southern Mudug (Radio RBC)
Jubaland Southwest State sign MoU (Garowe Online)
Governor Mungab opens new police station in Shibis district (Radio Goobjoog)
Taking a risk on recovery in Somalia (The National UEA)
Kenyan police deny involvement in cleric’s death (Sabahi Online)
U.S. Airstrike Kills Al-Shabaab’s Intelligence Chief (WSJ)
Egypt to provide Somalia with customs tax expertise (Egypt Independent)

SOMALI MEDIA

Unidentified gunmen kill girl in Mogadishu

30 Dec – Radio Goobjoog – 88 Words

Unidentified gunmen killed a recent graduate named Maryan Ahmed in Dharkeynley district of Banadir regionon Tuesday. Reports say that the girl recently graduated from one the universities in Mogadishu. A local resident in Dharkeynley district told Goobjoog FM that the gunmen escaped from the area immediately after they killed the girl. The administration of Dharkeynley district has not yet commented on the incident. On November 3rd 2014, unknown gunmen killed two other postgraduate girls in Dharkenley district in a similar attack.

Somali Intelligence dismisses the handover of wanted Al Shabaab commander

30 Dec – Source: Dalsan radio – 130 Words

Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) have dismissed the handover of wanted Al Shabaab commander Zakariye Hersi to Kenyan authorities. NISA said in a press statement, that the news circulating in the media about the handover of Hersi is untrue and he is in the hands of Somali intelligence. A Somali security official earlier today confirmed to the media that former Al Shabaab intelligence chief Zakariye Hersi was handed over to Kenyan authorities. There is no official comment from the Kenyan government regarding the statement from Somali government officials. Meanwhile NISA has also confirmed the killing of current Al Shabaab chief intelligence officer Tahlil alias Abdishakur by a US drone strike. He was killed along with his two guards near Sakow.

Five die in clan clashes in southern Mudug

30 Dec – Source: Radio RBC – 90 Words

At least five people are reported to have died in a clan-affiliated clashes in southern Mudug. Two clan militias have fought in Miligle area near Xarardhere district in Mudug region. The clashes caused the loss of five lives, and the injuries of several others. The motive of the clashes is said to be land grazing disputes. The area controlled, by Galmudug administration, has recently witnessed similar clashes while the administration have failed to create reconciliation conferences to prevent further clashes.

Jubaland, Southwest State sign MoU

30 Dec – Source: Garowe Online – 347 Words

The presidents of Jubaland administration and Southwest state signed a 4-point Memorandum of Understanding on security, trade, federalization and constitution and the country’s timetable towards credible elections by 2016, Garowe Online reports. Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Madobe) and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan signed the bilateral agreement in the presence of traditional leaders, politicians and civil society activists representing the two federal states in the southern port city of Kismayo on Monday.

On Vision 2016, the two administrations agreed to a new campaign that would let the residents of federal states understand the core values of the vision and `”1called for more radical measures by the central government. Jubaland and Southwest state urged Mogadishu-based federal government to adopt a ‘No Objection Policy’, and federal institutions to delegate concrete powers to regional bureaus in the face of truly democratic systems of governance. According to the MoU, the two expressed their keenness in an even distribution by the Somalia Federal Government of international assistance. “We agreed on pre-civil war borderlines and regional demarcations made by the military government,” stated the two-party deal.

MoU revealed the formation of a security committee that would have representatives from Southwest and Jubaland states: “Also regional security agencies will share intelligence and at the same time will launch joint military offensives against Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants,” read the bilateral agreement. “Anybody who commits a crime in the jurisdiction of one of the two federal states will be extradited. Jubaland and Southwest state agreed to exchange the trainings and those with expertise in the field of security,” MoU noted.

Governor Mungab opens new police station in Shibis district

30 Dec – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 164 Words

On Constitution and Federalization process, Jubaland and Southwest state called for the establishment of interstate commission which they said would speed up the relationship between the government in Mogadishu and regional states. The Federal states in southern Somalia directed their respective Chamber of Commerce to scale up the exchange of merchandise on larger scale and encourage cross-border trade and movement. The co-operation deal marks the first to be signed officially by the two states as the country’s federalization process continues to gain momentum.
The governor of Banadir region, Hassan Mohamud Hussein Mungaab openedna new police station for Shibis district in Banadir region where there no police station before.
The governor said that the new police station is implemented by the administration of Banadir region and funded by the USAID. He added that this police station has all facilities required. The station consist of two cells, a well equipped office for the commander, toilets and all other requirements for a police station such as telecommunications. Mungaab said that within the 8 months that the district commissioner Abdifatah Noor Ali was in the office, he completed four of his administration departments, a police station, new tarmac roads. The governor called upon residents to pay the tax and collaborate with the administration in restoring the security in the district. Lastly, governor Mungaab promised that they would soon open health centres that offers free medical services, schools and other social amenities.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Taking a risk on recovery in Somalia

30 Dec – Source: The National, UEA – 357 Words

Over the past two decades, Somalia has become synonymous with the concept of a failed state. The overthrow of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and the collapse of the central government in 1991 threw it into a state of protracted civil war, with a subsistence economy and virtually no functioning institutions, public or private. But things have begun to change and there are signs of recovery.

Military success is one thing, public confidence is another. One of the first indicators of a return to normality came two years ago, when former Dubai airport worker Mohamed Mahamoud Sheik opened a dry-cleaning store in the capital, Mogadishu. He was among the first to see a business opportunity where once there was only lawlessness and an absence of hope. A year ago, Mr Sheik noticed that love was blooming among Somalis but they could only buy artificial flowers. So he started to sell fresh flowers.
This week comes news that the country’s first insurance company in more than 20 years has opened its doors in Mogadishu. The First Takaful and Re-Takaful Insurance Company will offer life, car and house insurance in line with Islamic principles. In a failed state, it is impossible to assess actuarial risks. For example, the high prevalence of hand-grenade attacks on cars had made them uninsurable. The fact that somebody is now prepared to offer insurance on property and human lives – and believes it to be a workable business model – is significant.

Kenyan police deny involvement in cleric’s death

29 Dec – Source: Sabahi Online – 234 Words
Kenyan police are not behind the death of a Muslim cleric whose body was found in a pond in Embu County at the weekend, Kenyan police spokesperson Zipporah Mboroki told Sabahi Monday. Mboroki dismissed claims that the victim, identified as Mohammed Ali Kheir, was picked up by police officers in Garissa town on December 25th.

“We are not aware that police picked him [up],” she said. “We received the reports of a missing person and later of his death and we are investigating the incident.” Fafi lawmaker Ilyas Barre Shill said that Kheir, who was also known as Sheikh Dawara, was walking along Posta road in Garissa when people who identified themselves as police officers handcuffed him and took him away. “Those who were with him during the 12 pm incident witnessed three people picking him up,” Shill told Sabahi. “They thought he was to be taken to one of the Garissa police stations, but after a visit to the stations police denied holding him.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

U.S. Airstrike Kills Al-Shabaab’s Intelligence Chief

30 Dec – Wall Street Journal – 349 Words

Egypt to provide Somalia with customs, tax expertise

30 Dec – Egypt Independent – 120 Words

Egypt has expressed readiness to benefit Somalia with its logistic and technical expertise in the fields of customs and tax policies. The Finance Ministry said in a statement that Minister Hany Qadry Dimian, meeting with his Somali counterpart Hussein Abdi Halane, said Egypt was eager to support Somalia’s government and people on all levels. The minister added that Egypt’s tax legislation addresses world taxation systems, and is highly appreciated by specialized world bodies. He pointed out that a number of Arab states had relied on Egyptian taxing laws in formulating their own legislation. Dimian also welcomed participation by Somalia’s tax and customs authorities’ officers in training programs run by their Egyptian counterparts.