June 26, 2015 | Morning Headlines
Video Shows Foiled Al- Shabaab Attack In Lamu
25 June – Source: Daily Nation- 464 Words
A video showing the foiled attack on the Baure military camp in Lamu County last week, in which 11 Al-Shabaab fighters and two Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers died, has emerged. The footage was extracted from a video camera from British jihadist Thomas Evans, who was also killed during the raid, according to security forces. At the beginning of the video, the militants are heard whispering a prayer as they approach an area where armoured military vehicles are parked, before they are met with a barrage of bullets.
The British jihadist, who changed his name to Abdul Hakim, is believed to have dropped the camera as he was felled by the bullets from KDF soldiers at 5.45am. The video captures a total of 32 seconds between the time the first bullet was fired to the time the camera stopped recording. Before the gunfight at the military base, the film also captured a group of militants, including Evans, in a bush clearing, embracing each other and chanting, probably as they prepare for the attack. The dozens of armed militants seem to have just gathered, and they do not seem bothered by anything. In the clip, which was first aired by ITVNews, Evans is seen moving close to the camera lens, waving his hand and smiling at the camera.
Key Headlines
- President Congratulates Galmudug Assembly (Goobjoog News)
- Over 200 Somali Refugees Arrive In Bosaso (Shabelle News)
- We Will Not Be Cowed By Al-Shabab Attacks On Foreign Officials Says Defense Minister Abdi Diini(Somali Current)
- Shabelle Journalists Take Part In Large-scale Meeting In Rome (Shabelle News)
- Video Shows Foiled Al- Shabaab Attack In Lamu (Daily Nation)
- Kenya Warns Of Foreign Fighter Threat Across Horn Of Africa (The Daily Star Lebanon )
- EU To Train Counter-terror Services In East Africa (EU Observer)
- Tanzanian Court Orders Extradition Of Islamist Rebel Leader To Uganda (Business Insider)
- World Must Condemn Attack On UAE Officials (Gulf News)
- Computer Hitch Mars Trial Of Westgate Mall Terror Suspects (Daily Nation)
- Minnesota Girl Accepted To All 8 Ivy League Schools Dines With Obama (Fox 9)
NATIONAL MEDIA
President Congratulates Galmudug Assembly
25 June – Source: Goobjoog News -153 Words
The president of Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheik Mohamed has commended the formation of Galmudug regional assembly which recently took place in Adado after months of state formation conference. He reiterated that this shows the success made in the state formation efforts in the country. “There is a new dawn for the people in the central regions, but more job is yet to be done, the establishment of the assembly is the foundation of the formation of full fledged state in the future, so I would like to tell the people of central regions to exploit this golden opportunity and to elect whoever they wished to lead them, and for the federal government we are ready to work with whoever got elected” President Hassan assured the residents of Galmudug. But the president has warned that he would not accept any regional state which would threaten the peace and the existence of another regional state.
Over 200 Somali Refugees Arrive In Bosaso
25 June – Source: Shabelle News – 120 Words
A boat carrying at least 209 Somali refugees escaping from Saudi-led air-strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, have on Thursday arrived in the port town of Bosaso, 500Km North East of Mogadishu. Suldanah ship, which took 209 Somali returnees including men, women and children from Mukallah port in Yemen in the middle of the night has on Thursday docked at the port of Bosaso. Burhan Hassan Muse, Director of Refugee Affairs for Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland administration told Shabelle Media in Mogadishu that all refugees had been welcomed warmly in the town of Bosaso. The arrival of 209 Somalia returnees is smallest refugees who came in Bosaso town after the eruption of deadly fighting between Yemen army and Houthis in many cities across Yemen.
We Will Not Be Cowed By Al-Shabab Attacks On Foreign Officials, Says Defense Minister Abdi Diini
25 June – Source: Somali Current – 210 Words
Somali Defense minister, Abdikadir Sheikh Ali Diini said the government would not be cowed by Al-Shabaab attacks on foreign officials in the country. His comments came after his visit to the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Somalia following Wednesday’s attack on his convoy. The minister assured thn that the government would not abandon its foreign envoys in the country over Al-Shabab threats. “We will continue forging more and more partnership with friendly countries because we need their support,” he said. Mr. Diini added that the government would strongly deal with the militants. “We will soon launch our last leg of driving [Al-Shabaab] out of their strongholds.” After meeting the ambassador, Minister Dini drove to the scene of the attack accompanied by senior military officers from the national forces where he sent his condolences to the bereaved families of the fallen security officers. “Today, brave security officers were killed here in the line of duty to defend the country against an enemy. We are proud of them,” he said. The Target of the attack was the UAE ambassador who escaped unhurt. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shabelle Journalists Take Part In Large-scale Meeting In Rome
25 June – Source: Shabelle News – 177 Words
Three Shabelle Media staff members are expected to participate in an international conference organized by Italy National journalists. The conference will focus on abuses against journalist all over the world. Mohamed Bashir Hashi, Mohamud Mohamed Dahir and Ahmed Abdi Hassan, all Shabelle Media journalists have flown from Mogadishu to participate in the conference. They will talk about the challenges they face working as journalists in Somalia. Head of Shabelle Media, Mohamed Bashir Hashi told Shabelle Media based in Mogadishu that he would address the range of abuses experienced by Radio Shabelle and its sister SKY FM in Mogadishu. Mohamed Mohamed Dahir, better known as Arab, SKY FM director declared that he would brief their detention in central jail in Mogadishu for attendees who will come the meeting which will be held on Friday, 26th June in 2015. For his part, Shabelle’s Head of staff, Ahmed Abdi Hassan said that an essential ideas and opinions will be exchanged during the meeting which is organized by Italy National Journalists in Rome.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya Warns Of Foreign Fighter Threat Across Horn Of Africa
25 June – Source: The Daily Star, Lebanon – 340 Words
Foreign fighters with Somalia’s Al-Shabaab insurgents pose a risk to Europe if troops fail to stop them, Kenya’s deputy president warned Thursday, days after the first British jihadi was killed in Kenya. “Foreign fighters from far afield, some from Europe, are in the field here in the Horn of Africa,” Kenyan Deputy President William Rutosaid, speaking at conference in Nairobi on countering violent extremism. “If they escape our security forces, they will return to their countries of origin to pursue what they have brutally sought here.” Some 300 security experts and civil society organizations from over 30 countries are meeting in the Kenyan capital for the three-day conference which opened Thursday.
Briton Thomas Evans was among a group of Shabaab militants killed last week in Kenya after a failed raid on an army base. Evans, in his mid-20s and also known as Abdul Hakim, was a Muslim convert whose family lives in Buckinghamshire in southern England. In 2011, he reportedly travelled to Somalia, succeeding on his third attempt to join Shebab. Video footage reportedly shot by Evans during the battle in which he was killed was released Thursday by British broadcaster ITV, showing the militants in a fierce firefight. The footage also showed militants embracing each other before the attack, including apparent footage of wanted German national Andreas Muller. The Shabaab were once a magnet for foreign volunteers, but their capacity to recruit has in recent years been eclipsed by the rise of ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq, while several foreign Shabaab members have fallen victim to in-fighting and purges.
EU To Train Counter-terror Services In East Africa
25 June – Source: EU Observer – 477 Words
The EU has unveiled plans to offer counter-terrorism training to help east African security agencies improve cross-border investigations and prosecutions in a region hit by deadly raids carried out by Islamist militants. The new program, to be implemented later this year or in early 2016 across Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen, will cost €11 million over five years. It was launched at the start of a three-day “Countering Violent Extremism” conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday (25 June). The EU has pumped more than €1 billion into a variety of counter-terrorism projects in east Africa since 2007, ranging from its naval force in the Indian Ocean, and military training mission in Somalia, to programmes aimed at understanding radicalisation of young people in Somaliland and Kenya.
More than 400 people have been killed in a wave of recent attacks by Al-Shabaab, the terror group which controls much of southern Somalia, and a large chunk of the group’s revenue, estimated by a UN report as being in the region of $70–100 million per year, is thought to come from Kenya. Following the massacre at Garissa university in April, the government of Uhuru Kenyatta shut down 86 small financial institutions and bank accounts suspected of involvement in financing Al-Shabaab. But European governments are fearful that the Islamic militant group could launch attacks on European soil and have opened programmes to train and equip a number of national security agencies. “Europe has learned how important it is to get the balance right between the need for national security and the freedoms, rights and way of life that we are seeking to protect,” Marjaana Sall, the EU’s acting ambassador to Kenya, said on Wednesday.
“Europe too, is seeking to find the right balance and its own solutions to the threat of terrorism. It is an ongoing challenge around the world and has different causes in each local context.” Alongside training for security services, the EU is backing a mission led by French government agency Civipol, launched earlier this year and also based in Nairobi, to investigate money laundering and terrorist finance in the region. “We are not here to investigate the countries … we are here to help them,” David Hotte, who heads up the programme, told EUobserver. Although assessing the scale of illicit financial flows in east Africa, much of it between Somalia and Kenya, remains guesswork, “we are probably talking about billions of dollars,” Hotte says.
Tanzanian Court Orders Extradition Of Islamist Rebel Leader To Uganda
25 June – Source: Business Insider – 252 Words
A Tanzanian court ordered an Islamist rebel leader on Thursday to be extradited to Uganda to face murder charges, though he said he would appeal against the decision. Jamil Mukulu was described as the head of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an organization blamed for a string of attacks in western Uganda and the capital Kampala that killed 1,000 people between 1998 and 2000. He is also wanted in connection to fighting in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda’s government has said his organization is linked to Somalia’s Islamist al Shabaab militants. “I hereby … order the respondent to be returned to the Republic of Uganda to stand trial for offences,” Cyprian Mkeha, principal magistrate at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s court in Dar es Salaam, said at the hearing.
Jamil, a Ugandan national who was arrested in Tanzania in late April, said he would go to the high court to challenge the extradition order.He was sent to a remand prison in Tanzania’ s commercial capital under tight security where he will be detained until his appeal. Jamil has been under U.N. sanctions since 2011, and rights groups say the ADF has profited from lucrative cross-border trade in timber and minerals in eastern DRC and is responsible for executions, kidnappings, torture and rape.The Congolese army launched a major operation against it last year, saying they had significantly weakened the group, leaving it with as few as 50 fighters.
World Must Condemn Attack On UAE Officials
25 June – Source: Gulf News – 232 Words
The dastardly attack on a UAE relief convoy in the Somali capital of Mogadishu illustrates the sheer cowardice of Al Shabab terrorists. The act should be condemned internationally, given the UAE’s status as a country that promotes peaceful and humanitarian policies and its spotless reputation as a respected member of the global community of nations. At least 3 people lost their lives and scores were injured in this brutal attack. But the point must be driven home that the designs of terrorists will not bear fruit. This policy has been reiterated by Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who stressed that the country would not be deterred in its commitment to support Somalia and its people while also addressing the threat of terrorism. It is a highlight of the UAE’s character that such incidents only inspire it to redouble its efforts to work harder to promote security, stability and development in Somalia, a country that has been ravaged by instability since the fall of Siad Barre’s dictatorial regime in 1991. Terrorists see the UAE as a threat, but the people of Somalia must be mature enough to make the distinction when it comes to weighing up what has been offered to them for their well-being and progress, as opposed to the death, destruction and divisive tactics wrought by anti-state elements.
Computer Hitch Mars Trial Of Westgate Mall Terror Suspects
25 June – Source: Daily Nation – 476 Words
A computer hitch on Thursday marred the trial of four suspects being held over the Westgate shopping mall terror attack on September 21, 2013. The trial hit a snag after a computer system the prosecution wanted to use failed to deliver due to a network error. The problem forced an adjournment, after the trial court had sat and a witness sworn to give his evidence. The prosecution had sought to stream “live downloads” of graphic pictures allegedly found in a laptop belonging to one of the suspects, who was arrested shortly after the raid. Mr Joseph Olum, a cybercrime expert at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, and who may resume his testimony on Fridaybefore a Nairobi court, said he received the laptop in question on October 1, 2013 for analysis. “It was an exhibit connected to the case at hand, the officer said before he described the details of a “forensic exploitation of the gadget” which followed at the cybercrime laboratory.
He said he was required to analyse the contents in the 250-gigabyte laptop and find out if it was related to the Westgate terror case. “I removed the hard-drive from the laptop and connected for analysis using an encrypting agent which protects “contamination” and helps in cracking the password, allowing access to its registry,” the witness told the court before he was stood down. He said he retrieved eight files from the laptop’s web history. “There were also some folders titled CD, Desktop, Documents, Downloads and Recycle Bin,” the witness said. Mr Olum said from the retrieved the web history and folders he pulled out from a site, one of the suspects had previously visited a page titled “Al Kataib Foundation for Media Production, series training in Swahili” depicting a Shabaab agent training on the use of an AK-47 rifle. “The site was on YouTube showing an Al-Shabaab member demonstrating to others the stripping and assembling of the firearm,” the police officer said.
The prosecutor, Mungai Warui, then asked the witness to play the video before the parked courtroom but it could only show a title, “The daily life of a fighter.” Several attempts to jump-start the machine and stream the video live before court were all in vain. The witness said the suspect visited the site on September 18, 2013 at around 4.06pm, according to his finding. The case adjourned for a fresh hearing on Friday. In the case, Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullah Omar, Adan Mohamed Dheq and Hussein Hassan Mustafah have been charged with assisting the terrorists who attacked the mall in carrying out the raid. They have all been denied bail “for security reasons”. Adan Dheq is further charged with being found with a laptop containing Al-Shabaab material, which the prosecution says was intended to be used in instigating terrorism acts. He also faces a charge of forging a Kenyan identity card.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“To be sitting with the first African American president was a big honor because he’s served as a source of inspiration for young people of color.”
Minnesota Girl Accepted To All 8 Ivy League Schools Dines With Obama
25 June – Source: Fox 9 – Video – 1:07 Minutes
An invitation to dinner is always a big deal, but especially when that invite is to dine at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A very accomplished young woman from the Twin Cities just got back from meeting President Barack Obama on Monday. “He was incredible, humble, gracious, and it was so wonderful to be in his presence,” Munira Khalif, who just graduated from Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul, said. Fox 9 first met Khalif when she was accepted to all eight Ivy League schools a couple of months ago and ended up choosing Harvard. Khalif was one of two from the Twin Cities to spend Ramadan at the White House. Metro Transit Police Officer Kadra Mohommed, the first female sworn officer in the country to wear a hijab as part of her uniform, also sat at the president’s table. “It was totally unexpected, I didn’t know I would be doing that over the summer but it was an incredible opportunity,” Khalif said.
Pres. Obama even mentioned Khalif her in his speech before dinner to celebrate Ramadan. “She just graduated from high school in Minnesota, she’s already lobbied Congress to pass the Girl’s Count Act so girls in the developing world are documented at birth,” Obama said. “A bill I was proud to sign into law last week. She’s even spoken at the United Nations, also something I wasn’t doing at that age.” Khalif said it was a surreal experience she never could’ve imagined. “It’s one of those things you don’t imagine yourself being in a position like that,” she said. “And to be sitting with the first African American president was a big honor because he’s served as a source of inspiration for young people of color.” And who knows, maybe she’ll be back at the White House one day, but as a host… Not just a dinner guest. “I don’t know if that’s an aspiration for me, but I am interested in public service so whatever way I’m able to do that I would be honored,” Khalif said.