21 Oct 2011- Daily Monitoring Report
Key Headlines:
- Somali president visits Turkey as figures reveal Turkey top contributor
- TFG/AMISOM forces retake last al Shabaab stronghold
- AU: 10 soldiers killed 2 missing in Somalia fight
- Somali Islamists display “bodies of AU peacekeepers”
- Kenyan forces capture Shabaab’s Ras Kamboni
- Calm returns to Mogadishu’s Daynile after battle
- Two arrested in Nairobi over al Shabaab links
SOMALI MEDIA
Somali Islamists display “bodies of AU peacekeepers”
21 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Gaalakacyo, Kulmiye- 123 words
Al Shabaab have displayed bodies it claimed were of AMISOM troops at displaced people’s camps on the outskirts of Mogadishu.
Al Shabaab officials displayed the bodies in front of the displaced people in these camps following yesterday’s fighting in Mogadishu’s Dayniile District.
The spokesman of al Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Mahmud, addressed the press and the public on the outskirts of Mogadishu and said that al Shabaab fighters killed 100 AU peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Burundi peacekeepers in Mogadishu said that they had seized al Shabaab bases in Dayniile District and killed many al Shabaab fighters, capturing others. He said they lost two soldiers and four others were wounded. He added that the remains displayed by the group were those of al Shabaab fighters killed in Dayniile District but not AU peacekeepers.
TFG/AMISOM forces retake last al Shabaab stronghold
20 Oct- Source: Radio Mogadishu, SONNA- 114 words
The TFG and AMISOM forces have taken the last al Shabaab stronghold in Daynile District, North West of the capital Mogadishu in a joint military operation conducted yesterday.
Daynile is a strategic corridor that connects Mogadishu to both Middle and Lower Shabelle regions.
General Abdulkareem Yusuf, the Somali Armed Forces Commander said:
“We will continue to capture more grounds in order to liberate Somalia from the oppression of al Shabaab. In our advancement, we will always be mindful of the lives and properties of the civilians.”
Meanwhile, the Somali Armed Forces have made remarkable advances in the Lower Jubba fronts. The forces captured a number of towns and villages from al Shabaab.
Puntland leader welcomes Kenya’s move to enter Somalia
21 Oct- Source: Shabelle, BBC Somali Service- 135 words
The president of Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland on Thursday welcomed the move by Kenyan troops to cross the border into Somalia to fight al Shabaab rebels.
Abdurrahman Sheikh Mohamoud Farole, the Puntland leader, told the BBC Somali Service that foreign fighters are fighting alongside al Shabaab.
Some of the fighters of the militant group are from Afghanistan and Pakistan and are a threat to the security and tranquility of Somalia, Farole was quoted as saying.
He added that he is not afraid that the Kenyan government will take over the Horn of African nation completely.
Kenya’s primary goal is to assure the internal security in their nation where many Somali refugees live, the Puntland leader concluded.
Kenyan military forces entered Somalia going after armed gunmen kidnapped two Spanish aid workers and took into Somalia.
http://shabelle.net/article.
Al Shabaab order southern Somalia schools to teach Islamic subject
20 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Mogadishu- 90 words
The administration of al Shabaab in Lower Shabelle region has ordered local schools to teach their students Islamic subjects.
Sheikh Mohamed Abu Abdalla, al Shabaab chairman in Lower Shabelle region told the local press that they banned all local schools from studying and teaching scientific subjects.
Abu Abdalla the move was taken after Christian organizations gave funds to those schools, adding that the students used to be taught non-religious subjects, which is unacceptable.
Only five subjects including Towhid, Fiqi and Ahadith could be studied in the schools in Lower Jubba region.
Heavy rains cut off Dadaab refugee complex from the rest of the country
21 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 95 words
Heavy rains pounding northern Kenya has reportedly affected thousands of Somali refugees in the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab.
Most of the affected people are said to be those camping in the newly opened camps, including Kambi Awys, Hawa Jibey, Ifo 1 and Ifo II, where the newly arrived refugees were housed.
Reports say Dadaab has already been cut off from the rest of the northern Kenya due to the heavy rains pounding in the area.
A number of WFP hired trucks are also said to be stuck in the muddy road between Garissa and Dadaad.
Somali President Sharif Sh. Ahmed met his Turkish counterparp Abdullah Gul in Istanbul
21 Oct- Source: Horseed Media – 282 words
The President of the Republic of Somalia Sharif Sh. Ahmed met his Turkish counterpart Abdullag Gul in Istanbul today. The two leaders discussed many issues ranging from security, developments and greater social and political co-operations between the two countries.
Turkish President Abdullah Gull articulated his government’s commitment to help the government and the people of Somalia. President Sharif expressed his government’s gratitude to the Turkish government for extending a brotherly hand to the Somali people in their hour of need and emphasizing the need to develop that brotherly relationship through bilateral co-operations between the two countries.
President Gull informed the Somali delegates led by President Sharif Sh. Ahmed that the government of Turkey will send the newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Mogadishu shortly to oversee projects and carry out instructions and implementations. These will include security, reconciliation, education, reconstruction and institution building. The President of Somalia H.E Sharif Sh. Ahmed requested the help of the Turkish government with regards to the new constitution for Somalia. The Turkish will send a technical committee to work closely with the Somali committee for the draft of the new Somali constitution.
The Turkish government will host a high level United Nations meeting on Somalia in the near future to put more focus on the situation in Somalia in order to achieve a lasting solution.
The President of the Republic of Somalia Sharif Sh. Ahmed also met with the secretary general of IOC Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Minister of Development for Turkey Cevdet Yilmaz to discuss issues such as capacity building, training, trade and economic integration.
President Sharif is on a two days visit to Turkey, to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Kenya vows to deal with al Shabaab
20 Oct- Source: Radio Bar-kuln, Capital FM- 167 words
Kenya has vowed to decisively deal with al Shabaab inside the Somali war-torn capital, Mogadishu, in its bid to protect its territorial integrity.
Addressing the nation during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Nairobi on Thursday, President Kibaki said that Kenya’s security is paramount and his government will use all measures necessary to ensure peace and stability.
He said their security forces have begun operations within and outside of their borders against militants who have sought to destabilize Kenya.
Kibaki said Kenya is working closely with the TFG, IGAD and the African Union to help the war-torn country find peace.
He called on the Kenyan public to be vigilant and identify bad elements among them, saying that Kenyan’s hospitality must not be abused by some bad elements.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga also said they will not allow anybody to create insecurity in their country.
Earlier Kenyan forces have crossed into Somalia to pursue al Shabaab militants whom they accused of kidnapping several foreigners from Kenya.
Six killed following inter-clan fighting in central Somalia
20 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle, Radio Garowe, Gaalkacyo- 143 words
Fighting has erupted between rival clan militias in Bacadweyne and Amara localities of Mudug Region, central Somalia, reportedly causing casualties.
Conflicting reports are emerging about the cause of the clashes. Some reports say the fighting was over pasture lands and boreholes following reliable rainfalls in the area.
Other reports say some of the militias opened fire at a group of women who came to draw water from the boreholes located between Bacadweyn and Amara localities in southern Mudug Region.
Six people are said to have been killed and 10 others injured during the fighting. Most of the victims are combatants. Those wounded were taken to Gaalkacyo and Cadaado districts, where the two militia groups hail from.
After a day in detention, Kenya military releases Somali official
21 Oct- Source: Radio Shabelle- 73 words
The Kenyan military forces have released a Somali official after days in custody in Gedo region of southern Somalia.
According to the radio Shabelle, Sahal Moallm Ali, Elwak’s deputy district commissioner was freed.
His release came after an extraordinary effort by Somali government officials in Elwak town.
According to the radio Shabelle, the Kenyan forces arrested the official after he told the press that Kenyan troops with armoured vehicles were in the district.
Al Shabaab bans geography and history in Jowhar schools
20 Oct- Source: Radio bar-kulan- 167 words
Al Shabaab militant group has dramatically descended on learning institutions in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle, by banning several subjects including geography and history in schools.
The militia banned geography, history and social studies from being taught in Jowhar schools and threatened to punish defiant teachers.
Al Shabaab leaders in the area said the education system in their areas of jurisdiction will be doctored in line with the Islamic teachings.
Reports say a group of teachers are today set to meet rebel leaders in Jowhar to convince them to lift the restrictions on these subjects and soften their stand on the area’s education system.
Early in September, al Shabaab introduced a new curriculum for young Somali learners in areas under their control, accusing the current syllabuses used by schools in the area of brainwashing minors and misleading them away from their religion.
Al Shabaab has also banned non-Arabic signs on shops, ordering businesses and shop vendors on the outskirts of the capital, Mogadishu, to remove English and Somali posters and replace them with billboards in Arabic.
Calm returns to Mogadishu’s Daynile after battle
21 Oct- Source: Shbaelle, radio Mogadishu- 109 words
Precarious calm has returned to Mogadishu’s Daynile district, al Shabaab’s last pockets after one day of heavy fighting Somali forces backed by Africa Union troops have had with al Shabaab fighters.
Somali soldiers and AMISOM troops are now stationed in the neighborhoods of Omar Arabey mosque and Bangalla area.
Dahir Hassan Hussein, the district commissioner of Daynile, told radio Shabelle that there are military movements in the district and that fighting could restart at any time.
He spelled out the government is planning for al Shabaab to be flushed out from Mogadishu entirely.
Thursday’s Mogadishu battles were reported to have killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more.
http://shabelle.net/article.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Kenyan forces capture Shabaab’s Ras Kamboni
20 Oct- Source: Daily Nation- 375 words
Kenyan forces on Thursday captured a pirates haven in Southern Somalia and were advancing towards the al Shabaab stronghold of Kismayu.
Ras Kamboni was seized by troops which entered Somalia through the Kiunga border point in Lamu.
“This avenue provides the Defence Forces with a vantage to clear al Shabaab and pirates on the Somali waters from Ras Kiamboni to Kismayu,” military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said on Thursday.
The troops did not face any resistance, he added. Ground troops moved in after air force jets had pounded targets in the town for several days. Ras Kamboni has been a key haven, not just for pirates attacking ships in the Indian Ocean, but also had training camps for the al Qaeda-linked terror group.
It was also a key route through-which foreign jihadists were smuggled into Somalia to join al Shabaab.
Its capture came as President Kibaki explained why he had sent the military into Somalia.
President Kibaki’s rallying cry over military action
21 Oct- Source: the Standard- 1178 words
The Commander-in-Chief of Kenya’s Defence Forces President Kibaki has issued a firm warning to al Shabaab that Kenya will not relent in its pursuit of the militia, and wants citizens to report any suspicious activities or persons to the police.
His call to arms came as the military revealed it had captured the town of Ras Kamboni, a hideout for pirates allied to al Shabaab.
Military Spokesperson Major Emannuel Chirchir also clarified the incursion by Kenya is not a war, but an operation in pursuit of the al Shabaab militia and to defeat piracy along the Kenya- Somali waters.
Kenya also has its eyes trained on capturing Kismayu where pirates anchor hijacked ships for ransom.
“We will defend our territorial integrity through all measures necessary to ensure peace and stability,” Kibaki said during Mashujaa Day celebrations at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Thursday.
While reiterating Kenya’s determination to use “all means necessary” to destroy the militia, Kibaki asked wananchi to tap into their patriotism and watch out for al Shabaab sympathisers and agents out for revenge.
Further condemnation of the militant group came after news Somali kidnappers of 66-year-old Marie Dedieu, a disabled Frenchwoman who died after being snatched from her home in Kenya, are demanding a ransom for the return of her body.
“The hostage-takers are even trying to sell the remains, it could not be more despicable,” said French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday said, “Those who committed this unspeakable act are nothing but a gang of barbarians.”
Saudi National Campaign for Relief of Somali People signs cooperation agreement with OIC
21 Oct- Source: Saudi Press Agency SAPA- 84 words
The Saudi National Campaign for the Relief of the Somali People has signed a cooperation agreement with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to implement the program of distribution of in-kind contributions to the victims of famine and drought in Somalia.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Saed Al-Orabi Al-Harthi, Advisor to the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, who is also Chairman of the National Relief Campaign for Somalia, and Dr.
Abdulrahman Al-Suweilem, Advisor to Secretary General of OIC for Humanitarian Affairs.
Two arrested in Nairobi over al Shabaab links
21 Oct- Source: Daily Nation- 144 words
Two men were last night arrested in a Nairobi suburb over alleged recruitment of Kenyans into Somalia militia al Shabaab.
Dr Ali Omar and Dr Ali Adan will appear in court later Friday to answer the charges following their arrest in Eastleigh.
It is also expected that the doctors will face charges of illegal entry into Kenya. The Kenya army has deployed in Somalia to fight al Shabaab.
On Thursday, the forces captured a pirates haven in Southern Somalia and were advancing towards the al Shabaab stronghold of Kismayu.
Ras Kamboni was seized by troops which entered Somalia through the Kiunga border point in Lamu.
“This avenue provides the Defence Forces with a vantage to clear al Shabaab and pirates on the Somali waters from Ras Kiamboni to Kismayu,” military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir. The troops did not face any resistance, he added.
Kenya to stay in Kismayu
20 Oct- Source: Nairobi Star- 781 words
The Cabinet unanimously decided on Tuesday that Kenyan soldiers should capture the port city of Kismayu and remain there “for some time” while the government moves hundreds of thousands of refugees back into Somalia. The government has profiled various al Shabaab leaders, pointmen and financiers in Kenya with the intention of deporting them back to Somalia.
“Intelligence officers have been deployed mainly in Eastleigh and South C where some al Shabaab leaders are said to either operate from or have investments. We want to destroy their networks and their sources of funding,” said a senior intelligence official.
According to the plans for Operation Linda Nchi approved by the Cabinet and seen by the Star yesterday, the Kenyan soldiers will remain in Kismayu until the Somalia Transitional Government or the African Union Amisom force takes over Somalia’s third largest city. “We are ready to go to all lengths to make sure al-Shabaab is ineffective in its use of weapons on Kenya.
This is a decision that was taken by the Kenyan cabinet to invoke the UN chatter on self defence. This is not the first time we have suffered in the hands of al Shabaab and they have continued to send us threats even as we have kept our cool,” Defence spokesman Maj Emmanuel Chirchir said yesterday.
The move to occupy Kismayu, according to the plan, would enable Kenya create a buffer zone between its territory and al Shabaab militants. It would also allow the government to relocate Dadaab, the biggest refuge camp in the world, more than 100 km into Somalia. Kismayu has been the site of numerous battles that have badly damaged the city’s infrastructure.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AU: 10 soldiers killed, 2 missing in Somalia fight
21 Oct – Source: AP / Washington Post /ABC TV News (US) – 114 words
The African Union says 10 soldiers were killed and two are missing after intense fighting with Somali insurgents. Spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said Friday that casualties occurred when AU soldiers took the last neighborhood held by Somali insurgents in Mogadishu on Thursday.
Two soldiers were missing and an armored vehicle had been burned, he said.
Witnesses said the al Shabaab militia later displayed more than 60 bodies and spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said they had killed 70 AU soldiers.
Many of those displayed wore flak jackets and helmets — equipment that is issued to AU soldiers but not government troops or insurgents.
But Ankunda insisted al Shabaab had dressed up the bodies for propaganda.
Somali Shabaab rebels show dozens of dead AU peacekeepers
20 Oct – Source: AFP / France24 News – 253 words
AFP – Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels displayed “over 70” dead bodies outside Mogadishu Thursday, that they claimed were African Union peacekeepers killed in battle.
“We have killed more than 70 of the enemy soldiers today…We have inflicted heavy losses on them and you can see their dead bodies,” Shebab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said, displaying the bodies in the dust to reporters.
Photographs show long lines of at least 20 bodies dressed in military uniform laid out in the sand, surrounded by a crowd with their faces covered.
Witnesses confirmed that the dead bodies were displayed in the extremist al Shabaab-controlled Alamada area, some 18 kilometres (11 miles) outside the war-torn capital late Thursday, and that the bodies were not Somalis.
“I have seen the largest number of soldiers killed in a battle, I have counted 63 Burundian soldiers, all of them dead, the al Shabaab brought them on trucks to Alamada,” Hasan Yunus, a witness said.
“Some of the dead bodies were dragged along by angry residents — I could not count them exactly, but there were more than 60,” said Ahmed Jama, another witness.
Heavy fighting broke out before dawn in Mogadishu as AU-backed Somali forces advanced on holdout al Shabaab positions, officials and witnesses said.
The fighting was centered in the northwest Deynile suburb, a remaining pocket still held by the Al-Qaeda linked militants in war-torn Mogadishu, which borders the rebel-held Afgoye, the world’s largest camp for displaced people.
http://www.france24.com/en/
Al Shabaab-Somali pirate links growing – U.N. adviser
20 Oct- Source: Reuters- 194 words
Cooperation between Somalia’s al Qaeda linked militants and pirate gangs is growing as the al Shabaab group becomes more desperate for funding, the head of the U.N.’s counter-piracy unit said on Thursday.
In recent days Kenya launched a cross-border incursion into Somalia to flush out rebels from its frontier area after a series of kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya. The abductions were carried out by gunmen thought to be linked to al Shabaab.
“There is a growing link and growing cooperation between al Shabaab who are desperate for funding and resources with other criminal gangs and with pirates,” said Colonel John Steed.
Steed, the principal military adviser to the U.N. special envoy to Somalia and head of the envoy’s counter-piracy unit, said pirates were not part of al Shabaab.
“Pirates are one of those potential sources of large amounts of money so there a natural linkage between Shabaab’s desire for funding to support their activities and money that pirates are getting from ransoms,” he told Reuters Insider TV on the sidelines of a piracy conference in London.
The President of the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland Abdirahman Mohamud Farole believed the two had links.
Somali president visits Turkey as figures reveal Turkey top contributor
20 Oct – Source: Today’s Zaman – 336 words
Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has arrived in Turkey at a time when Turkey has contributed a higher percent of its national income to Somalia than any other country, as it tries to maintain efforts to help Somalia recover from its worst draught in 60 years.
Ahmed, who frequently holds talks with Turkish officials who oversee arrangements to channel both Turkish and international aid to the country, visited President Abdullah G�¼l in Đstanbul on Thursday morning to discuss the current situation in the famine-stricken country, as he came to Turkey to attend a Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC).
Ties between Turkey and Somalia were strengthened over the summer, when the country rose as one of the first to run to the aid of Somalis suffering from hunger and disease stemming from a lack of basic resources. According to the latest evaluation by the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD), Turkish aid collected through campaigns launched by AFAD, the Religious Affairs Directorate and other organizations has surpassed TL 500 million, the Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday.
This total carried Turkey to the top of the list of countries that provided aid to Somalia when looking at the amount in aid compared to the countries’ national income. The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) estimates, reveal that Turkey allocated close to 0.0357 percent of its national income to Somalia, while the US allocated 0.000689 percent of its $15 trillion in national income.
Turkey also provides scholarships for a few hundred Somali students to come and study in Turkey. Twenty-five of the 235 students currently in Turkey on scholarship have already started their education in the flourishing southeastern city of Gaziantep, Anatolia reported on Thursday.
Somali expressed their gratitude to the country for the opportunity and stated that they were planning to contribute to its well-being once they complete their education in Turkey.
Two US women convicted of helping fund Somali group
21 Oct- Source: Reuters- 344 words
A federal jury convicted two Somali-born Minnesota women on Thursday of raising money for al-Qaeda affiliated al Shabaab rebels after the United States designated the Somali organization a terrorist group.
Amina Farah Ali and Hawo Mohamed Hassan, both naturalized U.S. citizens, were found guilty on multiple charges over accusations of raising more than $8,600 for al Shabaab from September 2008 to July 2009.
Ali, 35, and Hassan, 64, who both lived in Rochester, Minnesota, were accused of communicating with al Shabaab individuals in Somalia and going door-to-door in Somali communities in the state to raise money and holding teleconferences to solicit support.
The United States designated al Shabaab, which has been waging a four-year insurgency against Somalia’s Western-backed government troops and African Union peacekeepers, as a terrorist group in February 2008.
Ali and Hassan were convicted of conspiring with each other and others to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Ali was also convicted of 12 counts of providing material support to such an organization and Hassan on charges of making false statements to investigators.
The defendants denied raising money for the group, saying the funds were intended for the poor and needy. Prosecutors accused Ali of saying on two conference calls that the priority was support for Muslim mujahideen fighters or for jihad, not the needy.
Ali faces up to 15 years in prison on each conviction. Hassan faces up to 15 years in prison on the conspiracy conviction and up to eight years in prison on each of the false statement convictions. No sentencing dates have been set.
Some 18 people have been charged in Minnesota in an investigation into efforts to recruit Americans to train or fight in Somalia. At least two Minnesota men are thought to have died in Somalia fighting for al Shabaab.
http://af.reuters.com/article/
OPINION/EDITORIAL/CULTURE
Can Kenya win against the Somali militia?
20 Oct- Source: businessdaily- 442 words
The history of recent foreign military interventions in Somalia is universally bad.
From UN and US action in the 1990s to Ethiopia’s incursion in 2006, foreign troops entering Somalia have often left behind a situation that is worse than the one they sought to improve – for their own governments and for the Somali people.
This past weekend, Kenyan forces, backed with tanks and airpower, crossed into southern Somalia in pursuit of the Islamist group al Shabaab.
Insecurity in southern Somalia has allowed Somali militant groups to cross into Kenya and carry out multiple kidnappings: of tourists from beaches around Lamu, and aid workers from the world’s largest refugee camp at Dadaab.
Kenyans are understandably impatient for their government to take decisive action to secure their borders and security. But it is not obvious that this intervention will have the desired effect.
The extent of Kenya’s ambitions is not yet clear. The intention may be to rescue those who have been kidnapped on Kenyan soil, to secure a buffer zone along the border, or even to conclusively defeat al Shabaab.
There is concern that the military intervention will worsen the humanitarian situation in Somalia. Al Shabaab has made it difficult for external NGOs to work in southern Somalia, but a full-scale war will make the region even harder to operate in.
Kenya may make impressive initial gains but the real challenge, if this incursion is meant to make al Shabaab’s defeat a lasting one, will be to defeat any resulting insurgency.
Past experience warns of the unintended negative consequences resulting from such interventions.
The enduring consequence of Ethiopia’s intervention in 2006 was al Shabaab’s transformation from part of the Islamic Courts Union — a broad coalition — into a radical stand-alone force capable of mustering public support and controlling large areas of Somalia.
Until now, Kenya has aimed to establish a buffer zone by proxy through its support of an assortment of militias in southern Somalia.
This, in addition to al Shabaab’s mishandling of the famine response, has weakened the Islamist group’s control in southern Somalia. However, thus far Somali militant groups have not achieved the geographic reach or the level of control that would secure the borders.
It is not yet certain that Kenya’s incursion in Somalia will end badly.
If Kenyan troops are engaged in only a short-term mission backed by intelligence to rescue captured hostages and provide temporary support to the TFG, and if they are able to guarantee humanitarian access before withdrawing, then the worst-case scenario may not play out.
However, history has shown that in Somalia the chance of a foreign military intervention concluding successfully is, at best, limited.