October 18, 2017 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Bomber ‘Was Ex-Soldier Whose Town Was Raided By US Forces’
17 October – Source: The Guardian – 947 Words
The man who killed more than 300 people with a truck bomb in the centre of Mogadishu on Saturday was a former soldier in Somalia’s army whose home town was raided by local troops and US special forces two months ago in a controversial operation in which 10 civilians were killed, officials in Somalia have said.
The death toll from the bombing now stands at more than 300, making it one of the most devastating terrorist attacks anywhere in the world for many years. On Tuesday remains of victims were still being brought out of rubble spread over hundreds of square metres. Investigators believe the attack on Saturday may in part have been motivated by a desire for revenge for the botched US-led operation in August. Al-Shabaab has not claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack but a member of the cell detained by security forces has told interrogators the group was responsible, one security official told the Guardian.
Following the raid, in which three children aged between six and 10 died, local tribal elders called for revenge against the Somali government and its allies. Not only was the bomber from the specific community targeted by the raid, but the investigation is also uncovering a series of other links to the town where it took place. Details of the attack are now becoming clearer. Officials say it involved two vehicles – a Toyota Noah minivan and a much larger truck carrying around 350kg of military grade and homemade explosives.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Bomber ‘Was Ex-Soldier Whose Town Was Raided By US Forces’ (The Guardian)
- Mogadishu Mayor Calls For Solidarity March In Honor Of Terror Attack Victims (Goobjoog News)
- Puntland To Send Doctors And Medical Supplies Wednesday To Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Somalia Blood Appeal After Mogadishu Truck Bombing (BBC News)
- Seven Mogadishu Blast Victims Airlifted To Nairobi (Daily Nation)
- A Bomb Blast In Somalia’s Capital Exposes The Government’s Failures (The Economist)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Mogadishu Mayor Calls For Solidarity March In Honor Of Terror Attack Victims
17 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 288 Words
Banadir governor Thabit Abdi Mohamed has appealed to city dwellers to come out in large numbers on Wednesday afternoon for a national public mourning following the Mogadishu truck bombing which has now claimed more than 300 lives. Speaking at Zoobe, the scene of the Saturday attack as he led teams of youth clearing the rubble, Thabit called on the people of Mogadishu to join in solidarity with families and victims of the terror attack.
The governor who also doubles as mayor of the capital Mogadishu condoled with families and conveyed messages of recovery for those nursing injuries. “I want to use this opportunity to appeal for a mourning event for the victims of this place on Wednesday afternoon. This is an international pain affecting every soul. What happened was a national disaster,” said Thabit. “Once again I convey my condolences to the dead and wish quick recovery to injured one and tranquility bestowed upon the hearts of their families. The initiative taken by this youth whether donating blood, their knowledge and strength or cleaning here is one of the remedies to the suffering. It’s a good signal of hope to the injured or affected families.”
The teams led by Gurmad 252 a youth initiative which provide information and marshals support towards the Saturday tragedy efforts organized the cleaning exercise. Gurmad 252 said Tuesday one of the missing people, Sumaya Ali Mire was tracked yesterday and re-united with the family. Hundreds of people have been holding demonstrations in the city against the perpetrators of the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility but the government has laid blame on the militant group Al-Shabaab. The governor also thanked Toronto, Istanbul and Paris for sharing the pain with the Somali people.
Puntland To Send Doctors And Medical Supplies Wednesday To Mogadishu
17 October – Source: Goobjoog News – 189 Words
Puntland President Abdiweli Gaas said Tuesday his Cabinet had approved a team of doctors, nurses and medical supplies to be dispatched to Mogadishu noting all Somalis must speak in one voice and condemn those behind the attack. “As Somalis, we need to stand together against this merciless enemy. The outcome of the meeting was the quick dispatch by tomorrow of the first relief made up of medical supplies, doctors and nurses. In the coming days Puntland will also take part economically in a significant way,” said President Gaas.
The move adds to increasing domestic and international response to the relief efforts. Qatar and Kenya sent airplanes Tuesday to airlift victims of the attack for treatment in their respective countries. A US military plane also landed in Mogadishu with medical supplies. This adds to Monday response from Turkey which sent medical supplies and airlifted 35 others to Tukey. Djibouti also sent a team of 30 doctors and nurses to Mogadishu. Puntland government also appealed to the business community in the region to contribute to the relief efforts. It also announced the formation of a committee to support the relief efforts.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia Blood Appeal After Mogadishu Truck Bombing
17 October- Source: BBC News – 351 Words
Somalia is appealing for blood to treat those wounded in Saturday’s huge truck bombing in the capital, Mogadishu, which killed at least 281 people. Information Minister Abdirahman Osman told the BBC the death toll was likely to rise, and more help was needed. He said more than 300 people had been injured in Somalia’s deadliest terror attack in 10 years, and more bodies were trapped under rubble.
Two planes of medial aid – from the US and Qatar – have landed in the capital. Turkey and Djibouti sent humanitarian assistance on Monday – and a Turkish military plane has taken 40 of the injured to Turkey for medical treatment. Mr Osman blamed the Islamist al-Shabab group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, for the attack. The minister thanked the hundreds of Mogadishu residents who had already donated blood.
Somalia does not have a blood bank, which was hampering some of the aid efforts, he told the Reuters news agency. Ahmed Adan, from the BBC Somali Service, says a youth group, with the help of the government, has started a social media campaign to raise money for the families of the victims and organise blood donations for the injured.
In Kenya, hundreds of people have been queuing to give blood in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh, known as “Little Mogadishu”. On Monday, 165 unidentified bodies were buried by the authorities.There were burnt beyond recognition and there was no means of identifying them. Of those who were identified, one of the victims was a medical student due to graduate the next day. Maryam Abdullahi’s father had flown to Mogadishu to attend her graduation but instead witnessed her burial. The truck exploded at a busy junction, destroying hotels, government offices and restaurants.
Seven Mogadishu Blast Victims Airlifted To Nairobi
17 October – Source: Daily Nation – 268 Words
Seven people injured from the terror attack in Somalia were airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday evening for specialised treatment. They were received by Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo at Wilson Airport and were rushed by Kenya Red Cross paramedics to Kenyatta National Hospital. Ms Omamo said that Kenya was ready to offer any kind of support that Somalia would need as it deals with the bomb attack, said to be the most deadly in the history of the war-torn country. “We are expecting a total of 31 patients who will arrive in the course of this week. We condemn this terror attack in the harshest possible terms and Kenya will continue to help with the stabilisation of Somalia,” she said.
Accompanying the CS at the airport were Director of Medical Services Jackson Kioko, Principal Secretary Internal Affairs Monica Juma and Somalia government representatives. “It is our hope like other countries in the region that are helping that we will be able to assist Somalia at this difficult time,” said the CS. Kenya has troops in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).
The Kenyan government earlier sent 11 tonnes of medicines to Mogadishu under the Kenyans for Somalia initiative started by the Red Cross on Tuesday to mobilise aid for victims. The initiative also included a blood donation exercise in Eastleigh, Nairobi earlier Tuesday.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“Criticism of the government’s inability to prevent such large-scale bloodshed adds to already festering discontent and a deep political divide between Somalia’s regional states and its federal authorities,”
A Bomb Blast In Somalia’s Capital Exposes The Government’s Failures
17 October – Source: The Economist – 595 Words
In his ten years driving an ambulance in Mogadishu, Ahmed Said Hassan had never seen anything like it. Arriving at the scene of Saturday’s explosion, what he remembered as a bustling intersection crowded with street hawkers, vegetable sellers, and hotel guests had been transformed into a post-apocalyptic scene: the carbonised bodies of those killed in the explosion were strewn across the street, the Safari Hotel was rubble, and heat from the fire raging in the explosion’s aftermath could be felt 100 metres from the scene. “There aren’t words to describe that kind of devastation,” Hassan says. “Everyone looked like they were dead or dying, everyone had massive injuries and we didn’t have enough space to transport them all.”
The attack was the deadliest in the already turbulent history of Somalia’s capital. It was particularly devastating because a truck loaded with a mixture of homemade and military explosives detonated next to a fuel tanker on a busy intersection of the city’s Kilometre Five district. Firefighters, Somali security forces and African Union peacekeepers rushed to the site, where a fire engulfed nearby buildings sending plumes of thick, dark smoke into the sky. Roughly 30 minutes later, another car bomb exploded less than 300 metres from the site of the first blast, sending more victims to the six hospitals nearby that were already jammed with casualties.
At least 300 people were killed and hundreds more injured, according to the Somali government. The number of fatalities will probably increase as more bodies are found in the debris. Most have been burned beyond recognition. Since Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (known as “Farmaajo”) took office as president in February, national security has been his government’s priority. He has also worked hard to attract international support for the fight against Al-Shabaab (“the youth”), a jihadist group.
America has sent more troops to Somalia and designated parts of the country a “zone of active hostilities” where it applies looser rules and oversight when it comes to authorize drone strikes and ground operations. America already has about 400 soldiers on the ground in Somalia, compared with about 50 a year ago. Yet America’s focus on collecting intelligence on and destroying the sites used by al-Shabab to make explosives has suffered setbacks. In August a joint raid by Somali and American soldiers led to the deaths of ten civilians in Bariire.
In the months preceding this attack, the federal government had tried to improve security in the capital. The authorities limited the number and sorts of weapon that could be carried, and set up more checkpoints in the city. They also set about disarming civilians and former warlords. Thanks to these efforts there were fewer attacks than usual during Ramadan and in the months since. But the latest bombing has exposed deep flaws in Somalia’s security forces. According to sources close to the government, the truck carrying explosives was stopped at two checkpoints on its way into the city, but was allowed to continue without an inspection of its cargo.