April 20, 2012 | Morning Headlines.
Somalia sets $500 bounty on al Qaeda-linked rebels
19 Apr – Source: Reuters – 161 words
Somalia has set a $500 award for anyone who captures or kills a militant from the al Qaeda-linked militant group of al Shabaab which has been attacking government and African Union peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu.
“Now, consider that every al Shabaab is just like a commodity that will earn you cash,” Mogadishu mayor Mohamud Ahmed Nur was quoted as saying in a government statement.
Addressing Mogadishu residents on Wednesday, Nur said the government would offer $500 for every “captured or killed terrorist”, according to the statement.
Key Headlines
- Elders condemn Somali PM (Source: Shabelle)
- Al Shabaab fighters surrender to TFG (Source: Somalia Repor)
- Somalia sets $500 bounty on al Qaeda-linked rebels 9 Source: Reuters)
- Militants attack Ethiopian military base in Wabho El-bur district (Source: Radio Bar-kulan)
- Al Shabaab beheads a DC in Southern Somalia(Source: Daily Nation)
SOMALI MEDIA
Militants attack Ethiopian military base in Wabho, El-bur district
19 Apr- Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 133 words
Al Shabaab militants last night raided an Ethiopian military base in parts of El-bur district, Galgadud region, reports say. Heavily armed militants launched a nighttime attack on Ethiopian troops pitching tents in Wabho settlement and prompting deadly gun-battle between the militants and the Ethiopian troops.
Elders condemn Somali PM
19 Apr – Source: Shabelle – 147 words
Some Somali elders hail from Abud-Waq town in central Somalia have condemned the arrest of a number of the security guards of Somalia’s PM office in Mogadishu last week in connection with the national theater bomb blast. Yasin Jama’a Kirkire, a peacemaker living in Abudwaq town said that the imprisonment of the guards from Abudwaq was a politically motivated move.
Two local traders arrested in Jowhar for allegedly having links with TFG
19 Apr – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 100 words
Al Shabaab militants in Jowhar town arrested two people on Thursday morning for allegedly having links with the Somali government, reports say. The militant group also blamed the duo for secretly smuggling weapons and ammunition into the region. The accused, only named as Mustafa and Jimale, are said to be local businessmen in Jowhar town.
Somaliland: Vice President opens a new kidney unit wing at Hargeisa Hospital
19 Apr – Source: Somaliland Press – 150 words
The Vice President of Somaliland Hon Abdirahman Abdillah Ismail (saylic) has cut the ribbon to a new wing at Hargeisa hospital to house a state of the art kidney unit. The VP speaking during the opening of the new wing that will house the Kidney Dialysis unit, said the Dialysis machine will act as an important alternative therapy for patients with Kidney disease who used to shuttling between different hospitals in various cities.
Two die as heavy rains paralyse transport system in Lower Shabelle
19 Apr- Source: Radio Bar-kulan- 87 words
At least two people died following heavy downpours in parts of the region of Lower Shabelle.
One person was killed in Dahabo Saudi village, 8 km from Kuntuwarey town after a lightning struck in the village. Another one died in Bula Marer due to the extreme cold weather that followed the downpour which lasted for more than 12 hours.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Al Shabaab beheads a DC in Southern Somalia
19 Apr – Source: Daily Nation – 331 words
Armed men belonging to al Shabaab captured the District Commissioner of Eel Adde, about 400 km southwest of Mogadishu, Mr Yahie Hussein Isaq on Tuesday night.
The beheaded body of DC Isaq was found on Wednesday around noon on the outskirts of Eel Adde town.
TFG officials in the district accused al Shabaab of perpetrating the beheading.
Al Shabaab Garissa fugitive still at large
19 Apr – Star (Kenya) – 366 words
Kenyan Police in Garissa are investigating the mysterious disappearance of a terror suspect who escaped.
North Eastern police boss Leo Nyongesa said a probe had been launched to establish how the suspect, identified as Mburugu Kirema alias Nurdeen, escaped under police escort.
Piracy: Mombasa court hands 20-year jail term to 11 Somalis
19 Apr – Source: Business Daily Africa – 320 words
Eleven Somalis were on Thursday sentenced to a 20-year jail term for attacking a French naval ship.
Mombasa court Principal magistrate Mr S.K. Gacheru declined to have the accused serve their sentence in Somalia as they had pleaded during mitigation. Mr Gacheru instead ordered that they be deported to Somalia upon completion of their sentence. The court noted that the offence was serious and that it had endangered the lives of the crew of the French naval ship, Nivose.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia sets $500 bounty on al Qaeda-linked rebels
19 Apr – Source: Reuters – 161 words
Somalia has set a $500 award for anyone who captures or kills a militant from the al Qaeda-linked militant group of al Shabaab which has been attacking government and African Union peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu.
“Now, consider that every al Shabaab is just like a commodity that will earn you cash,” Mogadishu mayor Mohamud Ahmed Nur was quoted as saying in a government statement.
Addressing Mogadishu residents on Wednesday, Nur said the government would offer $500 for every “captured or killed terrorist”, according to the statement.
Al Shabaab fighters surrender to TFG
19 Apr- Source: Somalia Report- 153 words
At least 15 al-Shabaab fighters, including military officers, carrying their weapons have surrendered to TFG forces in Bakol region.
According to Abdifatah Gessey, the TFG have more than 58 al-Shabaab fighters, some of them surrendered and others were seized during military operations.
Marines train Ugandan forces for Somalia deployment
16 Apr- Source: marines – 3:28 min
A small team of U.S. Marines trained a company of Ugandan soldiers in combat engineering to prepare them for the African Union mission in Somalia. Cpl. Jad Sleiman reports.
TFG, al Shabaab battle in Southern Somalia
19 Apr- Source: Somalia Report- 323 words
An unconfirmed number of fighters were killed as Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers, Ethiopian troops, Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and pro-government clan militias of Ras-Kamboni fought against al-Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia over the last 24 hours.
The fighting erupted when al-Shabaab fighters launched hit and run attacks on the allied forces bases’ in Gofgadud, Qoqani, Yurkud and Berdale districts of Bay and Lower Jubba regions.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“The idea is to allow European troops to attack the pirates’ infrastructure even as they seek to prevent pirates from high-jacking ships in the seas off the Horn of Africa. As one of the few contributing countries that have helicopters aboard its ships, Germany would likely play a critical role in any inland air raids.”
‘The Piracy Problem Cannot Be Solved Militarily’
19 Apr – Source: Spiegel Online -1019 Words
If one is to believe German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière, it is merely a “small, useful additional option.” Allowing the European Union-led anti-pirate mission Atalanta to extend operations inland from the coast of Somalia, he said, in no way represents a fundamental change to the operation.
The change he refers to was approved unanimously by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Wednesday. It allows for Atalanta forces, of which the German military is a key member, to extend their fight against Somali pirates onto land. While the new mandate explicitly forbids ground forces, it would allow for air raids on pirate bases up to two kilometers inland.