August 1, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Car Bombing: Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility As 10 Dead, Including Four Militants
31 July – Source: The Independent – 259 Words
At least 10 people were killed including four attackers in an assault on Somalia’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility after two suicide car bombs struck the gates of the CID headquarters in Mogadishu before at least two gunmen stormed the building.
“At least 10 people including four militants, five civilians and a soldier died in today’s attack,” Hussein Ali, a police officer, told Reuters. Another 15 people were injured, some seriously, he added. Ali Hassan, a police officer at CID, said security forces stopped the assault and shot dead the gunmen who tried to storm the heavily fortified security facility.
Witnesses reported hearing two loud explosions before an exchange of gunfire, which lasted around half an hour. The bodies of four civilians lay in the street near the compound, which was partially destroyed. A kiosk near the wall caught fire.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing and shooting attack. “A fighter rammed a suicide car bomb into CID then other armed fighters stormed inside,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters.
Earlier this week, the Islamist group claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel near Mogadishu’s international airport, which left at least 13 people dead. Security analysts had warned the group could step up its attacks, taking advantage of the distraction caused by campaigning for a presidential election due in August.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Car Bombing: Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility As 10 Dead Including Four Militants (The Independent)
- AMISOM Condemns Attack On CID In Somali Capital (Shabelle News)
- Over 100 People Nabbed In Security Operation In Mogadishu (Goobjoog News)
- Gunmen Kill Somali Police Officer In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Kenya Says Somali Security “At Risk” If AMISOM Funding Is Slashed (Radio Dalsan)
- Somali Security Forces Pledge To Work Closely With New Force Commander (AMISOM)
- 80 Cases On Terrorism Presented In Kenyan Courts This Year (Daily Nation)
- AU Somali Forces Capture Key Area In Southwest Somalia (Xinhua News)
- How Denmark Is Trying To Subvert The Call To Terror (Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM Condemns Attack On CID In Somali Capital
31 July – Source: Shabelle News – 142 Words
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has condemned car bombs that targeted the headquarters of Somalia’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Mogadishu, which left at least 10 people dead. In a Twitter post, AMISOM said: “We strongly condemn today’s bombing on the CID headquarters at KM4 area in Mogadishu by Al-Shabaab bombers.”
AMISOM said it will continue working with the Federal Government of Somalia in fighting against Al-Shabaab fighters, to ensure the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia. Al-Shabaab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which claimed lives of at least 10 people, including innocent civilians who were using the road at the time of the explosions. The attack is the second in the seaside capital in just a space of a week.
Over 100 People Nabbed In Security Operation In Mogadishu
31 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 248 Words
Somalia security officers on Sunday nabbed more than 100 suspects in an operation that took place in the capital and its environs. Somalia’s Internal Security Minister, Abdikamil Mo’alin Shukri, said the security forces, in collaboration with AMISOM forces, raided several houses in Mogadishu to flush out Al-Shabaab suspects.
“We detained several people during the operations. We knew that some of them were planning to wage attacks against the population of Mogadishu,” Shukri said late on Saturday. Witnesses told Goobjoog News that theSaturday’s operation carried out in suburbs in Mogadishu’s Wartanabada district searched houses where Al-Shabaab sympathizers were suspected to be hiding.
The spokesman said the operation was well-orchestrated and came after a tip-off from members of the public. The operation, he noted, was meant to beef up the security in the capital, which has been experiencing terror attacks in the recent past.
“There is cooperation between the security forces and the residents and this has helped us to continue in our efforts to enhance the security,” he added. Residents said government and heavily armed African Union peacekeeping troops arrived at Wartanabada district and combed several houses to try and flush out remnants of Al-Shabaab sympathizers.
Gunmen Kill Somali Police Officer In Mogadishu
31 July – Source: Shabelle News – 153 Words
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a senior Somali police officer in Mogadishu’s Kaaraan district on Saturdaynight, in the latest series of targeted assassinations against security force members in Somalia.
The slain policeman, who was identified as Ali Addow Mohamud, was one of the senior police officers in Kaaraan district. A witness said Mohamud was killed by pistol-wielding men who immediately escaped from the scene of the crime. The spokesman of Somalia’s Internal Security Ministry, Abdikamil Mo’alin Shukri, confirmed the murder to Radio Shabelle, and he sent condolences to the families and friends of the slain officer.
The spokesman blamed Al-Shabaab for the killing of the police officer, much as the group is yet to claim responsibility for the murder. Police said suspects had been arrested over the officer’s killing.
Kenya Says Somali Security “At Risk” If AMISOM Funding Is Slashed
31 July – Radio Dalsan – 190 Words
Kenyan government has cautioned against slashing of funds to African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia warning that if implemented the security of Somalia would be at a “great risk” again.
Speaking at UN Security council meeting in the New York, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Amina Mohamed Jibril, said the move by the European Union to slash AMISOM funding threatens peace and security in the horn of Africa region. Ambassador Mohamed said the international community must continue funding the peace mission in Somalia to ensure stability in the region.
“It is important for the international community and regional states to continue supporting peacekeeping mission in Somalia,” she said. European Union which is key supporter of peace and stability in Somalia already announced the intention to slash of 20 percent budget to the African Union Mission (AMISOM) in Somalia.
Neighbouring countries like Kenya, whose troops are part of more than 22000 peacekeeping soldiers in Somalia, did not receive the news well. Nairobi sent its troops to southern Somalia on October 2011 to kick out Al-Shabaab from its borders but later found itself as part of peacekeeping missions in Somalia.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Security Forces Pledge To Work Closely With New Force Commander
31 July – Source: AMISOM – 594 Words
Senior officials of the Somali government and Somali National Security Forces have pledged to work closely with the newly appointed AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. General Osman Noor Soubagleh, to ensure Al-Shabaab terrorists are defeated and peace is restored.
The officials included Hon. Abdirisak Omar Mohamed, Minister of Internal Security; Major Gen. Mohamed Aden Ahmed, Chief of Defence Forces; Gen. Abdullahi Gafow Mohamud, Director General of National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) and Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud, Somali Police Commissioner, among others.
The officials made the pledge at a dinner hosted by AMISOM, yesterday night, to welcome the new Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Soubagleh. The dinner was also attended by the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira. Hon. Abdirisak Omar Mohamed, expressed optimism that the Somali National Security Forces and AMISOM forces, under the leadership and guidance of the new Force Commander, would help stabilize and boost security of the country.
“I have worked with Gen Soubagleh in the past; he is someone who can make change. We are indeed very fortunate to have Soubagleh appointed as the Force Commander for two reasons. He understands the cultural dynamics of Somali people and speaks the language hence it is easier for Somali National Forces to communicate with him. Even though the responsibility is huge and he has been entrusted with a daunting task, he will do well,” the Minister added.
Major Gen. Mohamed Aden Ahmed concurred with the minister’s sentiments and asked Somali National Forces to work closely with AMISOM to ensure the joint security operations undertaken have a lasting positive impact.
“I urge Somali National Forces who are here and the Force Commander to collaborate together. They should coordinate their work and communicate. The essence of communication is very important, and has to flow both ways,” the CDF observed.
Lt. Gen. Soubagleh, thanked his colleagues, both from the Somali National Security Forces and AMISOM, for the warm welcome, and appealed for joint efforts in fighting Al-Shabaab and ensuring the militants are defeated.
80 Cases On Terrorism Presented In Kenyan Courts This Year
31 July – Source: Daily Nation – 309 Words
About 80 cases linked to terrorism have been presented in Kenyan courts this year, Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro has said. Speaking in Isiolo on Sunday, he said his department had also intercepted six youths within Garisssa, Daadab refugee camp and border points who were on their way to join Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Mr Ndegwa who opened an Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) office in Isiolo, aimed at intensifying war on terrorism in Upper Eastern region, said the government is set to open other branches in Moyale and Marsabit towns to counter terrorists and illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries. According to him, terrorists were changing routes and using the Modagashe-GarbaTulla-Isiolo road after security was intensified along the Garissa- Nairobi highway.
He also urged Kenyans to report returnees and suspicious persons to authorities for monitoring: “We have received intelligence that young people in this region have crossed to Somalia, we are tracking them down but even as they come back, they must disown the ways of terror groups and be integrated back into the society.”
The new office is also set to provide confidentiality for those giving information on extremist groups and to respond faster when attacks are reported. Isiolo County Commissioner George Natembeya said over 20 youths have crossed borders and are suspected to have joined Al-Shabaab and other terror related groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
AU, Somali Forces Capture Key Area In Southwest Somalia
30 July – Source: Xinhua News – 112 Words
The Somali army, backed by the African Union peacekeeping troops, on Saturday captured a key area in southwest Somalia from Islamist group Al-Shabaab, an official has said.
Deputy Governor of Bakool region, Adam Abdi Mohamed, told reporters that the joint forces took control of the Garas-weyne area without resistance from the militants. The area is located about some 50 km west of Hudur town, the capital of Bakool region.
The official said the operations against the militant group Al-Shabaab will continue until they are cleared out of the region. The Somali army and the AU forces often carry out military operations in the south and central Somalia to flush out Al-Shabaab militants
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Authorities here point to the case of a young Somali Dane named Mohammed as evidence that softening their approach can pay off. Mohammed lost his temper in a high school religion class in 2011. He shouted at classmates who made disparaging remarks about Islam. He was summoned to the police station later that week. Police searched his home and computer. Before long, the investigation was dropped. Mohammed, who completed a two-year college program for financial comptrollers, recently became a mentor in the program.”
How Denmark Is Trying To Subvert The Call To Terror
31 July – Source: Star Tribune – 2,807 Words
Mohamoud Abdullahi did everything he could to keep his daughter from joining the fight in Syria. He told her again and again about the civil war in his native Somalia and the toll it took on survivors like him:“Unless you are trained, you can’t go to a war zone,” he warned.
But in the final days of 2013, the 22-year-old college student called to say she was on her way to reunite with her husband, who had recently traveled to the Middle East. She was one of 30 young people from Denmark’s second-largest city to leave for Syria that year. The wave of departures put the nation in the forefront of global efforts to stop the flow of fighters joining Islamist extremists. Now it is testing the idea that society can blunt the lure of extremism with a distinct brand of Scandinavian Nice — and officials in Minneapolis are watching closely.
Denmark counsels budding radicals, finds jobs for returning foreign fighters, coaches family members and reaches out to the radical Aarhus mosque where Abdullahi’s daughter once worshiped. Authorities here say this soft approach works: The exodus of young people has slowed to a trickle: “The Aarhus model is not a get-out-of-jail-free card, but a combination of dialogue and a firm hand,” said Jacob Bundsgaard, mayor of Aarhus.
Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger traveled here before rolling out a pilot project in the Twin Cities to counter radical recruitment. Meanwhile, supporters of nine Minneapolis men convicted in a plot to join militants in Syria champion Denmark’s less punitive approach. But critics of the program are becoming more vocal. They cite the lack of hard evidence that the effort is working and challenge the practice of helping those returning from Middle Eastern battlefields.
“You should not reward people who have been a part of a terrorist organization,” said Naser Khader, a member of Parliament from Aarhus. “You should prosecute them.” Even some parents who welcome second chances for young people, including Abdullahi, feel the country could do more to crack down on those in Denmark who encourage them to fight abroad.
What’s unfolding here in Denmark poses larger questions in the global search for solutions to radical recruitment: Should local communities or government take the lead? And should authorities punish young men and women swept up in jihadist movements — or try to coax them into breaking away? Abdullahi’s younger daughter was a role model in the Aarhus Somali community: a warm presence who juggled college and a job at a medical clinic. He just wished he didn’t have to push her to pray regularly and fast during Ramadan.