February 21, 2013 | Morning Headlines.
Somali troops arrive at rebel-held Mahaday town
20 Feb – Source: Bar-kulan – 120 words
A small unit of Somali forces on a reconnaissance mission has reportedly arrived at rebel-held town of Mahaday after militant fighters fled the area before their arrival. Locals in the Mahaday reported seeing army officers on foot entering the town. The soldiers were first seen in Burane area, some 25 km north of Jowhar town before making their way to Mahaday town. They were reportedly welcomed by locals in the area. It is not yet known whether other troops will be deployed to the area to maintain presence and fill the power vacuum left by the militant group.
Key Headlines
- Al Shabaab clash with allied forces in Janaale (Garowe Online)
- Uganda opens embassy in Mogadishu (Independent News)
- Security in central somalia is our number one concern Cornell dubad (Mareeg Online)
- Botswana arrests 28 terrorism suspects (Africa Review)
- AMISOM asks for Iran’s help to save Somalia from rebels ( Fars News)
- Kenya’s security operation against al Shabaab disrupts livelihoods (The Guardian)
- Norfolk trial begins for Somalis who fired on Navy ship (Hampton Roads)
SOMALI MEDIA
Al Shabaab clash with allied forces in Janaale
20 Feb – Source: Garowe Online – 94 words
Clashes in the outskirts of Janaale, a town in lower Shabelle region, took place on Tuesday night between Somali troops fighting alongside AMISOM forces and al Shabaab resulting in three dead, Garowe Online reports. Local sources in Janaale told GO that there were 3 alleged Al Shabaab fighters killed in the clashes Tuesday night. AMISOM forces alongside Somali troops captured the town of Janaale after Al Shabaab vacated the town hours before the allied forces’ operation.
Somali troops arrive at rebel-held Mahaday town
20 Feb – Source: Bar-kulan – 120 words
A small unit of Somali forces on a reconnaissance mission has reportedly arrived at rebel-held town of Mahaday after militant fighters fled the area before their arrival. Locals in the Mahaday reported seeing army officers on foot entering the town. The soldiers were first seen in Burane area, some 25 km north of Jowhar town before making their way to Mahaday town. They were reportedly welcomed by locals in the area. It is not yet known whether other troops will be deployed to the area to maintain presence and fill the power vacuum left by the militant group.
Security in central Somalia is our number one concern, says Djiboutian Col.
20 Feb – Source: Mareeg Online – 115 words
Colonel Osman Dubad inspector of Djibouti in the district of Hiiraan who spoke with local radio in Mogadishu said that the security officers who fall under his office are trying to do everything in order to ensure the security of Hiiraan. The Colonel also said that there are 14 villages that fall under Hiiraan.
REGIONAL MEDIA
Uganda opens embassy in Mogadishu
20 Feb – Source: Independent News(Uganda) – 109 words
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem also MP for Chua County in Kitgum district says the new envoy to the war-torn country; Prof. Sam Turyamuhika arrives in Mogadishu any time from now. He says, “Turyamuhika will be deputized by Maj Gen Nathan Mugisha, formerly Ugandan-led AMISOM commander in Somalia.” Both Mugisha and Turyamuhika, were appointed to run the Ugandan commission in a Cabinet reshuffle in August in 2012.
Botswana arrests 28 terrorism suspects
20 Feb – Source: Africa Review – 111 words
The Botswana Government has arrested 28 terrorism suspects in an operation aimed at cracking down groups suspected of fundraising for Al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant groups. to a Botswana weekly, Telegraph, a series of sweeps across Francistown and Dukwi, a refugee camp, netted scores of Somali car dealers and their compatriots suspected to be smuggling operatives. The paper quotes a source as saying: “They arrested a majority of them recently in Block One location in Francistown while others were arrested at Dukwi Refugee Camp.”
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
AMISOM asks for Iran’s help to save Somalia from rebels
20 Feb – Source: Fars News – 131 words
A spokesman of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) lauded Iran for its humanitarian aids to Somalia, and asked Tehran to render support to AMISOM to save the African country from the rebels.”As spokesman of joint forces of the African Union and the United Nations in Somalia we welcome all those who support this war-stricken nation and we call on the Islamic Republic of Iran from this podium to support us in saving Somalia,” Colonel Ali Adam Hamud told FNA on Wednesday.
Kenya’s security operation against al Shabaab disrupts livelihoods
20 Feb – Source: The Guardian – 98 words
As Kenyan security forces work to ward off al-Shabaab insurgents, the military operation and the continuing insecurity in Kiunga, a remote border town in the coastal district of Lamu East, are disrupting local livelihoods, residents say. Major economic activity, including tourism, has been restrained following attacks by al-Shabaab insurgents from nearby Somalia. Efforts by the Kenyan security forces to stamp out al-Shabaab activity have, in turn, adversely impacted the local fishing industry.
Norfolk trial begins for Somalis who fired on Navy ship
20 Feb – Source: Hampton Roads – 156 words
Armed with machine guns, a group of Somali men in a small skiff opened fire in 2010 on a 609-foot Navy ship off the coast of Africa. Prosecutors argue the men were pirates who mistook the amphibious dock landing ship for a commercial vessel. Defense attorneys, however, claim they were merely lost at sea and trying to get the ship’s attention. A jury trial for five of the men started Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.
SOCIAL MEDIA
CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“There are over 2.3 million Somali refugees displaced internally and abroad. In the recently Oscar-nominated short film ASAD, director Bryan Buckley tells the story of those currently living in the war-torn country through the eyes of a young boy deciding a destiny between piracy and the life of an honest fisherman.”
From Somalia to the Red Carpet: Interview with “ASAD” director Bryan Buckley
20 Feb – Source: One Small Seed – 1179 Words
For every second of airtime, a Super Bowl advertising costs about $100,000. Buckley has directed more than 40 and upholds a reputation of incorporating excellence, humour and relevance in all his projects. That same level of dedication translates to Buckley’s success with short films including No Autographs and the recently Academy Award nominated ASAD. Buckley talks with one small seed about what ASAD means to him personally, professionally and how he hopes the film will continue to make an impact long after the red carpet.