February 8, 2013 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

British troops to be sent to Somalia as military commitment spreads across Africa

07 Feb- Source: Daily Mail-497 Words

British troops are to be deployed to Somalia, opening up a new front in its military commitment in Africa.
Amid fears of ‘mission creep’ in UK involvement in the region, soldiers are to be sent to Mogadishu to provide security for a new embassy.
It is the latest stage in David Cameron’s commitment to providing advice and training to Africa Union forces in taking on Al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
Ministers on Thursday published an International Defence Engagement Strategy setting out defence activity, which stops short of combat operations. It insists efforts will be focussed on ‘those countries which are most important to our national interests’.

Key Headlines

AMISOM Dismantles Terrorist Ambush Point ( AMISOM-HQ)
Somalia rules out interfering court decision on rape case (Radio Bar-kulan)
AMISOM overruns al Shabaab ambush point in Gedo ( Radio Bar-kulan)
African Forces Succeed Against Islamists In Somalia (NPR News)
Somali cabinet meets in Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
Prime Minister Shirdon welcomes UN Report on Somalia (Horseed Media)
AMISOM forces kill five al Shabaab militia men (The Star (Kenya))
Uganda missing out on new business in Somalia (New Vision)
Ethiopian troops battle al Shabaab fighters in south central Somalia (Garowe Online)
Somaliland Leader Holds Talks with American Representatives in Kenya (Somaliland Press)
Kenya set to withdraw Somalia battalion (Daily Nation)

PRESS RELEASE

AMISOM Dismantles Terrorist Ambush Point

07 Feb- Source: AMISOM-HQ-116 Words

Dobley, 7 February 2013- Somali National Army with the support African Union troops today dismantled an ambush position set up by the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab terror group in the Gedo region of Somalia.
The joint forces conducted a surprise attack at the site in Mudale during which, the al Shabaab militants suffered many causalities. Four AK 47 rifles, one double cabin vehicle and assorted communication equipment were recovered.
AMISOM Sector 2 Commander, Brigadier Anthony Ngere said that the operation had removed a threat to civilian movement between the towns of Mudale and Busaar. “AMISOM is committed to protecting the security gains to ensure Somalia continues on the road to a sustainable peace,” he said.

SOMALI MEDIA

Somalia rules out interfering court decision on rape case

08 Feb- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/Radio Mogadishu- 235 words

The government has ruled out interfering with the recent court verdict sentencing a woman who claimed to have been raped by state security officers and the journalist who interviewed her.

In a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon to respond to the Mogadishu court verdict, the PM said “Somalia has an independent judiciary and the court has made its decision.”
He said they are now looking into this case but ruled out interfering with the court decision that handed the woman and the journalist one year of jail term each.

He stated that his government remains completely committed to upholding human rights, adding that “as part of this policy, we have just established an Independent Human Rights Task Force, which will be reporting on human rights during the past 12 months.”

Somali cabinet meets in Mogadishu

07 Feb – Source: Radio Shabelle/Jowhar Online/ Hiiraan Online/Mareeg– 127 words

Somali cabinet held their normal meeting in Mogadishu and discussed several current issues. Thursday’s meeting which was chaired by the Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdoon ‘ Saaid’ discussed about the recent visit of the PM to the central Somali town of Beledweyne, Hiiraan region.
Minister of Information Abdullahil Elmoge Hirsi who addressed the media after the meeting said that the cabinet praised the work of AMISOM’s Djiboutian contingent in the city.
The minister also said that they discussed the need for the populations in the liberated areas to work the peacekeepers and Somali security forces in order to maintain the security of those regions.

Prime Minister Shirdon welcomes UN Report on Somalia

07 Feb- Source: Horseed Media-533 Words

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has welcomed the UN Secretary-General’s Report on Somalia, which paid tribute to the country’s successful transition to the most representative government in more than two decades.
The report, released on 6 February, praised “the most transparent and representative” election in 20 years, the first held in Somalia during that period. It acknowledged the successful end of the country’s eight-year political transition and noted the “confidence and optimism” expressed by Somali commentators in the new authorities. While acknowledging many challenges ahead, the report recognised that the new government’s term (2012-2016) was “the best chance in a generation for sustainable peace and development”.

Ethiopian troops battle al Shabaab fighters in south central Somalia

07 Feb- Source: Garowe Online/Hiiraan Online/Jowhar Online-324 Words

A contingent of Ethiopian troops were ambushed by al Shabaab fighters as they made their way from El Barde in Bakool region in south central Somalia on Thursday, Garowe Online reports.
According to local media in Bakool, the Ethiopian troops were headed back from surveying the town of El Barde – which is located in Bay and Bakool region – when they were ambushed near Yed, a village that lies in the middle of El Barde and Hudur, where Ethiopian troops are stationed.

Somaliland Leader Holds Talks with American Representatives in Kenya

07 Feb- Source: Somaliland Press/Somalisun- 428 words

Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud (Silanyo) has met with Representatives of the United States of America government in Kenya, most notable the American Ambassador to Kenya Hon Robert F Codec, the Deputy special representative for Somalia Mr. Brian Philips and USAID Deputy Director Ms. Hodan Hassan.
The two sides discussed issues covering such wide-ranging issues as security, commerce, politics, development, the enhancement of democracy in the horn of Africa and ways to strengthened existing diplomatic ties with America.

AMISOM overruns al Shabaab ambush point in Gedo

07 Feb- Source: Radio Bar-kulan/ Raxanreeb- 126 words

Somali National Army with the support African Union troops today dismantled an ambush position set up by the al Qaeda linked al Shabaab group in the Gedo region of Somalia, AMISOM said on Thursday.
In a statement, AMISOM said the joint forces conducted a surprise attack at the site in Mudale during which, the Al Shabaab militants suffered many causalities.
It added that four AK 47 rifles, one double cabin vehicle and assorted communication equipment were recovered during the attack.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya set to withdraw Somalia battalion

07 Feb- Source: Daily Nation- 288 words

Kenya will reduce its troop presence in Somalia by about 20 per cent in the coming weeks, according to a report to the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
A battalion of 850 Sierra Leone troops is scheduled to be added to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in February and March, with Kenya reducing its deployment by one battalion, the report says.
Kenya had a total of 4,652 soldiers assigned to Amisom as of last November, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon tells the Security Council in a report expected to be discussed next week.

Uganda missing out on new business in Somalia

07 Feb- Source: New Vision- 1020 words

It is early evening in Mogadishu. Although the war-ravaged city is largely dark, there are well-lit structures that look like buildings on the ocean. These structures are in one line running from the south of the city towards the seaport. They are about 100 metres apart from each other.
“Those are huge ships waiting to dock at the seaport,” Maj. Henry Obbo, the Ugandan Contingent spokesman, says. Just a year ago, this was impossible. There was no way such a big number of ships would sit like ducks on the open waters without being scared of attacks from the militant al Shabaab.

Gunmen kill one in Kenya’s northeast

07 Feb- Source: Capital FM/AFP-194 Words

Gunmen on Thursday shot dead one person and wounded several others in Kenya’s restive northeastern Garissa region, police said, the latest in a string of attacks.
The attackers opened fire on a vehicle as it drove in Garissa town, which lies some 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the border with war-torn Somalia, and where Kenyan troops are fighting Somali Islamist insurgents.

AMISOM forces kill five al Shabaab militia men

07 Feb- Source: The Star (Kenya)-66 Words

African Forces in Somalia have killed five al Shabaab militants in an encounter along the main supply route between Mudale and Busaar in Somalia. Several other militants escaped with injuries and are suspected to be seeking medical attention in Bardhere and surrounding areas.
The forces also recovered 1 double cab vehicle, 4 AK 47 rifles, 3 hand grenades , 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade and various communication equipment.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

British troops to be sent to Somalia as military commitment spreads across Africa

07 Feb- Source: Daily Mail-497 Words

African Forces Succeed Against Islamists In Somalia

07 Feb- Source: NPR/OPB-03:58 Mins

French forces helped Mali push Islamist militants from that West African nation’s north, and now they want to leave and hand over peacekeeping duties to an African force. Somalia, on the continent’s east, has been guarded by an East African force since 2007 and is now experiencing a period of calm unprecedented in the past two decades.

Iranian, Somali Presidents Meet in Cairo

07 Feb- Source: Fars News Agency-148 Words

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, reviewed the latest developments in bilateral relations between the two countries.
President Ahmadinejad said Iran will support the process of progress in Somalia.
He pointed to the improving situation in that country, and said it enjoys rich resources which should be used in order to make further development.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS
“A new research paper tracks how and why al Qaeda-linked terrorist organizations and their sympathizers use social media.”

How Jihadists Use Twitter, And Soon Even Instagram

06 Feb- Source: Fast Company-626 Words

Violent jihadists prefer foreign-language online web forums for their online social networking, but a new study reveals they’re increasingly setting up Twitter accounts for propaganda and recruiting. Jihadist videos are already all over YouTube. And it won’t be long before they find their way to other popular Western-based social media services such as Instagram, the study suggests.
According to The State of Global Jihad Online author Aaron Y. Zelin at the New America Foundation, Islamist terrorists and their sympathizers use a combination of web forums, conventional websites, and Twitter for social networking. Zelin also suggests that Jihadists use web forums for everyday conversation, exchanging tactics, and socializing, while Twitter is used more as a recruitment and propaganda tool. Rather than using the loaded term “terrorists,” the study refers to jihadists–a category which also encompasses propagandists and ideologists for various armed Islamist militant organizations worldwide.