July 23, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Kenya warplanes target Al Shabaab hideouts again

22 Jul – Source: Garowe Online/Shabelle – 112 words

Two Kenyan warplanes pummeled al Shabaab hideouts near Middle Jubba regional district of Jilib of southern Somalia on Tuesday, Garowe Online reports. Fighter jets flying at low range struck pre-planned targets situated a few meters away from former Fanoole Irrigation Project according to witnesses. Al Shabaab militants reportedly used anti-aircraft weapons and warplanes returned to their original airstrips. Due to al Shabaab’s tight secrecy, Garowe Online was unable to confirm the fatalities from airstrike. Al Shabaab’s fighting vehicles were spotted on the scene, sources stated.

Key Headlines

Kenya warplanes target Al Shabaab hideouts again (Garowe Online)
Car blast kills local administration official in Mogadishu (Bar-kulan)
Ex-Somali Intelligence chief sworn in as lawmaker (Radio Shabelle)
Kenya diverts qat exports to Somalia after British ban (Sabahi Online)
Abudwaq administration resettles 110 IDP’s (Radio Goobjoog)
Blind Somali Jihadist fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria (Daily Mail)
Father of Thika Road blast suspect charged (Daily Nation)
Somalia Guinea Djibouti Egypt and Sierra Leone have highest FGM rates (The Guardian)

SOMALI MEDIA

Kenya warplanes target Al Shabaab hideouts again

22 Jul – Source: Garowe Online/Shabelle – 112 words

Car blast kills local administration official in Mogadishu

22 Jul – Source: Bar-kulan – 100 words

One of local administration officials of Wardhigley district in Banadir region has been killed at Ali-Kamin neighborhood according to the spokesman of Banadir regional administration. Speaking to Bar-kulan, the spokesman of Banadir regional administration Ali Mohamud Farah said the official died in a car explosion which was caused by an explosive device allegedly planted on his car. Locals who also spoke to Bar-kulan described the deceased official as a hardworking man who was renowned for his role in raising awareness on security and healthcare among his community. No one has been arrested in connection with the killing of the official.

Ex-Somali Intelligence chief sworn in as lawmaker

22 Jul – Source: Radio Shabelle – 92 words

Former Somali Intelligence Chief Bashir Mohamed Jama better known as Bashir Gobe has been sworn in as a lawmaker on Tuesday during parliament session in Mogadishu. Deputy parliament speaker told MPs duringon Tuesday’s session in Mogadishu, with the presence of Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and speaker of the house Mohamed Osman Jawari that Bashir Goobe is worn as new parliamentarian. Police and intelligence chiefs were fired by the Prime Minister of Somalia’s Federal Government after al Qaeda linked al Shabaab militants launched deadly assault against Presidential Palace—Villa Somalia in Mogadishu.

Abudwaq administration resettles 110 IDP’s

22 Jul – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 100 words

The administration of Abudwaq district in Central Somalia stated that 110 internally displaced families in the district have benefited from resettlement project. Abudwaaq social services head Khali Abdisamad Ali told Radio Goobjoog that the administration getting help from local NGO’s succeeded to build permanent houses for internally displaced persons who were residing on makeshifts in the town. Mr. Ali stated that his administration will make more efforts to assist the internally displaced people in the area. Some of the families who benefited from the project said the help came the right time when they were in need of such help.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Kenya diverts qat exports to Somalia after British ban

22 Jul – Source: Sabahi Online – 796 words

Imports of qat into Mogadishu from Kenya have soared in recent weeks, ever since the British government implemented a ban on the stimulant last month. Prior to the ban, the United Kingdom was Kenya’s biggest export market for qat, known locally as miraa. Now, Kenyan qat traders have diverted most of their product to Somalia for a fraction of the price, said Habon Sheikh Ali, a qat trader at Mogadishu’s KM4 intersection. “Before qat was banned in the United Kingdom, Mogadishu used to receive between 13 to 15 planes of qat daily, but now there are 23 to 25 planes of qat coming in daily,” he told Sabahi. “This has resulted in a decline in qat prices, with each bundle selling for about $5 to $10, while it used to be between $15 and $20 a bundle before.” Each plane brings in 80 sacks of qat, with each sack containing 100 bundles. This means Somalis spend millions of dollars each day on qat brought into the country, Ali said.

Father of Thika Road blast suspect charged

22 Jul – Source: Daily Nation – 104 words

The father of a man linked to the twin explosions in commuter buses along Thika Road two months ago wason Tuesday charged with engaging in terrorism-related activities.Mr Sar Guracha Harohas denied the two charges of supporting a terror outfit and threatening to kill a witness who testified against his son, Warque Dejene Sar, on July 4. He was ordered to deposit a bond of Sh10 million and two sureties of a similar amount. The court heard that Mr Guracha received alleged “blood money” amounting to Sh85,000, which had been wired to his cell phone for the “commission of a terrorist act.”

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Blind Somali Jihadist fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria

22 Jul – Source: Daily Mail – 128 words

A blind jihadist pictured fighting alongside ISIS militants in Syria has reportedly urged others to join the Islamist militants, saying having a disability is no excuse. Taymullah al-Somali, a Dutch national who is believed to have travelled to the Middle East earlier this year, has been photographed numerous times alongside ISIS militants and is believed to be based in the capital of the self-declared caliphate, Raqqa. The Somalia-born militant has been quoted on known Islamist social media accounts urging Muslims to join ISIS, reportedly saying: ‘Being blind didn’t stop me from coming to #Syria, what’s your excuse? Numerous images of al-Somali have recently emerged, showing him posing alongside an international group of jihadists – including at least two from Belgium, one of whom is reportedly named Hicham Chaib.

Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, Egypt and Sierra Leone have highest FGM rates

22 Jul – Source: The Guardian – 108 words

Girls in parts of the global south continue to be married young, with more than half of girls in the least developed countries wed before their 18th birthday. The prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) also remains high, with more than 90% of women in Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, Egypt and Sierra Leone undergoing the procedure. About 98% of Somali women aged 15-49 have experienced FGM, and 56% of women in south Asia were married before they turned 18, according to data released by the UN children’s agency, Unicef. Speaking at the Girl Summit, Unicef’s executive director, Anthony Lake, said some countries had shown an improvement in recent years.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“The destruction of an airliner flying at high altitude by a missile strike demonstrates that Somalization, anarchy, knows no limit whatsoever. After reaching the sea, off the Somali coast, it now reaches the skies, over Ukraine. From now on, it is to be feared that no airliners are yet safe anywhere in the world.”

The Somalization of the Skies

22 Jul – Source: Huffington Post Blog – 661 words

The appalling tragedy that just occurred in Ukraine’s airspace leads us to reflect on the multiple dimensions of the future of the world. It confirms first of all the likelihood of the worst-case scenario, in other words, a world without rules or policemen, dominated by gangs, political or criminal. A world with no State, as I have already explained here, that it would resemble Somalia, a country with no State for more than 20 years, being submerged by warlords, preachers of all faiths and criminals of every kind. ” Somalization” is the nightmare scenario of globalization, when it sets in without the rule of law, police or justice. That is indeed what is happening right now, into a region we thought preserved, because it is in the heart of Europe, Ukraine, where divisions are opening between rival factions, without the Ukrainian State, or the qualified international institutions, from the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) to the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), from the Council of Europe to the European Court of Human Rights, being able to act to bring this situation to an end.