June 3, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somalia Beefs Up Security Ahead Of Erdogan’s Visit
02 June – Source: Hiiraan Online – 271 Words
Somali government has beefed up security across the capital city of Mogadishu ahead the planned visit by the Turkish President Raccep Tayyib Erdogan on Friday (today). The Turkish leader will stop by on the last leg of his East African tour.
Hundreds of soldiers from the Somali government and African Union forces have been deployed across the city only a day after Al-Shabaab militants launched a deadly attack on a hotel in Mogadishu killing over 20 people, including two Members of Parliament. Over 40 others were injured during the siege, which lasted more than 12 hours.
Erdoğan, who arrived in Kenya on Wednesday after a brief visit to Uganda, is expected to arrive in Mogadishu for his third visit to the city for a brief visit and to hold talks with Somali political leaders. He will also open the new embassy in Mogadishu, the largest Turkish embassy in Africa.
Referred to as a ‘hero’ by many in Somalia, Erdogan, who became the first non-African Head of State to visit Mogadishu last year, has long advocated for greater support for the economically struggling horn of Africa nation, which is recovering from decades of war. The Turkish government spent more than $500 million in humanitarian and development aid to Somalia after a devastating famine hit the country in 2013, making it the largest recipient of Turkish aid in Africa.
The Turkish government also continues to undertake major projects in Somalia in a bid to jumpstart the country’s economy, shattered by decades of conflict. A major ally of Somalia, Turkey was the first non-African administration to resume formal diplomatic relations with Somalia after warlords overthrew the central government in 1991.
Key Headlines
- Somalia Beefs Up Security Ahead Of Erdogan’s Visit (Hiiraan Online)
- British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond Arrives In Somalia (Goobjoog News)
- Security Council Condemns Al-Shabaab Attack On Hotel In Mogadishu (Shabelle News/UN News Center)
- US Vows Support For Somalia After Deadly Hotel Attack In Mogadishu (Hiiraan Online)
- UK To Send 70 Troops To Somalia To Boost Security Ahead Of Elections (Sputnik News)
- SRSG Keating Condemns Terrorist Attack On Mogadishu Hotel (UNSOM)
- Court Summons PS Over Refugees’ Status (Daily Nation)
- Airport Security Staffer Suspended For Secretly Being An Accused Somali War Criminal (Gawker)
- How Islamic Terrorists Infiltrate U.S. Airport Security (World Net Daily)
NATIONAL MEDIA
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond Arrives In Somalia
02 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 202 Words
British Foreign secretary Philip Hammond arrived in Mogadishu on Thursday as part of a three day visit to East Africa. The secretary met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud and discussed at length issues relating to security and political development in the country.
Philip Hammond condemned the Al-Shabaab attack which claimed lives of at least 30 people, including two lawmakers of dual British and Somali nationality: “This week’s Al-Shabaab attack is yet another reminder of the importance of the work we are doing to support Somalia and to increase security across the region.”
The Secretary also praised progress made towards this year’s elections: “I was encouraged to hear from the President the progress so far made towards a more inclusive electoral process for August 2016. This will be a key step towards the one-person, one-vote electoral principle in 2020 and agreement of an overall Federal settlement, which is also crucial to Somalia’s future stability.”
The Foreign Secretary arrived in Mogadishu having spent the previous day in Addis Ababa in discussions with the Ethiopian government and the African Union. He encouraged the Ethiopian government to maintain its commitment to the Somali Federal Government with a view of cementing gains made so far.
Security Council Condemns Al-Shabaab Attack On Hotel In Mogadishu
02 June – Source: Shabelle News/UN News Center – 115 Words
The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the deadly attack on 1 June 2016 perpetrated by Al-Shabaab militants on the Ambassador Hotel, Mogadishu.
In a statement to the press, the 15-nation Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, stressing those responsible for these killings should be held accountable.
The Council further stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of Al-Shabaab, and any other terrorist group in Somalia. The Council reiterated their determination to support the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia, underlining that neither this nor any other terrorist attack would weaken that determination.
US Vows Support For Somalia After Deadly Hotel Attack In Mogadishu
02 June – Source: Hiiraan Online – 292 Words
The United States government has condemned the deadly attack on a hotel in the Somali capital and vowed to standby Somalia in its fight against the Al-Qaeda linked group, which claimed responsibility for the attack which claimed more than 20 lives, including those of two legislators.
A suicide car bomber detonated explosives-laden vehicle into the gates of Ambassador Hotel followed by gunmen on foot who stormed the hotel frequented by Somali officials on Wednesday. Security forces managed to end the siege, which lasted more than 12 hours on Thursday morning.
“This attack exemplifies the menace that Al-Shabaab poses to all Somalis. The United States will continue to work closely with Somali political leaders, the Somali National Army, and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces to defeat Al-Shabaab.” said a statement by the US mission to Somalia Thursday.
The United States is a major partner of the Somali government, having deployed military advisors providing counterterrorism aid to help the horn of Africa nation in its fight against the militant group. In addition, US military also carried out numerous airstrikes that have killed dozens of the group’s leaders including the group’s spiritual leader Ahmed Abdi Godane who perished in a drone airstrike last year in recent years.
In March, a US drone killed 150 Al Shabaab fighters in central Somalia. According to the Pentagon, the air raid targeted a group of fighters who were preparing to leave a training camp and posed an “imminent threat” to American and African forces. Somali commandos backed by US military have since carried out raids on rebel-held towns in southern Somalia, heightening pressure on the group designated as a terrorist group by the US government.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
UK To Send 70 Troops To Somalia To Boost Security Ahead Of Elections
02 June – Source: Sputnik News – 151 Words
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond announced on Thursday plans to send 70 British troops to Somalia to enhance its security forces ahead of the August elections.
“Britain is increasing its support to the UN peace operations, with around 70 British military personnel deploying to Somalia,” Hammond was quoted in a statement as saying. The UK foreign policy chief came to the East African country on an unannounced visit after a hotel siege in Somali capital Mogadishu ended early Thursday. The attack by al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militants killed two members of parliament with dual British citizenship.
“A secure and stable Somalia is the UK’s top priority in East Africa and is in our own national security interests,” Hammond said. Somalia has been experiencing violence since the country devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The state’s collapse provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and the al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
SRSG Keating Condemns Terrorist Attack On Mogadishu Hotel
02 June – Source: UNSOM – 289 Words
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in Somalia, Michael Keating, condemned in the strongest possible terms yesterday’s attack on the Ambassador Hotel in Mogadishu that reportedly killed at least 15 people and injured many dozens more.
Among the dead were two members of Somalia’s Federal Parliament, Abdullahi Jama and Mohamud Mohamed Gure, as well as other prominent individuals. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gates of the hotel in the late afternoon yesterday. Between four and six militants then entered the premises, exchanging fire with hotel security guards and Somali security forces until the situation was brought under control earlier this morning. .
The incident occurred only days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on the hotel, which is frequented by Somali politicians. The deceased included pedestrians who just happened to be in the vicinity of the hotel when the blast took place.
SRSG Keating said the incident was a stark reminder of the ruthless tactics employed by violent extremists. After decades of war, the vast majority of Somalis reject the resolution of differences through violence, death and destruction. The attack happened as the country prepares for an electoral process scheduled to take place later this year.
“This is a despicable act,” said SRSG Keating: “It may be intended by those who did it to be a show of strength. Its effect is the opposite. Killing civilians is an act of desperation, political inability and moral bankruptcy. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families and friends of those who have died. Somalia has suffered yet another terrible loss. Our wishes for a swift recovery go out to those who sustained injuries in the attack.”
Court Summons PS Over Refugees’ Status
02 June – Source: Daily Nation – 199 Words
Kenya’s Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has been summoned to appear in court next Tuesday to explain the status of refugee affairs following the government’s directive to shut the Dadaab refugee camp.
Justice Luka Kimaru issued the directive in a case where a registered Somali refugee was arrested and charged with being in the country unlawfully. Farhiya Mohamed sued the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Director of Immigration and Registration of Persons.
Through lawyer Victor Ondieki, she sought to quash the proceedings of the Magistrate’s Court, which sentenced her to pay a fine of Sh10,000 or face three months’ imprisonment. She argued that she was likely to be repatriated to Somalia, contrary to the international refugee protection principle of non-refoulement.
Mr Ondieki, who is representing Ms Mohamed and the UNHCR, faulted the lower court over its sentence to a registered refugee protected by Section 3(2) of the Refugee Act 2006, which recognises her status. Ms Mohamed is being held at the Industrial Area Remand Prison awaiting to be repatriated. The judge ordered Mr Kibicho to attend court on June 7 to explain which body has taken over the functions of the disbanded Department of Refugee Affairs.
Airport Security Staffer Suspended For Secretly Being An Accused Somali War Criminal
02 June – Source: Gawker – 777 Words
A security guard at Washington, DC’s Dulles International Airport has been placed on administrative leave after a CNN investigation identified him as an accused war criminal. Colonel Yusuf Abdi Ali was head of the Somali army’s Fifth Brigade under the dictator Siad Barre, and is accused of overseeing torture and mass executions during Somalia’s brutal civil war in the 1980s.
After the Barre regime collapsed in 1991, Ali traveled to Canada but was deported after the CBC aired a documentary about his alleged war crimes. “He tied [my brother] to military vehicle and dragged him behind. He said to us if you’ve got enough power, get him back,” one witness claimed. “He shredded him into pieces. That’s how he died.”
The colonel came to the U.S. on a visa acquired through his wife, Intisar Farah, who became a naturalized citizen. In 2006, Farah was found guilty of naturalization fraud, CNN reports. She’d claimed to be a refugee from the Somali clan Ali is accused of torturing.
Ali is one of more than 1,000 accused war criminals living and working in the United States, according to the the California-based human rights group Center for Justice and Accountability. The CJA has been pursuing litigation against Ali since 2004 on behalf of one of his alleged victims, Farhan Warfaa.
In February, an appeals court denied Ali immunity, allowing the torture and attempted murder lawsuit to proceed; however, it dismissed the elements of the suit accusing Ali of war crimes. From the Guardian: “The CJA presented its arguments at a hearing in September, during which the judges were presented with evidence that Ali shot Warfaa five times at close range during an interrogation over the theft of a water tanker. Assuming Warfaa was dead, the lawsuit stated, Ali ordered henchmen to dispose of his body. Instead he was smuggled to safety.”
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“In 2014, three Somali “refugees” with ties to either ISIS and/or Al-Shabaab were arrested after it was discovered they had plans to travel overseas and fight with the terrorist organizations. All three had security clearances for jobs at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that allowed them to go into areas travelers were not allowed.”
How Islamic Terrorists Infiltrate U.S. Airport Security
03 June – Source: World Net Daily – 1,044 Words
The fact that a Somali Muslim war criminal booted from Canada could somehow land a job at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., appears shocking on its face – but at least six dozen other employees with suspected terror links have been caught working at U.S. airports.
A CNN investigation found that Yusuf Abdi Ali, who is accused of committing atrocities while he was a military commander during Somalia’s civil war, has been living a quiet suburban life in posh Alexandria, Virginia, for about 20 years, CNN reported.
He was deported from Canada after that country found out about his past. But he found refuge in the U.S., which gave him a visa based on his marriage to a Somali-American woman who claimed to be a refugee fleeing war in Somalia. But even that claim turned out to be bogus, as the woman had falsified her refugee application. Still, nothing has been done to remove either Ali or his wife from the U.S.
As shocking as it may sound, this is not the first incidence of an immigrant with ties to Islamic terrorism or other crimes working at an airport in America. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request in March reveal 73 people employed by major airlines at 40 airports nationwide were flagged for potential ties to terrorism.
Terrorism-linked employees have also been flagged at Boston’s Logan International Airport, Seattle’s Sea Tac Airport, Denver International Airport, Honolulu International Airport, Dallas Love Field, San Francisco International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport, among others. These employees were not properly vetted because the TSA said it did not have full access to terrorist databases during their hiring, according to an Inspector General’s report.
“Without complete and accurate information, TSA risks credentialing and providing unescorted access to secure airport areas for workers with potential to harm the nation’s air transportation system,” the report found. In 2014, three Somali “refugees” with ties to either ISIS and/or Al-Shabaab were arrested after it was discovered they had plans to travel overseas and fight with the terrorist organizations. All three had security clearances for jobs at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that allowed them to go into areas travelers were not allowed, Fox 9 reported.
One of the men, Abdisalan Hussein Ali, blew himself up at a military checkpoint in Mogadishu in 2010. Just four years earlier, he was serving coffee at the Caribou Coffee in Concourse G, right across from customs. One of the other two also became a suicide bomber. In light of the missing EgyptAir Flight MS804 that went down in the Mediterranean Sea two weeks ago, it was reported in November, 2015 that dozens of Paris airport workers were on a terror watch list.