June 9, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Amisom Claim Al-Shabaab Attack “An Attempt”, Kill 110 Militants
09 June – Source: The Star – 434 Words
The African Union AMISOM force fighting in Somalia said on Thursday its troops repelled an attack on one of its bases by the Al-Shabaab Islamist group and killed 110 militants. Residents near the base in the central town of Halgan said they heard a huge explosion and heavy exchanges of gunfire shortly before dawn. Shots rang out at least an hour after the initial blast, they said.
“There was an attempted attack this morning. They were repulsed. Our troops are in control of the situation,” a spokesman for Amisom force said in a brief statement, without giving details or any casualties. Amisom forces killed 110 Al-Shabaab and captured a large cache of weapons,” Lieutenant Colonel Joe Kibet told Reuters by telephone, adding that a claim by Al-Shabaab that it had killed 60 AU soldiers was a “falsehood”.
Amisom, made up of troops from African nations supporting Somalia’s Western-backed government and army in the fight against the al Qaeda-linked militants, usually says it is up to troop-contributing countries to announce casualties. “We understand there are casualties on both sides. AU forces fought back fiercely and repulsed Al-Shabaab,” Somali military officer Major Abdifatah Elmi told Reuters from Bulaburde town in the region. But he said he did not have figures.
Key Headlines
- Amisom Claim Al-Shabaab Attack “An Attempt” Kill 110 Militants (The Star)
- Specially Trained Police Force Launch Night Time Operation In Mogadishu (Dhacdo)
- Somali Women Leader Shot Dead In Galkayo (Goobjoog News)
- United Nations To Spend Sh3.8b In Training Kenyan Soldiers (Daily Nation)
- Djiboutian Armed Forces Celebrates 39th Anniversary (AMISOM)
- Shot And Twice Robbed Refugee Wants To Leave SA (Ground Up)
- After The Terror Trial A For In The Somali Community’s Road (Star Tribune)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Specially Trained Police Force Launch Night Time Operation In Mogadishu
08 June 2016 – Source: Dhacdo.com – 160 Words
Specially UK-trained police on Wednesday night conducted a search operation aimed at bolstering security situation in the capital of Mogadishu. Speaking to local media, Banadir regional police commander Colonel Bashir Abshir Geedi said the operation was routine and would continue till the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
This is part of the security agencies’ plan to tighten security amid fears of escalated Al-Shabaab attacks during this month.“The operations began on the first night of Ramadan and will continue daily in order to scale up security in the capital during the 30 days of Ramadan,” he said. He further called on Banadir residents to collaborate with the security branches in order to boost security
Gun-wielding police were seen conducting search operations, stopping and searching public transport vehicles plying the routes around KM-4 junction and Hotel Sahafi area. The deployed police are part of dozens of well-trained officers recently displayed during recent visit by Britain’s foreign secretary Philip Hammond.
Somali Women Leader Shot Dead In Galkayo
09 June – Source: Goobjoog News – 116 Words
Two men armed with pistols shot dead Dhudi Yusuf Adan In Galkayo. Dhudi who was a Somali women’s leader and activist. She was also the head of the Mudug Women Association and a serious campaigner for women’s political participation in Puntland state. The two men armed with pistols shot her several times on the head and the chest while sitting in front of her house in Galkayo.
Puntland state security forces quickly started searches but did not manage to arrest anyone suspect for the murder. Deputy Mudug Governor Ahmed Musse Nura Yare extended his condolences to the family. The governor said that Galkayo will never forget her social contribution. No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack but because of her anti-Al-Shabaab speeches many suspect to be behind the killing.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
United Nations To Spend Sh3.8b In Training Kenyan Soldiers
09 June – Source: Daily Nation – 169 Words
The training is being conducted by military personnel from the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force. The United Nations will spend more than Sh3.8 billion to strengthen engineering units of the Kenya Army in preparation for deployment to tough terrain in war-torn regions. Of the soldiers from other countries deployed to Somalia, the Kenya Defence Forces unit will be the first to undergo advanced training.
The UN Department of Field Support has already started training 60 Kenyan soldiers at the Humanitarian Peace Support School, Embakasi Garrison. “Today’s peacekeeping missions are increasingly operating in non-permissive environments; in some of the poorest, conflict-prone, remote and almost inaccessible areas,” said the training project manager, Mr Harinder Sood. The training, dubbed Triangular Partnership Project, is being conducted by military personnel from the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force. The Japanese Government has funded the UN-backed project. Kenyan troops were chosen for the training because of the challenges they face in Somalia as well as other dangers that might be posed by unstable neighbours.
Djiboutian Armed Forces Celebrates 39th Anniversary
09 June – Source: AMISOM – 108 Words
The Djiboutian Armed Forces recently celebrated its 39th anniversary in a colourful ceremony held in Beletwayne. The function was attended by dignitaries from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Federal Government and regional administrations. Addressing the invited guests, Djiboutian Battalion 3 Commander, Hassan Jama, commended the soldiers for their selfless efforts in securing Somalia and providing humanitarian aid to locals during times of crises. Colonel Jama said the forces will continue working closely with the Federal Government in fighting Al-Shabaab to enable Somalis live in a peaceful and stable nation. He noted that the forces have helped secure Beletwayne, Bula Burde, Jalalaqsi and the neighbouring areas.
Shot And Twice Robbed, Refugee Wants To Leave SA
09 June – Source: Ground Up – 382 Words
“South Africa is no longer a safe place to live in,” says Somali refugee Liban Ali Nuur. In 2014, GroundUp reported that Nuur had been a victim of armed robbery [in that article he used a pseudonym] in Khayelitsha. A bullet rendered his right arm useless, and he is unable to lift things with it. “When it is a cold day, I feel a lot of pain,” he says. He goes to the clinic in Mfuleni for painkillers.
Nuur relocated to Delft, where he again established a spaza shop with the assistance of family members. But last month, he was a victim of armed robbery for the second time in 14 months. Nuur had ordered groceries and decided to offload them at his spaza shop the following morning. “While I was offloading the groceries from my car, around 7 am, four guys opened fire on me. Luckily, they missed and I ran away. They went away with my Toyota Conquest and all the goods I had ordered,” he says.
Of the four robbers, one opened fire on him and the others quickly jumped into his car. Nuur jumped out of the car and ran barefoot as fast as he could. He says there were some bystanders who just watched what was happening to him.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The Somali community is not in denial of the fact that a sizable number of its young men were killed in a far-off land. Now we, the Somali community, come to a fork in the road. We will either join hands in order to defeat murderous thugs wielding deadly ideology, or become pawns serving their ultimate goal. It will be, eventually, up to us.”
After The Terror Trial, A For In The Somali Community’s Road
09 June – Source: Star Tribune – 498 Words
I was not really prepared for “The terrorism trial is over — yet can we still get justice?” (June 7). Let me try to put the war on terror and its relationship with the recent terror trial into perspective. The Somali community began to trickle into Minnesota 20 years ago. And contrary to the June 7 commentaries claim, Minnesota has welcomed them. The Somali community resettlement in Minnesota is a daunting experiment, still in progress, involving challenges no other immigrants have faced before — in addition to being drawn into the “war on terror.”
The Somali community in Minnesota has contributed to the economy of the state. But of course, understandably, as with other immigrants who came before them, conflicts and misunderstandings have been unavoidable. Remember that years ago, Minneapolis was known as one of the most anti-Semitic cities in the Midwest, if not in the whole country.
I strongly disagree with the commentary’s narrative, describing the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as not a product of extreme religious ideology but a blowback from the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the brutality of Nouri al-Maliki and the Syrian regime. Yes, one can argue that the U.S. invasion destabilized an already volatile region, but to assert that ISIL’s is not an extreme ideology is ridiculous. Furthermore, to suggest that there is no jihadi pipeline here in Minnesota and that somehow we have failed these young men is an absurdity.
Since mid-2006, impressionable Somali youths have fallen victim to Al-Shabaab recruitment. Since then, 40 or more have left and joined Al-Shabaab, where half have been killed in battle. In 2012, ISIL surfaced and gained prominence, coming up with more sophisticated social media outreach to continue the recruitment of Somali youths in Minnesota, with success rates higher than that of Al-Shabaab.
TOP TWEETS
@amisomsomalia: #AMISOM troops and #SNA jointly drove back the attackers who are now on the run with the joint forces in pursuit. #Halgan #Somalia
@HarunMaruf : Reports: Civilians were in the crossfire in#Halgan village, at least five are dead, number could rise.#Hiran #AlShabab #Somalia
@AnankeGroup: UNESCO DG condemns killing of journalist Sagal Salad Osman in #Somalia http://goo.gl/Etw6Tk
@Dahirkulane: .#Djibouti Forces celebrate 39th anniversary Beletweyne.#Somalia securing & providing Aid to locals#HEROS in Action
@amisomsomalia: An assortment of weapons has been captured as the joint forces overpowered the attackers. More details to follow. #Halgan
@AlmaasElman: President of #Somalia & the First Lady taking a tour of the Embassy site In #Nairobi. Construction ongoing.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
The Djiboutian Armed Forces celebrated its 39th anniversary in a colourful ceremony held in Beletwayne.
Photo: AMISOM