September 30, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
US To Probe Somali Airstrike Claims
30 September – Source: Goobjoog News – Words
The United States said it will investigate the airstrike that killed 22 soldiers and wounded 15 other people at Somali army base, 30 kilometers east of Galkayo town in central Somalia. Somali government on Thursday demanded an explanation from the United States on an airstrike which it said had killed 22 people Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. would “look at the reports claiming that civilians had been killed, if they are credible and if they are, we will investigate them. Osman Isse Nor, Security Minister for regional Galmudug State, told reporters that airstrike only targeted their forces, saying no Al-Shabaab militants were killed during the bombardment, an incident which sparked street demonstrations against U.S.forces. “The attack occurred at our army base, 30 kilometers east of this town and killed 22 soldiers, wounded 16 others and destroyed army vehicles. The U.S drones carried out the attack, but we believe that the Puntland security forces gave them (United States) wrong information,” Nor said.
The minister said that the attack happened at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday and called on Washington to give response to the latest deadly incident which saw many residents held street protests against the killings. Hundreds of people took to the streets in Galkayo town which is located few kilometers away from where the strike took place, on Wednesday, angry at the U.S. action. Irate residents chanted anti-U.S. slogans and burned American flags, calling on Galmudug regional state and the Somali federal government to respond to what they called “aggression”.
Key Headlines
- US To Probe Somali Airstrike Claims (Goobjoog News)
- Prosecutor: India Did Not Torture Somali Prisoners (Shabelle News)
- Second phase of Hiiraan/Middle Shabelle State-making process kicks off in Jowhar (Radio Muqdisho)
- Mortars land in several Wadajir neighborhoods (Jowhar.com)
- Somalia: Galmudug Accuses Puntland Of Duping US Into Bombing Its Soldiers (The East African)
- Can Neighborhood Watch Ease Somalia’s Insecurity? (theglobalobservatory.org)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Prosecutor: India Did Not Torture Somali Prisoners
30 September – Source: Shabelle News – 108 Words
The prosecutor general of Somalia’s federal government Ahmed Ali Dahir has vehemently denied reports of torture on Somali citizens held in Indian prisons. The prosecutor said the inmates are facing hardships of life at the jails they are being held, where they don’t have proper health care and other basic services.
“I paid a visit to the Somali nationals held in India over piracy charges, there was no any inmate tortured or harassed,” said Somali prosecutor general. He said two of the prisoners died in the jail after experiencing bad health conditions and lack of care. the Indian government however did not comment on the reports so far.
Second phase of Hiiraan/Middle Shabelle State-making process kicks off in Jowhar
30 September – Source: Radio Muqdisho – 277 Words
The second phase of the Hiiraan/Middle Shabelle region State-making process has opened in Jowhar on Thursday to approve this emerging state’s constitution. Up to 300 delegates and high-ranking government officials led by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and Federal affairs Dr. Yahye Ali Ibrahim attended the kick off process. Others including conference facilitation committee members, officials from Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regional administrations and local professionals as well as IGAD representatives were present. Committee Chairman Isse Samow thanked delegates for turning up in large numbers and working in unison to support local residents to establish a full-fledged administration. “I am glad to witness the final phases of the conference, we need to pull up our socks to conclude this process, and the efforts of all those working tirelessly to make this process a success is worth noting,” said the Chairman in his opening remarks.
Local administrators led by Middle Shabelle Governor welcomed the progress made by the conference so far and pledged their support. Speaking on behalf of elders from both Hiiraan and Middle-Shabelle respectively, traditional leaders Ahmed Rashid Sheikh and Mohamud Halane reiterated their commitment to the process.In his address, Principal Secretary in the ministry of Interior Dr. Yahye Ali said the second phase will approve the upcoming State’s constitution while the third phase will see election of parliamentarians. Dr. Ali expressed optimism in that the new State will be up and running by October 15, 2016 and could be part of the election of parliamentarians and a head of State by then. The conference was first opened on January 12, 2016 but has since gone through different phases and challenges.
Mortars Land In Several Wadajir Neighborhoods
30 September – Source: Jowhar.com – 122 Words
Several mortar shells landed in a section of Wadajir district neighborhoods on Thursday but no deaths were reported. Affected areas include BuloHubey but eyewitnesses said no target was hit although it landed in close proximity to a local Quran school. Pro-Al Shabaab media however reported several mortars were targeted at AMISOM’s Halane camp. The terror group said in their briefing that several mortars landed inside the AU mission camp although AMISOM did not comment on the issue so far.
In another incident, three people among them two women died in an IED explosion inside a market in Kaaran district. The spot where the IED was planted was used by security forces who were not at the scene by the time of explosion.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somalia: Galmudug Accuses Puntland Of Duping US Into Bombing Its Soldiers
30 September- Source: The East African – 389 Words
A regional administration in Somalia said rival forces deliberately misled the US into launching an air strike that killed 13 of its troops and wounded seven others.The US confirmed conducting the strike on Wednesdaymorning near the town of Galkayo, but said it targeted the Shabaab, an al-Qaeda group.”During a Somali-led counterterrorism operation to disrupt an al-Shabaab Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making network, a group of armed al-Shabaab fighters attacked, threatening the safety and security of the Somali force and their US advisors,” the US Africa Command said in a statement.”Somali forces returned fire in self defence. The US conducted a self defence strike to neutralise the threat, killing nine enemy fighters.”
However, authorities from Galmudug state say it was their soldiers who were killed and that the US was duped by troops from neighbouring Puntland state into carrying out the strike.”The administration of Galmudug State of Somalia is very disappointed that the US Pentagon has used an excessive force against Galmudug forces with misinformation from another regional state in Somalia,” Mohamed Adan Osman, Galmudug’s information minister, said late Thursday.”We suspect that Puntland State of Somalia provided wrong information deliberately with its own interest to secure the attack.” It is unclear whether the strike, which according to Galmudug authorities killed 13, was a case of mistaken identity or a result of hostility between the restive neighbouring states.Another Galmudug spokesman, Mohamed Hassan Sahal, told AFP a fragment of a US missile had been found at the scene of the attack, which came after Galmudug soldiers had clashed with those from Puntland.Puntland denied the charge insisting that Shabaab militants were targeted.”The operation was targeting Shabaab fighters who were in the process of organising attacks against Puntland,” said Abdinasir Baddal, a Puntland state official told reporters.Somalia’s central government has asked the US “to provide a clear explanation for the attack” while Galmudug state has called for an investigation as well as “an apology and compensation”.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“Located northeast of Mogadishu’s international airport, Wabeeri is a densely populated district of 19,250 inhabitants plus 10 internally displaced persons camps housing 15,000. Its neighborhood watch scheme is Somali-driven but supported by the United Kingdom as a means of increasing counterterrorism-relevant reporting to Somali authorities, ”
Can Neighborhood Watch Ease Somalia’s Insecurity?
29 September – Source: theglobalobservatory.org – 1459 Words
An Al-Shabaab bomb that killed 10 people in a Mogadishu beach resort in August highlighted the city’s chronic insecurity. This will be in even sharper contrast in the run-up to Somali elections scheduled for October this year. One option on the table for international donors looking to help disrupt terrorist networks is to expand neighborhood watch groups. Based on the record of a Somali-driven project in Mogadishu’s Wabeeri district, this represents a locally acceptable, sustainable, and value-for-money approach. Somali neighborhood watch groups have historically been little more than vigilante or protection groups designed to manage criminal violence rather than terrorism. But much has changed over the last two years. The Wabeeri example could serve as a model for enhancing Mogadishu’s broader security. It also provides valuable insight into the relationship between counterterrorism and broader security and development aims.
Mogadishu is a notoriously insecure city, but 2015 saw the introduction of a new security plan addressing gaps in the federal government’s ability to gather community intelligence needed for counterterrorism operations there. While previous plans of this nature have been top-down products that failed to deliver on their promises, the 2015 proposal acknowledged the role of the city’s individual districts. It adopted the neighborhood watch concept as a primary pillar and also recommended copying the reporting structure of the watch scheme developed by the mayor at the time.
Designed to mobilize communities, it consists of a structured approach to gathering intelligence at the local level. The scheme appoints community representatives responsible for recording sightings of suspicious individuals, vehicles, and weapons, with the resultant information fed to a team that collates and analyses the information to create a picture of security-relevant activities, before passing intelligence to agencies such as the Somali Police Force, Ministry of Internal Security (MOIS), and National Intelligence Agency (NISA). The process links the police force’s Community Policing and Public Relations Division, the city’s district commissioners, and the Benadir Regional Administration.
TOP TWEETS
@undgdocoFrom conflict to reconstruction: #Somalia’s sustainable development goals story #SDGAlive #SDGs#Agenda2030 http://bit.ly/2doPai9
@africaupdate:New briefing from Alice Hills: Can Neighborhood Watch Ease #Somalia’s Insecurity? http://ow.ly/HPPB304IdlR
@issafrica:Next week: How will postponing #elections affect the#Somalia’s transition? https://www.issafrica.org/
@Medeshi:#Somalia says #US air strike killed civilians not al-Shabab http://www.medeshivalley.com/
@KarinKaup:EU statement on the announced delay of the electoral process in #Somalia http://eeas.europa.eu/
@fqdayib :#vintagesnap from the days of #honor, dignity,#enlightenment and sovereignty. #Somalia shall overcome & prosper. It shall move forward.
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IMAGE OF THE DAY
Somali Embassy in Nairobi concludes training for Somali diplomats.
Photo: Radio Muqdisho