Heavy civilian toll as Mogadishu fighting kills at least 13

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Islamist insurgents attacked African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu Monday, sparking fierce clashes that killed at least 13 Somalis, most of them civilians, officials and witnesses said. MORE.. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080526/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrestau

Islamist rebels reject UN proposal for Somalia

MOGADISHU (AFP) — A Somali Islamist commander Sunday rejected a UN resolution that could see UN peacekeepers sent to the war-wracked African nation, calling for a "war" against any such deployment. more... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080525/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrestunpeacekeepers

Jihadi Suicide Bombers: The New Wave

Ahmed Rashid in the New York Review of Books:

When Osama bin Laden decided to launch a jihad against the US and the West from his new base in Afghanistan in 1996, few took him seriously. Several developments at that time got little attention from Western governments as Afghanistan became the incubator of a new, Arab-led "global jihad" against the West. The fifteen-year-long insurrection against the Indian government of Kashmir introduced the skills of suicide bombing to South Asia. The endless civil war in Somalia eliminated any clear center of power there and freewheeling jihadist groups emerged in the chaos. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict was seen as becoming increasingly insoluble. President Clinton's failed attempt to foster peace at the end of his administration came just as many Palestinians were beginning to embrace more extremist Islamic ideas.
Two of the books under review are so illuminating about this twilight period in the 1990s that I even wonder if September 11 could have been averted if they had been published a decade earlier. One is Omar Nasiri's Inside the Jihad, a first-person account by a Moroccan-born spy who infiltrated Islamist groups on behalf of European intelligence organizations in the 1990s; the other is Brynjar Lia's Architect of Global Jihad, a Norwegian scholar's account of a top al-Qaeda strategist named Abu Mus'ab al-Suri, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2005 and handed over to the US. He is now one of the "rendered" or disappeared prisoners. Both books are about men who were trained in terrorist camps in Afghanistan in the early 1990s—when bin Laden was not even there—and who then traveled across Europe to mobilize Muslims for the emerging global jihad. The Afghan camps were providing military and technical training, ideological education, and new global networks well before al-Qaeda arrived on the scene.
Yet the young men who trained in these camps were not educated in the Islamic schools called madrasas and they were inspired less by extremist Islamic ideology than by their desires to see the world, handle weapons, and have a youthful adventure. It was a boy's world of reality games. "I realized that I had dreamed of this moment for years," writes Nasiri—a nom de plume.
More here.

US urges Somalia government to isolate extremists

Somali Foreign Minister Honourable Ali Ahmed Jama

His Excellency. David Angell Director General, Africa Bureau, canada Department of Foreign Affairs

Honourable James Swan,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs

David Angel. -- Ali Ahmed Jama

The US government has reiterated the need to isolate the extremists fighting in Somalia who are opposed to reconciliation.
The deputy US assistant secretary of state for Africa, James Swan , stated this at a conference held in Ottawa on the situation in Somalia.
Mr. Swan said that the US government fully supported the peace talks between the Somali government and opposition groups in Dijbouti, adding that it was crucial to isolate the extremists fighting in Somalia. But the US official did not indicate whether he meant Al-Shabab or not He further stated that his government was closely working with the Transitional Federal government of Somalia on the issues of deploying peace keepers who would restore peace and order and would also support it in the forthcoming reconciliation process in the country.
He also commented on the peace talks between the government and the opposition groups, saying that the opposition should accept talks before the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops.

Roadside bomb kills four AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu

wounded Ugandan troops from somali terrorist (al shabaab) Insurgents attack pictures

MOGADISHU, May 23 -- Four African Union peacekeepers were killed and unknown number of civilians were wounded Friday after an AU military truck was attacked by a roadside bomb in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, witnesses said.
"I saw four dead soldiers being pulled out of the much damaged truck," Isse Harun, a kiosk owner near the scene of the blast told Xinhua. "A number of passers-by were also wounded in the explosion.

The truck was moving along the K4 road near the airport in south Mogadishu were AU peacekeepers are based, when the bomb went off, witnesses said.
Spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) declined to comment on the casualties but confirmed that a blast occurred targeting the peacekeepers, saying he will brief the media on the "incident" soon.
Nearly 2,600 African Union peacekeepers are currently deployed in Mogadishu. The troops, from Uganda and Burundi, are part of a planned UN authorized 8,000-strong African Union peacekeepers. Other African countries that pledged to contribute did not send their contingents due to logistical and security concerns.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack but Islamist insurgents have vowed to attack any foreign troops in Somalia who they accused of assisting Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces.
A number of Ugandan peacekeepers were killed in similar attacks blamed on Islamists last year.
Meanwhile, Islamist fighters clashed with Somali government forces and Ethiopian troops as they tried to carry out searches for weapons and suspected fighters near the main Bakara market in the south of the capital.
A number of shells landed on empty houses inside the market which Somali government officials say is an insurgent hideout.
Residents around the market say that the shells were fired in retaliation by Ethiopian troops in the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu after shells fired by insurgents landed inside the Palace, a claim rejected by the presidential spokesman.
Editor: Gao Ying

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/23/content_8238168.htm

Israeli elephant expert dies in Ethiopia blast

An Israeli elephant expert was killed Thursday morning in a blast in the Ethiopian capital. Prof. Yehezkel Shoshani, a world-renowned specialist, was killed after a minibus blew up in the heart of Addis Ababa. Two other passengers were killed, and nine were seriously wounded. dig more..http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986166.html

Somalia: Islamist rebels in secret deal with Kismayo port militia

KISMAYO, Somalia May 23 - Islamist rebels spearheading a bloody insurgency against Somalia's UN-endorsed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) have entered into a secretive agreement with the clan militia ruling the southern port of Kismayo, reliable local sources tell Garowe Online.
Earlier this week, Kismayo's ruling clan militia leaders met secretly with guerrilla commanders loyal to the Islamic Courts and al Shabaab, splinter groups within Somalia's fractured Islamist movement. dig more.. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Islamist_rebels_in_secret_deal_with_Kismayo_port_militia.shtml

Two Simultaneous Attacks in the Somali Capital Overnight

Mogadishu, - Two simultaneous raids were last night carried onto two different garrisons in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
These two raids occurred at the former pasta plant and the former prison warders barrack.
It was confirmed that both the warring sides exchanged different kinds of weaponries.
The fight at the former Prison warders barrack commenced shortly after dusk prayers and some eyewitnesses in the neighborhoods verified that these Ethiopian forces stationed in the barrack were attacked from three different directions.
The attackers were armed with different sorts of armaments an Islamist group in Somalia called Al-Shabab claimed for been behind the raid.
The actual damages between the two warring sides was not immediately confirmed thought it was night time morning hours reports say that scores of the Ethiopian troops were killed in the attack.
A stray rocket fired by the Ethiopian soldiers landed at a house in the African village area and killed an elderly man and wounded a young girl.
On the other hand a dreadful combat also occurred at the former Past factory in the northern direction in the capital Mogadishu.
In the battle at the former Pasta factory six Ethiopian soldiers were confirmed killed and handful of others were wounded as per to the daybreak reports.
So far there are no comments from the government side regarding about the combats of last night at the former Pasta factory and the former prison waders barrack which are both now the bases for the Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu.

Arms reach Somali warlords despite UN sanctions

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 (Reuters) - Despite a U.N. arms embargo, arms shipments to Somali militants have not stopped and Somalia's security situation is getting worse, South Africa's U.N. envoy told the Security Council on Thursday.
South African Ambassador to the United Nations Dumisani Kumalo, chairman of the U.N. Security Council's Somalia sanctions committee, also reported to the 15-nation body that corruption in the lawless Horn of Africa country was rampant dig more..http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/MUMA-7EW5BZ?OpenDocument

Eritrean gov’t striving hard to block dialogue between TFG, opposition group, says Ambassador

Addis Ababa, May 21 (WIC) - The government of Eritrea has been working hard to block the dialogue between the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and opposition groups, Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia underscored.
Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to AU, Said Yousuf Noor, told WIC that the government of Eritrean has been fueling the problem amid the efforts of TFG to restore peace and order in that country.
Said Yousuf Noor
Apart from training and arming the terrorist group, Al-Shabab, the regime had been attempting to hamper the peace efforts by urging oppositions of TFG not to take part at the recent conference held in Djibouti, the ambassador indicated.
The government of Eritrea has banned opposition groups from getting out of Eritrea; he said adding that it also attempted to make the conference lose its target by disseminating wrong information that the peace conference is organized by the UN to dismantle opposition groups.
The conference was concluded after setting up technical groups that set agenda for the next meeting to be held by the end of the month, Yousuf Noor indicated.
The ambassador further noted reliable peace and order has reportedly been restored in Somalia following the military measures taken on Al-Shabab by the Ethiopian defense force in collaboration with TFG troops.
Residents of Somalia in 16 districts have also been working jointly to keep the security of their surroundings so as to sustain the prevailing peace and order in that country, the ambassador concluded

Ethiopia to stay in Somalia till "jihadists" beaten

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Wednesday he would keep troops inside neighbouring Somalia until "jihadists" were defeated.
In a move supported by the United States but providing a target for militants, Meles sent thousands of troops into Somalia in late 2006 to help the nation's struggling government topple an Islamist movement that had captured most of the south. dig more...http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN143224.html

somalian terrorist leader al shabaab leader Hassan Dahir Aways call Terrorist Sharif Sheikh Ahmed "dictatorship

Warned the leadership in the Islamic courts Hassan Daher aways of the negotiations by the "Alliance for the Liberation of Somalia" with the government has divided the street and weaken resistance.
He said Aways, who chairs the executive board of the alliance that Director General of the Islamic courts and Central Committee member of the alliance, terrorist Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said "dictatorship acting without consulting the central committee members of the alliance, which has the right to approve the fateful decisions."
He also called Sharif Sheikh Oweys that things return to the Central Committee, which is a parliament for the alliance to agree on a strategy of dialogue with the international community and the Somali government so that after the executive committee to start negotiations without doubts.
The sheikh Oweys revealed in statements to Radio "Voice of America" two days before the existence of secret paper signed by Sheikh Sharif and the United Nations representative for the Somali Ahmedou Ould Abdallah recognizes the possibility of holding direct meeting between the government and the coalition before the departure of Ethiopian troops.
State of tension in the BAM when a shell landed him two months ago (Jazeera Net)
For his part, welcomed the official spokesman for the Hawiye tribes terrorist Ahmed Diriye negotiations.
He said, in an interview with Jazeera Net, that whoever refuses to these negotiations wants to continue the tragedy of Somalia. He described the negotiations as part of the "strategy to get the proper mentality of Ethiopian troops from Somalia."
. And the necessary military commanders in the Islamic courts and the Youth Movement of silence toward the new changes in the Somali political environment. . He disclosed leaders rejected the deployment of names of the island revealed that negotiations and the varying views of senior political leaders of the alliance will not negatively affect their armed operations. . The Mujahideen Youth Movement rejects this conference, whether or not succeeded.ccording to reports in past weeks that the coalition split the two groups and one led by terrorist Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed sees the need to negotiate with the international community to convince him the need for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia, and another led by terrorist Sheikh Oweys believes that the solution comes through the defeat of Ethiopian troops

Source.. aljazeera.net

Islamofascist Intimidation at Columbus State

What began as a peaceful screening of the documentary, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”, Monday afternoon at Columbus (Ohio) State Community College turned to shouts and intimidation as Muslim students confronted students in attendance and Islamofascism Awareness Week event organizers. The video screening was part of Columbus State’s Islamofascism Awareness Week activities hosted by the campus chapter of the Terrorism Awareness Project (TAP), which runs through Wednesday. dig more.... http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=A5E42E71-8328-4342-9E8B-D1CB19EB0508

A Peace Deal To Die For

Although peace talks are taking place in Djibouti, the clan warfare continues in Mogadishu and throughout southern Somalia. Although there are two coalitions, the Transitional National Government (TNG) and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), facing off, much of the violence has nothing to do with national politics, or politics at all. Battles are largely over water, land (for grazing or farming) and roads (for extorting money from users). The most intense fighting is in Mogadishu, where the clans that have long controlled this lucrative area, have been displaced by those loyal to the TNG. dig more, ,,, http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080514.aspx

aid worker killed in southern Somalia

MOGADISHU, (AFP) - al shabaab Gunmen shot and killed a Somali humanitarian worker in the country's southern port town of Kismayo, elders and a colleague said on Sunday. Ahmed Bariyow, the head of projects with Horn Relief, an African-led organisation that supports peace and development in Somalia, was killed overnight in Kismayo, about 500 kilometre (312 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, dig more .. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKAA-7ES5CM?OpenDocument

Somalia: Burundi defense chief visits Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia May 15 (Garowe Online) - Burundi's defense minister, Major-General Niyoyankana Germain, spoke with reports Thursday at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
At first, the Burundian Defense Minister condemned an April suicide car bomb attack at the Mogadishu headquarters of Burundi's African Union peacekeeping contingent. dig more. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Burundi_defense_chiefs_visits_Mogadishu.shtml

Security Council calls for plans to deploy UN peace force to Somalia to continue

Security Council meeting on Somalia15 May 2008 – The Security Council today called on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to continue contingency plans to deploy a possible United Nations peacekeeping operation in strife-torn Somalia and to relocate its political office from neighbouring Kenya.
In a resolution adopted unanimously, Council members deplored the deteriorating humanitarian situation inside Somalia – which has not had a functioning national government since 1991 – and called on Mr. Ban and the international community to therefore intensify their efforts to promote political .. dig more..http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26684&Cr=somali&Cr1=

EXCLUSIVE-UNDP accused over firm with suspected militant links

By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent LONDON,

May 14 (Reuters) - A U.N. agency supported a Somali money transfer firm with suspected links to Islamist militants in a project that was corrupt and failed to curb the risks of money laundering and terrorist finance, a former employee said. dig more... http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSL1436115

Islamists target Somalis in terror campaign

Islamists target white aid workers

Alex Strick van Linschoten in Mogadishu

When Ibrahim Saeed Abdullah saw a neighbour’s cinema burnt down by a barrage of grenades, he realised that he had no choice but to heed the death threats he had received from the big men with guns in their hands and hatred in their hearts. Last week he closed the doors of his own cinema for the last time. dig more. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3908867.ece

Country Reports on Terrorism -Report U.S. State Department.

Somalia

Somalia's fragile central government, protracted state of violent instability, long unguarded coastline, porous borders, and proximity to the Arabian Peninsula made the country an attractive location for international terrorists seeking a transit or launching point for conducting operations in Somalia or elsewhere. Despite the late 2006 defeat of the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) in Mogadishu by Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces, the ensuing low-level conflict that engulfed Mogadishu and parts of south central Somalia for the remainder of the year continued to make Somalia a permissive operating environment and safe haven for both Somali and foreign terrorists. The extremist al-Shabaab (The Youth), the militant "shock troops" of the CIC whose radicalism and violent means led to the CIC's undoing, initially dispersed and fled south along the Kenyan border. Al-Shabaab, some of whom are affiliated with AQ, consists of radicalized young men, between 20 and 30 years of age. A few of its senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with AQ in Afghanistan. Al-Shabaab extremists participated in attacks against Ethiopian and TFG security forces. Al-Shabaab and other extremists were also behind suicide bombings, the use of landmines, remote controlled roadside bombs, and targeted assassinations against Ethiopian and TFG security forces, other government officials, journalists, and civil society leaders. The African Union Peace Support Mission (AMISOM), which deployed in March to secure the air and sea ports and presidential compound, lost six soldiers to extremist attacks during the year.
Among the foreign AQ operatives believed to have enjoyed protection by the former CIC and al-Shabaab leadership were individuals wanted for the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and a 2002 hotel bombing in Kenya, including Fazul Abdallah Mohammed (aka Harun Fazul), and Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan. At the end of the year, Ethiopian and TFG forces remained nominally in control of Mogadishu and southern and central Somalia, though institutions of government remained weak and ineffective. Regional efforts to bring about national reconciliation and establish peace and stability in Somalia are ongoing. The capability of the TFG and other Somali local and regional authorities to carry out counterterrorism activities was limited. · Full report go to http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/103705.htm

Ethiopia’s contribution in world counterterrorism efforts commendable, exemplary-US

Addis Ababa, May 12, 2008 (Addis Ababa) - Ethiopia’s contribution in the world counterterrorism efforts was commendable and exemplary; the Ministry of Information (MoI) quoted US as saying.
In its statement sent to ENA, the ministry said on Monday the Report of the US Department of State released on 30 April 2008 under the title “Africa: Country Report on Terrorism-Africa-Chapter” lauds Ethiopia’s contribution in the global counterterrorism efforts .. dig more http://www.ena.gov.et/EnglishNews/2008/May/12May08/57605.htm

Somalia's civil war

By Vicki Huddleston washington times.

A few days ago, an American air strike killed Aden Hashi Ayro, the military commander of Al Shebab, a militant Somali organization. For any number of reasons, the world is better off without Mr. Aryo, who is known for his intolerance and brutality. In his campaign to establish a radical Islamic state in Somalia, he called for attacks on United Nations personnel who are trying to bring humanitarian relief to this devastated country. For anyone who is not associated with Mr. Aryo's jihad, it is difficult not to welcome his demise. dig more .. http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080509/EDITORIAL/608983160/1013

Crush the Extremists in Mogadishu!

How does anyone reason with the unreasonable? The answer is impossible if it is on the bases of talking, the meeting of minds if you will, but as simple as can be if absolute intransigents are communicated to with the same lethal language they dispense and in return would only appreciate: VIOLENCE.

The Al-Shabab Wahabi terrorists, other extremist verities and their apologists in Somalia and in Mogadishu in particular, display, unashamedly, their vision for Somalia and the Somali people through daily sheer terror; to them, damned who perishes, whether a child, a pregnant woman or an elderly, in their daily rations of aimless violence. They materialize their ideas clearly and thoroughly through bomb blasts, gunfire and assassinations. They excel in the cowardly art of sewing discord, death and destruction by launching attacks in the midst of innocents, who are caught—often killed, maimed or forced to flee from homes and neighborhoods—in the well designed and deliberately setup, by them terrorists, crossfire inferno, as the TFG and their allies must respond! dig more.. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Opinion_20/Crush_the_Extremists_in_Mogadishu_printer.shtml

Somalia peace talks to get underway in Djibouti: UN

NAIROBI, May 9, 2008 (AFP) - Somali government officials and exiled Islamist opposition leaders are to hold face-to-face peace talks in Djibouti, the United Nations special envoy to the country said Friday. dig more.. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/MUMA-7EH6BF?OpenDocument

A moderate Muslim longs for a more spiritual faith

RENÉ JOHNSTON/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Those who push an Islamic State are practising politics, not the Prophet's true goals

May 04, 2008 04:30 AM

John Goddard

Muslims are self-secure enough to face hard truths about Islam, asserts Toronto's Tarek Fatah.

He had better hope so. Many other authors inviting Muslims to critically examine their religion have had to fear for their lives.

Irshad Manji, formerly of Toronto, now of New York, and author of The Trouble with Islam, travels with a bodyguard. Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Dutch author of Infidel, travels with two.

Robert Spencer, American author of such works as The Truth about Muhammad, writes that he "lives in a secure, undisclosed location."

Fatah, too, has received death threats over the years, to the point where he resigned two years ago as communications director for the Muslim Canadian Congress in an effort to lower his profile.

This book will raise it again and he would be wise to look out for himself. Yet throughout Chasing a Mirage, Fatah comes across as somebody who genuinely believes that ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, Muslims truly are mature enough to face even the harshest truths he is prepared to tell. dig more ..http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Books/article/420875

We solute you, Mr. President.

His Excellency President of the Somali Transitional Federal Government. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Terror Free Somalia Foundation Salute You Your endeavour in bringing back our lost country. We are also thankful to international community we appreciated your hard work on war on terror in horn of africa . specialy Western ally . we are fully supportive of you. pro-peace Somalis . We thank you!

Somali -Ethio conflict and it starts from the early days

Limit to Submission (Somali Documentary 1980) Part 1

Documentaries, Educational, Videos

This is the first part of a Somali Documentary done by the great Prof. Hussein Tanzania and it tackles the Somali -Ethio conflict and it starts from the early days and how the political game was played.Some of the people interviewed in this film are Abdulmajid Hussein, I M Lewis, Siilaanyo, Dhigicdhigic and some of the ogaden refugees who fled from their land after the Russians killed their families.

Bartamaha obtained this documentary from the family of Hussein Tanzania and we are gratefull to their contribution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWTuvwgWmow&feature=related

Limit to Submission (Somali Documentary 1980) Part 2

. May 2008, Documentaries, Educational,

This is the second part of a Somali Documentary done by the great Prof. Hussein Tanzania and it tackles the Somali -Ethio conflict and it starts from the early days and how the political game was played.Some of the people interviewed in this film are Abdulmajid Hussein, I M Lewis, Siilaanyo, Dhigicdhigic and some of the ogaden refugees who fled from their land after the Russians killed their families.

Bartamaha obtained this documentary from the family of Hussein Tanzania and we are gratefull to their contribution also thanks to Abdisalam Aato for doing all the digitizing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWTuvwgWmow&feature=related

also thanks to Abdisalam Aato for doing all the digitizing.

US airstrike kills leader of Shabab movement in Somalia

US Special Forces have struck yet again inside Somalia. The latest airstrike in central Somalia killed senior Shabab and al Qaeda leader Aden Hashi Ayro and seven others. The attack comes as the Islamic Courts steps up its attacks on Somali and Ethiopian forces and has overrun villages and districts in central and western Somalia.

The airstrike has been confirmed by Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, the spokesman for Shabab, the youth wing of the radical Islamic Courts Union. "A US warplane bombed us in Dhusamareb district and there were casualties," Robow said in a statement. "This was an unprovoked attack." Press reports indicate at least eight people were killed in the strike.

Robow confirmed that Aden Hashi Ayro and Sheikh Muhyadin Omar, two senior leaders in the Islamic Courts, were among those killed. Ayro was the leader of Shabab and served as an operational commander during the rule of the Islamic Courts. He trained under Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of the Islamic Courts who is also a senior al Qaeda leader. Ayro was sent to train in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan prior to 2001.

Ayro is believed to be behind the deadly string of roadside bombings and suicide attacks against government and Ethiopian forces. In a propaganda audiotape released by Shabab in November 2007, Ayro called for "attacks on African Union troops and expressed his wishes of someday beheading women and children in Addis Ababa."

The Islamic Courts and its affiliate Shabab have stepped up its attacks in Somalia the past several months. Islamic Courts and Shabab fighters attack Somali and Ethiopian forces on a daily basis. The Islamic Courts and Shabab are reported to have taken over districts in the Middle Shabelle, Bay, and Middle Juba regions. More than 100 Somalis are reported as killed during heavy fighting in Mogadishu from April 19-22. The Somali government accused Shabab of executing 20 worshippers in a mosque to trigger the fighting, while Shabab has blamed the Ethiopian military.

Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, the spokesman for al Qaeda-linked Shabab, the youth movement of Somalia's Islamic Courts Union.

Recent strikes targeting the Islamic Courts and Shabab

Today's successful strike is the fifth known US-led airstrike against al Qaeda operatives in Somalia since the Ethiopian operation to drive the Islamic Courts from power was launched in late December 2006. The Ethiopians also launched airstrikes against Islamic Courts fighters who were fleeing into Kenya in early January 2007. The US targeted Hassan Dahir Aweys and Aden Hashi Ayro during this time period.

The US targeted al Qaeda commanders Fazul Abdullah Mohammad, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, and Abu Tala al Sudani during the early 2007 strikes. Fazul was again targeted in June 2007.

Fazul is al Qaeda's operations chief responsible for planning the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2002 car bombing attack in Kenya and missile attack on an Israeli airliner. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan is also wanted for questioning in connection with the 2002 attacks Kenya. Abu Taha al Sudani (or Tariq Abdullah) is al Qaeda's leader in East Africa.

The last airstrike occurred on March 3, 2007, when US struck an al Qaeda safe house in the town of Dobley in southern Somalia, just four miles from the Kenyan border. The US targeted Hassan Turki, who had taken control of the Dobley region in late February. Turki, who was a senior leader in the Islamic Courts and its predecessor, al Itihaad al Islamiyah, is believed to be running a military training camp on the Kenyan-Somali border. Turki is believed to have survived the attack.

Background about Terrorist ADAN HASHI FARAH(AYROW OR AYRO)

Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow" (also spelled Ayrow or Ayro, ? - 1 May 2008 was a leader of the Hizbul Shabaab, the armed wing of the Somali Islamic Courts Union (ICU). He was from the Ayr sub-clan, part of the Habar Gidir, which is a branch of the Hawiye clan. He was reportedly married to Halima Abdi Issa Yusuf. He was among several militants killed in a U.S. airstrike on May 1, 2008.Early lifeLittle is known about Aden Hashi Farah Ayro, though from his clan, it was known that he received little formal education of any kind before joining the Ifka Halane Islamic court in the mid-1990s under thetutelage of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. According to sources from the International Crisis Group, Aweys selected him to go to Afghanistan for further training.Afghanistan and Al-QaedaAden Hashi Farah Ayro was said to have gone to Afghanistan to train with al-Qaeda before 2001, according to Matthew Bryden of International Crisis Group. Here he was supposedly trained in explosives and other insurgent tactics, applying them in the Islamic Courts Union militias later on; notably with the Shiirkoole (Circolo) court of Mogadishu.It was after this stint with the terror organisation that he went back to Somalia in 2003 to set up a network with other al-Itihaad al-Islamiya veterans to assassinate foreigners and opponents, culminating in the eventual deaths of four foreign aid workers and at least ten Somali former military and police officers. On June 10, 2006, The Guardian broke this story by stating, "An unnamed network run by one of Aweys's proteges, Aden Hashi Farah "Ayro", has been linked to the murder of four western aid workers and more than a dozen Somalis who allegedly cooperated with counter-terror organisations. They also desecrated an Italian cemetery in Mogadishu to great international outrage, and helped shelter and provide assistance to Al-Qaeda operatives in Banaadir and the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia. During this period, Ayro's actions remained clandestineIslamic Courts UnionOn June 15, 2006, Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow" was said to have taken a load of arms sent from EritreaIn July, 720 Somali volunteers were selected by Aden Hashi Farah "Eyrow" to travel to Lebanon to fight against the Israelis. Of those, only 80 returned to Mogadishu. In September, another 20 returned, along with five members of Hizbollah.Attempt on lifeTheresa Whelan, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, in a press conference on January 17, 2007, said she believed the U.S. AC-130 gunship raid which occurred on January 8 had killed eight fighters linked to Aden Hashi Farah Ayro. Ayro was believed to have been wounded in the attack and perhaps killed.However, on March 7, 2007, it was found that Aden Hashi Ayro, who has described himself as a commander of the Islamic Courts movement, said in an audio tape sent to Mogadishu-based Koran Radio: "It is time for the Somali youth to fight the occupation by Ethiopia and others." He further said, "We will fight for the name of Allah and our country. Let us bring together all our forces to fight the enemy of Somalia.Al-Qaeda in SomaliaAccording to intelligence provided to Somalia's Deputy Defence Minister, Salad Ali Jelle, Aden Hashi Ayro was named by Al Qaeda as its leader in the wartorn nation. It was also reported by the Associated Press that the United Nations have attributed 16 killings to him, including BBC journalist Kate Peyton and a failed attempt to bring down an Ethiopian airliner.DeathOn May 1, 2008, Terrorist adan hashi farah(ayrow) is killed in a pre-dawn airstrike launched by U.S. forces..... good job.

Al-Qa'eda 'leader' killed in Somalia

An American air strike deep inside Somalia has killed the suspected leader of al-Qa’eda in the country, witnesses and The Pentagon said. Aden Hashi Ayro, head of the al Shabaab insurgent movement, died when his home town of Dusamareb was bombed in an overnight raid by up to four US warplanes.
At least another 30 people were killed in the strike, at 2am local time. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1917703/Al-Qa

U.S. airstrike kills Somali al-Qaida chief al-shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - U.S. missiles destroyed the house of the man identified by the U.S. military as the top al-Qaida commander in Somalia, killing him and 10 others Thursday in a pre-dawn attack that analysts warned could torpedo peace talks.
The killing of Aden Hashi Ayro dig more... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24397592/

UN urged to tackle Somali pirates

France and the US have introduced a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that would allow states to arrest pirates in Somalia's waters.
The document gives nations a six-month mandate to use "all necessary means" to fight piracy.
But it says that countries taking dig more. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7372390.stm

Norway to host International Contact Group for Somalia meeting on 30 April

Norway will host a meeting of the International Contact Group for Somalia (ICG) on 30 April. This is at a time when violence in Somalia is flaring up and drought is exacerbating the already difficult humanitarian situation in the country.
‘I am deeply concerned about the latest wave of violence in Mogadishu and the suffering this is causing the civilian population, who are already badly hit,’ said Raymond Johansen, State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. dig more ..http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ASIN-7E5KFC?OpenDocument

7 Somali pirates sentenced to life in jail

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Seven Somali pirates were sentenced to life in jail Monday and authorities vowed similarly tough penalties for others in an effort to crack down on a surge in pirate