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 attacks. dig more.. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080428/ap_on_re_af/somalia_pirates

Taking Sides

May 2, 2008: The rains are late, and another crop failure is likely. Feeding the people left starving will be difficult because of the fighting between the clans. The majority of clans are just out for themselves, and loosely aligned with the Transitional National Government (TNG). A smaller, and more disciplined group of clans, supports the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). Many NGOs favor the ICU, which is more ruthless and disciplined, and more likely to maintain the peace with their Taliban-like tactics. As it is, the NGOs supplying food and medical aid are increasingly being robbed, raided and looted by everyone but the Ethiopian troops and African Union peacekeepers. dig more at http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080502.aspx

Somali Foreign Minister Touts Anti-Islamist Offensive

WASHINGTON — Somalia's transitional federal government is looking to emulate the counterinsurgency model employed by General David Petraeus in Iraq in its fight against Islamic supremacists who have made a base in southern Somalia.. dig more.. http://www2.nysun.com/article/75396

PRESS STATEMENT

Amnesty International misled by Al-Shabaab


http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/Press_Statement_April_25_2008.htm

Somalia: Pirates free crew of Spanish boat

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates have freed a Spanish fishing boat with its 26-member crew for a ransom of $1.2 million, a Somali official said on Saturday. dig more.. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL263162920080426?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing

April 23 11:00 a.m.

SECRETARY OF STATE RICE Bilateral Meeting with His Excellency Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, President of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government.

QUESTION: And the other meeting with the Somali?

MR. MCCORMACK: Somali -

QUESTION: And the (inaudible) resolution?

MR. MCCORMACK: The --

QUESTION: Proposed UN resolution.

MR. MCCORMACK: Proposed UN resolution on what, piracy?

QUESTION: Well, piracy, yeah.

MR. MCCORMACK: Piracy. It was a very interesting meeting and the president is clearly somebody who is committed to the process of reconciliation within Somalian society and to try to expand the rule of a central Somalian government over all of Somalia. Clearly, there is a long way to go in that regard. And he is clearly somebody who is committed to trying to fight piracy. And he's going up to the UN, I think either today or tomorrow, to talk about that And that's something -- certainly we support those efforts.There is also another issue. They talked about the peacekeepers, deployment of peacekeepers, and that's something, again, that we strongly support. And I know the president is going up to the UN and that is going to be another issue on his agenda. So, a very interesting meeting -- somebody who is clearly trying to work on behalf of the best interest of the Somali people. It's very difficult. They have had, as he described it, 17 years of civil war.

And he believes politically they have made some progress in terms of trying to bring some reconciliation between -- among the clans. There are still, as he described it, elements who are intent on using violence -- violence, al-Qaida and other associated groups to try to undermine that progress. And we certainly expressed our support for the president in bringing about a process of political reconciliation and also trying to act in a responsible manner in the international community. And I would point to the piracy issue as an example of that.

Elise. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2008/apr/103971.htm

reception in Metro Washington DC in support of Somali President

http://www.insideminnesota.org/images.html

Raiders Rule

About a million people in southern (below Puntland and Somaliland) Somalia are refugees and dependent on foreign food aid. That aid is increasingly difficult to deliver. That's because many of the unemployed men among the refugees have guns, and have become bandits and raiders. Some align themselves with the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), to add a religious patina to their depredations. But it's all the same banditry and looting. The bandits don't seem to understand that raids on the foreign aid workers will interrupt the flow of aid.

France, the United States and Britain are preparing a UN resolution giving them authorization to suppress piracy along the Somali coast. Britain may not be actively involved, as many of its diplomats believe attacks on the pirates may violate their human rights, and that some of the pirates, if captured, may claim asylum. dig more http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080423.aspx

UK: Send UN troops to Somalia

United Nations - Britain has circulated a draft resolution on Somalia to members of the Security Council that would open the door to a stronger UN presence and a possible deployment of UN peacekeepers. dig more http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2311400,00.html

Bin Laden's biblical bridge

Moses once parted the Red Sea ... now Osama bin Laden's half-brother is planning to build a bridge over it.

Building on engineering feats such as the Channel Tunnel between England and France, the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Suez Canal joining the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the proposed bridge would link Yemen to Djibouti, creating a man-made link between the Middle East and Africa.

Costing €14-billion ($22-billion), stretching around 28.5 kilometres and encompassing a six-lane motorway and a four-track railway, the bridge would be of Biblical proportions. dig more . http://business.iafrica.com/features/738797.htm

Senator Norm Coleman Meeting with His Excellency Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, President of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senator Norm Coleman is urging the president of Somalia to pursue reconciliation as a way to move the nation out of its violence-ravaged state. Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, met for about 40 minutes with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed on Tuesday. Minnesota is believed to have the largest Somali population in the U.S. Coleman says he told Ahmed to reach out to "all stakeholders not associated with terrorism." Coleman says that Ahmed responded that he would maintain his commitment to reconciliation. The transitional government in Somalia, formed in 2004 with U.N. help, has struggled to assert control. Somalia has been afflicted by violence and anarchy for more than a decade. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Islamist insurgency persists but al-Qaeda makes little headway

A NEW government in Kenya has let east Africa turn its attention back to the region's original sick man. Ignored and disparaged, Somalia's internationally recognised transitional government has all but collapsed. As an Islamist insurgency continues, the government spends much of the scarce money it has on the personal protection of the president, Abdullahi Yusuf, the prime minister, Nur Adde Hussein, and the defence and intelligence chiefs. The parliament in the town of Baidoa, in the dusty interior, is empty; its members have drifted away dig more http://www.economist.com/world/africa/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=11058638

Group of Eight nations and UN seek to harmonize counter-terrorism efforts

17 April 2008 – The senior United Nations counter-terrorism official is in Tokyo today for a meeting to discuss how the world body and the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations can better coordinate their efforts on the issue.

Mike Smith, Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), is conferring with the G8’s Counter-Terrorism Action Group (CTAG) on how the two bodies can improve their technical assistance in this field, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters.

Established in 2003, CTAG aims to boost political will and promote the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373, which was adopted in the wake of the September 2001 attacks on the United States. It also calls on countries to adopt measures to enhance their ability to counter terrorist activities nationally, regionally and globally.

CTED was created as a special political mission in 2004 to assist the Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee in monitoring 1373’s implementation.

Following his talks with the G8 group, Mr. Smith will hold bilateral discussions with Japanese officials.

Earlier this week, he visited Beijing where he met with Chinese authorities, and will travel to Moscow following the Tokyo meeting for consultation with Russian officials.

News Tracker: past stories on this issue

Security Council extends counter-terrorism offices mandate until end of 2010

Ending conflicts must remain priority for UN and African Union – Ban Ki-moon

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26348&Cr=africa&Cr1=conflict

Widow of Brit Muslim teacher says he was killed because he converted to Christianity

The widow of a British Muslim teacher killed in Somalia has said radical Muslims finished him off because he had converted to Christianit http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=348966

'Ethiopian army issue not included in peace negotiations': President

NEW YORK, United States Somalia's president says an upcoming round of peace talks with the country's armed opposition will not include any discussion on the presence of Ethiopian troops in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.

President Abdullahi Yusuf, who arrived in New York for a UN Security Council session, told the BBC Somali Service on Wednesday that "terrorists" forced the Ethiopian army to come to Somalia in the first place. DIG MORE..http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Ethiopian_army_issue_not_included_in_peace_negotiations_Somalia_President.shtml

Tributes to former Birmingham man killed in Somalia TERROR AL-SHABAAB

The family of a former Birmingham City Council employee killed when Islamist militants raided a school in central Somalia have paid tribute to him.

Margaret Ali, 64, the wife of Daud Hassan Ali, said: "The school he established is run in a house which is also where he lives - there are various disgruntled factions running around and because he is a convert to Christianity from Islam then he is a target.

"They raided the house in the middle of the night and murdered all four people there - this group called Al Etihad have been running around and treat it like a government system has been forced on them. DIG MORE..http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2008/04/15/tributes-to-former-birmingham-man-killed-in-somalia-65233-20766694/

"Shabaab al-Mujahideen" Announces New Campaign of Terrorism in Somalia

The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué released on April 5, 2008 by the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia. The statement welcomed the recognition of Shabaab as an international terrorist organization by the U.S. government: "As we are a part of the Salafi-Jihadi Islamic trend which opposes the dominance of the crusaders and the aggression led by America, we do not find it unlikely that America would add us to the names of these other honorable men, for whom we are honored to join, at the bottom of their list.
The Shabaab also announced the beginning of a new military campaign inside Somalia under the slogan "Our Terrorism is Praiseworthy": "We swear to Allah that... we will only repeat what our late Shaykh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi once said: ‘we will not compromise on our religion, we will not change the way of jihad, and will not be satisfied with compromises. Between us and the infidels, there is only the sword of Islam.'" On February 29, 2008, the U.S. State Department designated Shabaab al-Mujahideen (a.k.a. the Mujahideen Youth Movement) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. According to the U.S. State Department, the Shabaab movement includes “a number of individuals affiliated with al-Qaida. Many of its senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with al-Qaida in Afghanistan.”
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Continue to the NEFA Report

NEFA The NEFA Foundation is a non-profit organization created after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Foundation strives to help prevent future tragedies in the U.S. and abroad by exposing those responsible for planning, funding, and executing terrorist activities, with a particular emphasis on Islamic militant organizations.

Somalia's govt to introduce new currency: Central Bank chief

MOGADISHU, Somalia Apr 15 (Garowe Online) - Somalia’s transitional federal government says it is in the process of printing new Somali Shillings to replace the old Shilling, according to the country’s head of the Central Bank.dig more http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_s_govt_to_introduce_new_currency_Central_Bank_chief.shtml

Somalia seeks UN force to restore order

Somalia’s western-backed transitional government on Tuesday appealed for the United Nations to dispatch a multinational force to establish peace and security in the lawless east African state while its factions pursued reconciliation after more than a decade of war. Ali Ahmed Jama, foreign minister, made the call in New York on the eve of a summit called by South Africa, current UN Security Council president, to discuss greater co-operation between the world body and the African Union. dig more http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0df70a26-0b40-11dd-8ccf-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

English-speaking Somali suicide bomber

Real Threats to Our World ... TFSF is providing you breaking news

The NEFA Foundation has obtained video footage of the "martyrdom will" of "Abu Ayyub al-Muhajir"--an English-speaking Somali national living in Europe, who recently returned to his homeland and executed a suicide car bombing in the city of Mogadishu on behalf of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement (a.k.a. the Mujahideen Youth Movement). On February 29, 2008, the U.S. State Department designated Shabaab al-Mujahideen (a.k.a. the Mujahideen Youth Movement (MYM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. According to the U.S. State Department, the Shabaab movement includes “a number of individuals affiliated with al-Qaida. Many of its senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with al-Qaida in Afghanistan

Norway: Somalis suspected of helping finance nun's murder

The PST (Norwegian security service) thinks the Norwegian-Somali who's been arrested for financing terrorism had sent money to an extremist leaders suspected of liquidating a 65-year old Italian nun in Somalia in 2006. The 38 year old and the two other Norwegian-Somalis suspected by the PST of giving economic support to terrorism, deny sending money out of Norway for financing terror acts.The PST thinks, through communication taps and with help of a detailed review of money transactions, that it has evidence the money from the suspects was transferred to three extremist leaders in Somalia. One of the leaders is on a list of operative al-Qaeda terrorists in Somalia which appears on the American foreign department site. According to the site Aden Hashi Ayrow leads a radical faction al-Shabaab and is the military commander of the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC). He had gotten extensive training in the use of explosives and weapons by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan before 2001.USA holds Hashi Ayrow responsible for executing a Somali peace activist in July 2005, and of being involved in killing the Catholic nun, sister Leonella (Leonella Sgorbati) outside a women's and children's hospital in Mogadishu on Sep. 17, 2006. The BBC reported that the Catholic nun, who had helped children and youth in Africa for 40 years, was shot three times in the back and was killed. Her bodyguard was also killed in the attack. It was speculated that the liquidation came as a result of a statement by Pope Benedikt XVI which provoked Muslims worldwide. The pope cited a Christian leader from the 1400s who had said that everything Muhammad brought the world is evil and inhuman. The pope later regretted this statement and said his statement was misunderstood and did not represent his personal opinion.The man the PST thinks transferred the money from the suspects in Norway was in the news as recently as November last year. BBC News wrote then that rebel leader sheik Aden Hashi had ordered his forces to attack peacekeepers from the African Union (AU) in their base in the Somali capital. According to the BBC Ayrow called on foreign soldiers to switch sides and to take part in al-Shabaab's war against the peace forces.According to PST spokesperson Martin Bernsen the investigation involving the three Somali suspects in Norway is ongoing. The Oslo court arrested the 38 head suspect until April 25. PST had also met with several groups of Somalis in Oslo to explain the police's work methods.Bernsen told Dagsavisen that they have explained that they're aiming their investigation against people and not organizations. They had met with Somali organization G10, where they had mutual understanding, and they had made it clear that they're not investigating the Somali community and not the general rebellion in Somalia.

Source: Dagsavisen (Norwegian)

Four Killed in Grenade on Somalia Cinema.. Attack by SOMALI TERROR GROUP AL-SHABAAB

Four people died and at least 10 were injured after attackers hurled a grenade on a cinema theatre in the Somali port town of Merka, police and witnesses said Monday.
“A hand grenade was hurled on a movie theatre inside the town, killing four people. More than ten others were wounded,” Merka police commissioner Hussein Gagale told AFP.
“We were watching an Indian movie when a huge explosion rocked the place. People started screaming, I saw at least three dead and I was very lucky to escape,” said Salah Ahmed Abdallah, a witness.
“I heard that another person died of his injuries later in hospital.”
Merka is a key Somali port, located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the late Sunday attack but some local residents said Islamist insurgents had issued warnings that the cinema should be closed down.
“I was told that the Islamic insurgents gave a phone call warning the owner to close the cinema a week ago, but I’m not sure if they are behind the grenade attack,” said Husein Bulaale, who owns a grocery near the targeted cinema hall.
Islamist insurgents have carried out a string of attacks recently across the Horn of Africa country.
The Islamic Courts Union took over Mogadishu and large swathes of the country from US-backed warlords in 2006, briefly imposing a strict form of Sharia law, banning music and cinemas.
They were ousted last year by Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops but its remnants have since waged a deadly guerrilla war.
Source: AFP

Somali terror group (al shabaab) kill two Britons, two Kenyans

JOWHAR, Somalia, April 14 (Reuters) - Islamist insurgents killed two Britons and two Kenyans in an overnight raid on a school in central Somalia, residents said on Monday. Heavily armed militants from the al Shabaab group also attacked the homes of government officials in Baladwayne, a small town near the Ethiopian border. "We are terrified because people who were involved in educating us were killed," said one local man, Nur Muse. dig more ... http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14486937.htm

Somalia's President Flies to New York for UN Conference

MOGADISHU, -The president of Somalia's transitional federal government, Mr. Abdullahi Yusuf, flew from the capital Mogadishu Saturday to Nairobi, Kenya.

Before leaving, President Yusuf told reporters at the Villa Somalia presidential compound that he will attend a United Nations session in New York City, where he plans to push for more international attention on Somalia.

"I will give an address at the UN meeting to update member states about the situation in Somalia," President Yusuf said.

He stated that the UN has "ignored" the plight of the Somali people, citing a drought the country is currently undergoing.

The Somali leader urged the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to Somalia, which he described as a country ravaged by conflict and drought for 18 years.

An ongoing 15-month Islamist rebellion has killed thousands of people and displaced most of Mogadishu's civilian population from their homes.

The UN estimates that more than 1 million Somalis are displaced inside the country, creating what some officials have described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

News / Breaking News 3 killed in French attack on Somali pirates--local officials

MOGADISHU -- Three people were killed Friday during an operation against pirates by French armed forces in Somalia shortly after hostages on a luxury boat were freed, local officials told Agence France-Presse. dig more http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=129943

As Ethiopians expand into new regions, Islamists retake town

JOWHAR, Somalia Apr 11 - Ethiopian armed forced deployed in southern and central Somalia have expanded into new regions after a series of towns fell under the control of the country’s Islamist rebels. dig more. http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_As_Ethiopian_troops_expand_into_new_regions_Islamists_retake_town.shtml

Hostages Released, Six Pirates Captured in Somalia Yacht Hijacking

PARIS — French officials on Friday said six pirates have been captured in connection with a Somali hijacking.

The French president's office says the pirates are now being held on a French Navy vessel. The president's office made the announcement Friday. dig more http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,350130,00.html

Ethiopia's prime minister discusses how the U.S. helped his country oust the Islamists from Mogadishu.

By Jason McLure | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is easily Washington's most important African ally in its war on terrorism. In 2006, the United States quietly helped Zenawi's forces invade neighboring Somalia after a U.S.-financed coalition of warlords lost the capital of Mogadishu
http://www.newsweek.com/id/131432/page/1

Burundi says undeterred by soldier's killing in Somalia

BUJUMBURA (AFP) - Burundi on Thursday said this week's killing of one of its soldiers in Somalia will not deter its peacekeeping operations in the strife-torn country. DIG MORE...http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080410/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrestafricanunionburundi_080410181632;_ylt=AtwQ9zWJzG5.NRCfCkbRrtCXsdEF

Sen. Inhofe made the following statement on the floor yesterday

Let's keep in mind it was Eritrea, when we had the problem in Somalia, that went down and sided with the terrorists. It was, of course, Ethiopia that joined us, as well as other countries such as Uganda and Burundi.

In Somalia, African countries such as Ethiopia, Burundi, and Uganda have sent in troops to help stabilize the government there. We couldn't have done that without the support of Africans. The African Union troops have recently arrived in the Comoros Islands near Madagascar to help its military regain control of an island where a renegade leader has declared himself President. The development of the African standby brigades is a good example of how we are helping them to help themselves.

http://www.waltainfo.com/CurrentIssues/2008/apr/inhofe.htm

FM Seyoum stresses importance of peace, stability in Somalia April 08, 2008)

somalian terror (al shabaab) suicide car bomb kills one, wounds nine

MOGADISHU (AFP) - A suicide car bomber smashed into an African Union position in Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing one civilian and wounding at least nine people, military sources said. dig more... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080408/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrestafricanunion

Eerie silence in empty Mogadishu

The streets north of the ruins of the Old Parliament in Mogadishu stretch out like alleyways bulldozed through a rubble dump. dig more.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7333405.stm

Deadly Explosions Rock Cities in Somalia as Ethiopian Troops Advance

MOGADISHU, - Deadly bomb explosions went off in three cities in Somalia on Monday, killing at least 13 people including five members of the government security forces, officials said. dig more ...http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Deadly_explosions_rock_cities_in_Somalia_as_Ethiopian_troops_advance.shtml

Somalia: Hawiye Council Chairman 'Supports' Insurgent Attacks

The chairman of a self-appointed council of clan elders has said that he supports ongoing guerrilla attacks targeting government security forces in southern and central Somalia.
Mohamed Hassan Haad, chairman of the Hawiye Tradition and Unity Council, dig morehttp://allafrica.com/stories/200804070053.html

Somali officials back assault on pirates

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Somali officials on Monday urged tough action against pirates holding a French yacht after an elite French paramilitary unit was placed on standby to intervene if negotiations fail.... dig more http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080407/wl_africa_afp/francesomaliashippingpiracytourism_080407192342

France Sends Troops in Pirate Standoff

France Sends Elite Team to Bolster Efforts to Free Yacht Held by Pirates Off Somalia... dig more http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4602115

15 soldiers killed by somalian terror (al shabaab) atteck on government forces in central Somalia

MOGADISHU (AFP) - At least 15 soldiers were killed and more than 20 wounded Thursday when Islamist fighters attacked government forces in central Somalia, the army and witnesses said. "The fighting was very heavy, Shabaab fighters attacked our military base outside Addado town and we lost 15 men and six vehicles," Dahir Shidane, an army commander, told AFP. also Four killed in Islamist attack on Somali governor.. dig more ..http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080403/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrest_080403085604

Somalia: Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer Warns "Spoilers"

The US on Tuesday warned groups who were making it difficult to deploy African peace keepers in Somalia.

Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer who was attending an International Contact Group meeting in Cairo said "spoilers" should refrain from making the situation in Somalia unstable.

She added that the reconciliation process which is to begin soon should not exclude the defeated Islamist groups. http://allafrica.com/stories/200704080026.html

UN Special Representative for Somalia pleased with Reconciliation Strategy

PRESS RELEASE 008/2008 Nairobi, 2 April 2008 - The UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah has expressed satisfaction with the visit by the top leadership of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) saying they had shown a determination to work together and to look to the future..... dig more. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-7DARAZ?OpenDocument

Embassy Bomber At Guantanamo Faces Death

By JOSH MEYER, LOS ANGELES TIMES |

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon yesterday charged a Guantanamo detainee with capital murder and terrorism for his alleged role in the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Tanzania and his suspected ties to Al Qaeda.

• The Defense Department’s chief military commissions prosecutor filed nine charges against Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani and is seeking the death penalty if the Tanzanian is convicted of playing a central role in planning and preparing the truck bomb attack that killed 11 people and injured dozens more. A nearly simultaneous bombing of the American embassy in neighboring Nairobi, Kenya, also blamed on Al Qaeda, killed 213 others August 7, 1998.

The Pentagon’s action yesterday drew sharp criticism from civil-rights advocates and some federal law enforcement officials who questioned why the government was seeking to try Ghailani before a war-crimes tribunal when he was indicted for the embassy bombings along with 10 others nearly a decade ago by a federal grand jury in New York. Four of those men were tried and convicted in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The others, including Ghailani, had not been captured at the time.

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Briton kidnapped by armed gang in Somalia

A Briton was among two people kidnapped by gunmen after their car was ambushed in southern Somalia today. The worker and a Kenyan colleague, who have not yet been identified, were doing map work on behalf of the United Nations when they were overrun by an armed gang this morning. dig more http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article3659274.ece