Jihad, USA

GEORGETOWN, S.C. -- They don't look like al-Qaida terrorists. Their photos in the local newspaper look menacing enough -- but more like a crew that might knock over a convenience store or an ATM at a gas station. Their apprehension this week by FBI agents in Raleigh, N.C., has their neighbors here talking about "homegrown jihadis" and has prompted the O-Team Department of Homeland Security to warn about "American extremists" once again.
The seven men were arrested Monday, the same day President Barack Obama tendered his much-acclaimed invitation to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley to sit down over a beer and talk about the serious problem of racism in America. The president, who claimed that the police behaved "stupidly" in detaining the professor, apparently considers "racism" to be a more serious problem than Americans being recruited to commit acts of terror.Our nation's chief executive, consumed with preparations for his "beer summit," was as mute about the "North Carolina Seven" -- all charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists overseas -- as he was about the fraudulent elections in Iran. Perhaps that's because he doesn't want to alarm the public about a real and present danger -- or because he was involved so personally in choosing just the right brews for himself and his guests. For those who care, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says that POTUS prefers Bud Light; professor Gates is a fan of Jamaican Red Stripe; and Sgt. Crowley tips back with Blue Moon. One can only ponder what this revelation will mean for sales of these suds.
What is certain is that Daniel Patrick Boyd -- the alleged ringleader of the Raleigh terror cell -- and his fellow "jihadis" are unlikely to be tippling anytime soon, even if they want to. In the 14-page federal indictment unsealed Monday, Boyd and his six "colleagues" are charged with plotting to murder, kidnap and maim individuals overseas. Prosecutors maintain that Boyd -- who goes by the name "Saifullah," meaning "sword of Allah" -- is a "veteran of terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan" and that he recruited his sons and other U.S. citizens to travel overseas for waging "violent jihad." An eighth conspirator is being sought in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The seven-count indictment details a conspiracy that commenced in 2006 and continued until just before the arrests. It alleges that the defendants trained for battle in the U.S., planned to die as "martyrs," and raised funds to support their training and recruit others to their cause overseas. It also accuses Boyd of taking one of his sons to Gaza in March 2006 to introduce the young man to individuals who "believed that violent jihad was a religious obligation." A year later, Boyd and several of the other defendants apparently went to Israel in an unsuccessful effort to wage jihad.
U.S. Attorney George Holding, in arguing that the men be held without bond pending trial, said, "These charges hammer home the point that terrorists and their supporters are not confined to the remote regions of some faraway land but can grow and fester right here at home." FBI Special Agent Owen D. Harris said that the arrests "show there are people living among us, in our communities ... around the U.S. that are honing their skills to carry out acts of murder and mayhem." Continued...

Turkish navy commandos seize pirates off Somalia,EU PLANS SOMALI COASTAL SECURITY FORCE

ANKARA, July 31 (Reuters) - Turkish navy commandos taking part in a NATO mission to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia captured seven pirates on Friday, the military staff said, in the second operation of its kind in a week. The pirates were taken as they were trying to hijack a boat in the Gulf of Aden. Last week, Turkish commandos backed by a helicopter seized five pirates in the Gulf of Aden as they were about to launch an attack on a ship. NATO member Turkey has sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden under an international mission deployed off Somalia since the start of the year to try to prevent attacks. Somali sea gangs, operating in the strategic shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe, have made millions of dollars in ransom from hijacking vessels in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. Piracy has surged off the Somali coast in recent years where sea gangs continue to defy foreign navies patrolling the vast shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe. (Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)
EU PLANS SOMALI COASTAL SECURITY FORCE
http://www.mgn.com/news/dailystorydetails.cfm?storyid=10131&type=2

FBI searches Rochester homes in Somali probe

Rochester, Minn. — Earlier this month, FBI agents raided the apartments of two Rochester women who say they were collecting used clothing for poor people in their native Somalia.
One of the women says the agents told her they received a tip that she was supporting violent insurgents in Somalia. It's a claim she adamantly denies. Amina Ali, a U.S. citizen for five years, said the experience left her feeling shaken and violated. Ali says when she came home from shopping on the afternoon of July 13, she found FBI agents and a translator in her apartment. "The guy explained that they got a search warrant from the court, and they had the right to search my house," said Ali. "I was surprised at that moment that it was happening in my own home." Ali lives in a sprawling complex of powder blue apartment buildings on the north side of Rochester. Her husband works as a lab assistant at the Mayo Clinic. She says when the agents came, her two young daughters, ages 6 and 7, waited in fear in a bedroom while the men searched under the beds and rummaged through cabinets. She says they took her laptop computer and several Islamic books, including the Quran. ..more..http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/31/somalis-fbi/?refid=0

SOMALIA-UGANDA: AU deaths under spotlight

KAMPALA, 30 July 2009 (IRIN) - Ugandan public health experts are investigating a disease that has killed at least five African Union peacekeepers in Somalia and infected another 50, who have been evacuated to a Kenyan hospital, officials said. "Our head of public health, Lt-Col Sam Kasule, is in Mogadishu [the Somali capital] to investigate and we are waiting for his report to find a proper response to the outbreak," Col Felix Kulaigye, spokesman for the Ugandan army, told IRIN on 30 July. Uganda and Burundi have contributed a total of 4,300 troops to the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with the majority (2,700) Ugandan. The symptoms include chest pain, fever, headache, swelling of the lower limbs, rapid heart-beat and respiratory problems. “The ailment first hit the Burundian contingent... [several] were flown to Nairobi for treatment," Kulaigye said. "It eventually hit our camp and has since killed two, while 17 are in intensive care in Nairobi." He said preliminary reports pointed to an outbreak of Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease caused by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals. A spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund said the agency's health officers had not received reports of Leptospirosis in the general population of Mogadishu. According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. Its early stages include high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, chills, redness in the eyes, abdominal pain, jaundice, haemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhoea and a rash. Humans become infected through contact with water, food or soil containing urine from infected animals, such as dogs or rats, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This may happen by swallowing contaminated food or water, through skin contact, such as the eyes or nose, or contact with broken skin. ..more..http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85503

Video Alert Somalia,..Somalia: a hopeless case? and Somalia's Conflict on VOA's In Focus

Somalia has been plagued by internal conflict for many years. For Yasmin Yonis, VOA's Vincent Makori reports.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-t5eaeZf9o
The situation in Somalia seems getting worse and worse, with the anarchy turning into a magnet for international jihadists and the power struggles ...http://www.france24.com/en/20090729-somalia-piracy-kidnapping-hostages-africa-islamism

Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Upcoming Trip to Africa.US Prepared to Give Further Aid to Somali Government

Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
Washington, DC
July 30, 2009

http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/2009/126783.htm

US Prepared to Give Further Aid to Somali Government

envoy said Thursday the Obama administration is prepared to provide more military help to Somalia's embattled Transitional Federal Government, the TFG. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins a seven-nation Africa trip next week that will include a Nairobi meeting with the TFG President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. The Obama administration is making clear its readiness to continue helping the Somali administration fend off an offensive by hard-line Islamic rebels with alleged ties to al-Qaida, and it is renewing its call on Eritrea to cease its aid to the militants.The comments from Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson came as Secretary of State Clinton prepared to leave next Monday on an ambitious 11-day, seven nation African tour that will focus on problem issues including Somalia and political trouble in Zimbabwe...more..http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-30-voa43.cfm

Terrorism probe into Dutchmen arrested in Kenya,Dutch terror suspects arrested at Brussels airport

The Dutch authorities have launched an investigation into the possible involvement with terrorism of four Dutchmen arrested by the police in Kenya earlier this week.
The men are in custody in Belgium after arriving at Brussels airport on Thursday morning at the request of the Dutch justice department. A request for their extradition to the Netherlands has been made.
The four men are suspected of belonging to a terrorist organisation, says the justice department on its website. Two homes of the arrested men in The Hague were searched by police on Thursday morning and a ‘considerable amount of documents’ seized, says the justice department.
According to the Kenyan authorities the four were stopped on the Somali border on their way to a Jihadist training camp.
The Dutch justice department says one of the four men now in Belgian custody was arrested in 2005 in Azerbeidzjan where he wanted to join the jihad and was extradited to the Netherlands.
Three of the men, who are all 21-years-old, are Dutch and one is a Moroccan with a Dutch residency permit, according to the justice department...more..http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/07/dutchmen_arrested_in_kenya_ret.php
The latest update
Dutch terror suspects arrested at Brussels airport
Four men from the Netherlands were arrested at Brussels airport on Thursday after being deported from Kenya. They are suspected of membership of a terrorist organisation.
The four men were picked up by Kenyan authorities on Monday near the border with Somalia. Local authorities in Kenya say that the men, all 21-year-olds, were headed to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, a radical Muslim group with alleged links to Al-Qaeda. ..more..http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2315032.ece/Dutch_terror_suspects_arrested_at_Brussels_airport

'Extremist groups threaten Somali govt'

New York, US - UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah has told the UN Security Council that the Somali transitional government is on its heels trying to thwart repeated attempts by extremist groups to overthrow it.``Despite multiple constraints, the government is resisting and repelling multip le attempts to overthrow it and seize power illegally by force,'' the UN envoy said Wednesday, adding: ``Repeated attacks by Al-Shabaa b and Hizbul-Islam militants have sent the Horn of Africa nation into chaos, with refugees fleeing by the thousands.''Ould-Abdallah added: ``Both extremist groups are severely bent on trying to over throw the UN-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which is Somalia's 14th since 1991.''..more..http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/'extremist-groups-threaten-somali-govt'-2009073032619.html

UN Ambassador Says US Committed to Peacekeeping.Somali government threatened by extremist groups, Susan Rice Envoy Warns Eritrea Over Somalia

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, says the Obama administration is committed to supporting international peacekeeping operations, including reforms to address issues such as misconduct by peacekeepers. Rice also addressed specific trouble spots in Africa, including the conflict in Somalia.
Ambassador Rice said the Obama administration is moving ahead on several fronts to support peacekeeping, including working with Security Council members on a better process of formulating credible and achievable mandates for U.N. operations.
The United States is contributing $2.2 billion of a $7.8 billion U.N. peacekeeping budget for 2009.
Rice said the United States strongly supports reforms that will save money, strengthen oversight, transparency, accountability and planning, reduce deployment delays, and prevent fraud and abuse, including a zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation by peacekeepers. "It [rape as a crime of war] is prevalent in Congo and Liberia, Sudan and elsewhere. And these need to be addressed in a very serious way when they are committed by combatants as well as peacekeepers," she said.
The situation in Somalia, as well as challenges facing U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region, emerged as a key a focus of questioning by lawmakers on the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Rice said the ability of the U.N. force in Darfur to do its job has been made worse by the Khartoum government denying access to and expelling humanitarian workers and blocking delivery of critical support.
"While President [Barack] Obama's special envoy on Sudan, General Scott Gration, helped persuade the government of Sudan to let four new humanitarian NGO's [non-governmental organizations] in, we continue to urge Khartoum to fill the gaps in critical humanitarian aid services and to improve its cooperation with UNAMID," she said...more..http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-29-voa59.cfm

Somali government threatened by extremist groups: UN

UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN special representative for Somalia told the Security Council on Wednesday that the Somali transitional government is on its heels trying to thwart repeated attempts by extremist groups to overthrow it.
"Despite multiple constraints, the government is resisting and repelling multiple attempts to overthrow it and seize power illegally by force," Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said.
Repeated attacks by Al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam militants have sent the Horn of Africa nation into chaos, with refugees fleeing by the thousands. Both extremist groups are severely bent on trying to overthrow the UN-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which is Somalia's 14th since 1991.
In an opinion piece published the same day as al-Shabaab broke into UN offices on July 20, Abdallah noted efforts to impose sanctions on those responsible for the coup attempts, which he called "externally funded." .more..http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/30/content_11794957.htm
U.S.' U.N. Envoy Warns Eritrea Over Somalia Rebels
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eritrea has only a short time to stop undermining security in Somalia or face possible U.N. sanctions, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said on Wednesday.Rice told a congressional committee the United States was "deeply concerned and very frustrated" with Eritrea's behaviour in Somalia, including arming and funding Islamist insurgents"It is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it, and nor will other members of the Security Council," she told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The U.N. Security Council warned Eritrea this month it would consider action against anyone undermining peace in Somalia...more..more ..http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/07/29/world/international-uk-somalia-eritrea-un.html

Minnesotan Sheds Light On Somali Terrorist Group

Details are beginning to emerge about how some dozen young Somali-Americans from Minneapolis ended up in the ranks of a terrorist group in Somalia called al-Shabab.
Some of the mystery surrounding the case cleared Tuesday when the second of two men charged so far pleaded guilty to providing material support to a terrorist organization.
Salah Asman Ahmed habar-gidir hawiye told a federal judge that he had attended clandestine meetings in Minneapolis in which people convinced him that he needed to return to Somalia to fight for his homeland. At the time he was recruited, Ethiopian troops had invaded Somalia. The men who encourage the young men to take up arms told them that it was their duty — as good Somalis and good Muslims — to fight for their homeland. More Details Emerge Ahmed told U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum that he initially left Minneapolis to fight the Ethiopian troops, but ended up in the arms of al-Shabab instead, training to use machine guns and how to fight. He said he also helped build a camp for the group. "I just helped cut trees and stuff at the camp," Ahmed told the judge. Ahmed provided the most detailed public account to date of how it is a bunch of Somali-American youth ended up in a terrorist training camp half a world away from Minnesota. Ahmed said he was approached in October 2007 by people who said, "Ethiopians have taken over the country, so we need to go back to Somalia to fight the Ethiopians." At that time, the Ethiopian army was occupying Somalia. It took whoever recruited the young men just two months to convince the first group to go. They left Dec. 10, 2007. The last group to travel from Minneapolis left on Nov. 4, 2008. The State Department declared al-Shabab a terrorist organization in March 2008.Concerns About An Attack In U.S.The FBI and other law enforcement officials have been investigating the case for nearly a year. Privately, they have called this the most significant domestic terrorism investigation since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. While most of the missing young men have come from Minneapolis, the FBI has been pursuing similar cases of disappearing Somali youth in San Diego, Boston and Cleveland, among other U.S. cities. ..more..http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111341852

UPDF soldiers ‘poisoned’ in Somalia,Shabaab Terrorist Using Biological andChemical Agents

Eight Ugandan soldiers on the Somali peace-keeping mission were by press time still in intensive care at a Nairobi hospital battling a strange ailment suspected to be a result of poisoning.
The soldiers are feared to have been poisoned through water sources by the Islamist fundamentalists, Al Shabaab, who are opposed to the interim government in Somalia and the peace-keeping mission, sources told Daily Monitor. But Maj. Barigye Ba-Hoku, the African Union Peace Keeping Mission spokesman, yesterday dismissed the poisoning claims. “It’s not true because this ailment is general and it has affected the Somalis outside the camps. It’s not only the peacekeepers,” he said.“[Kenyan and Amisom] doctors are studying the cause of the illness and they will soon come up with the report,” Maj. Ba-Hoku told Daily Monitor by telephone from Mogadishu.The infected Ugandan peacekeepers are part of the over 50 who have contracted the ailment that has in the last three weeks hit the Burundian and Ugandan camps in Mogadishu. Al Shabaab early this month claimed they had poisoned Burundian peacekeepers.Four of the Ugandan soldiers were evacuated from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and flown to Nairobi on Tuesday for treatment at Nairobi International Hospital, sources who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject said.The Ugandan and Burundian camps are about two kilometres apart, each with its water tanks. Last week, the Deputy Amisom Commander, Gen. Juvinele Niyoyunguriza, told a group of Ugandan journalists in Mogadishu that Burundian forces had been infected with a strange disease.Gen. Niyonyunguriza said 50 soldiers had been admitted and four died at Nairobi International hospital.Mr Gaffel Nkolokosa of African Union Mission for Somalia in Nairobi yesterday said 12 of the 50 were evacuated from Mogadishu three weeks ago and brought to Kenya for treatment after exhibiting symptoms similar to those of their colleagues who had been admitted. He, however, said they had recovered and returned to Burundi.According to sources, the Ugandan soldiers had developed fever and skin rash, before developing body organs’ failure.Amisom Medical Officer James Kiyengo said on Friday that the strange ailment is a bacterial infection caused by rat’s urine. He identified the infection as leptospirosis..more..http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/UPDF_soldiers_poisoned_in_Somalia_88893.shtml
Some ... background information. Related Articles ...
UPDF faces al Qaeda threat in Somalia
Mystery illness hits peace force

Radicalization of Americans worrying Eric Holder. More on the Suspected Terrorists Arrested in NC,Search broadens in case of Raleigh-based terror plot

CLICK: ABC News Interview with Attorney General Holder

WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder warned on Wednesday of increased "radicalization" of Americans in recent months, two days after seven people were arrested in North Carolina for allegedly plotting attacks overseas. Holder, the top U.S. law enforcement officer, expressed significant concerns about people going abroad and then returning to the United States with the "aim of doing harm to the American people." "The constant scream of threats, the kind of things you have to be aware about, the whole notion of radicalization is something that didn't loom as large a few months ago ... as it does now," Holder said in an interview with ABC News. Prosecutors on Monday unveiled a seven-count indictment charging seven people in North Carolina with plotting to carry out attacks overseas and numerous weapons possession charges. The leader of the group, Daniel Patrick Boyd, trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1989 to 1992 and used that experience to set up his own organization to train fighters, raise money and carry out attacks abroad, according to the indictment. He was also accused of drawing his two sons into the group. The United States has been on heightened alert for security threats since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, when al Qaeda militants using hijacked jetliners killed 2,749 people. In the worst case of home-grown terrorism in the United States, Timothy McVeigh was executed -- three months before the Sept. 11 attacks -- for the killing of 168 people in the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995...more..http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29296913.htm
More on the Suspected Terrorists Arrested in NC
Search broadens in case of Raleigh-based terror ...

,Public's help needed in terror fight, Napolitano says Napolitano says..Welcome on board! We been calling for a long time.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Almost eight years after the September 11 attacks, the American public remains insufficiently engaged in the fight against terrorism, the nation's homeland security chief warned Wednejob sharing information with international, state and local partners, she added.
We need to make sure "as a country, as a nation, we are at the point where we are at a constant state of preparedness and not a state of fear," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said."The challenge is not just using federal power to protect the country but also enlisting a much broader societal response to the threats that terrorism poses."We live in a world where "the tools for creating violence and chaos are as easy to find as the tools for buying music online or restocking an inventory," Napolitano told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations."If 9/11 happened in a Web 1.0 world, terrorists are certainly in a Web 2.0 world now," she said, a reference to the state of development of the Internet."The terror threat to the homeland is persistent and evolving."Napolitano outlined a multi-tiered administration homeland defense strategy based on greater interaction between the private sector, local law enforcement, federal authorities and international allies. would continue to encourage new thinking in the war on terror, noting that the department had recently hired a "prominent" former computer hacker to help authorities better identify weaknesses in the country's cybernetwork....MORE..http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/29/homeland.security/index.html

Modern Muslim Sufi aka Ahlu Waljma’a clerics say they are organizing forces from whole the 18 regions in Somalia

MOGADISHU – the Islamic organization of Ahlu Waljma’a has Wednesday held a press conference in Mogadishu and said for the first time that they are organizing forces from the whole the 18 regions in the Somali country. Sheik Abu Bakar Ahmed Ali, one of the officials of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a organization told the reporters that there are no differences between the clerics and the transitional government. heik Abu Bakar said that both sides reached an agreement in the Kenyan capital Nairobi pointing out that the TFG did not consider the agreement.The statement of the Islamic organization of Ahlu Sunna Waljam’a comes as the TFG president Sharif Sheik Ahmed suggested a long address before parliamentarians in Mogadishu recently which he praised more on the fighting that Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a forces involved in central Somalia.

translation
Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca aka..Sufi publish pictures of death shabaab Terrorist to see NEW the death terrorist,Sufi Web Site..Warning Very Gruesome Pictures: ....Fighting take place Last week at wahb and mahaas parts of Hiran and Galgadud regions in Central Somalia,huge confrontations between Al-Shabaab fighters and followers of Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea, ...aka sufi
claim they kill 45 shabaab terrorist,Sunnah Waljama raised high the high regarded Somali Flag in the towns of Mahas and Wabho in central Somalia eraky on Saturday morning.
There had been deadly battle between the warriors of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama and the mercenary forces of the so called Al-Shabab in the past couple of days in the towns of Wabho and Mahas in central Somalia and ultimately the warriors of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama had the upper hand.
“By the time the forces of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama conquered the town of Wabho they straight away went to the main base of the so called Al-Shababs which and have started tearing the black flags of the so called Al-Shababs which were surrounded in the entire base and have erected the beautiful Somali blue flag which had the white started in the middle” said an eyewitness who does not want his name to be disclosed in the town of Wabho speaking to Waagacusub Website on Saturday morning. In the battle of three days the warriors of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama have confiscated different kinds of weaponries and battle wagons from the so called Al-Shababs
“I am sending hereby sending congratulations to the entire people of Hiran region in central Somalia that battle to eradicate the hypocrites is now over and one of the victories the forces of Ahl-Sunnah Waaljama have reached in battles is that we have killed (Sandeere) the master minder of the suicide bomb which the Somali national security Minister was killed and many other innocent people so thus our next target is Bulabarde” said the spokesman of Ahlu-Sunnah Walajam in central Somalia Sheikh Abdi Rizak Ashari speaking to media Website on Saturday morning. Asharaci in good mood said that the Warriors of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama were exercising on the road between Wabho and Mahas and added that the remnants of the hypocrites are still in the town of El-Bur in Galgadud region. The spokesman also added that the local elders requested them not to carry any raid, and we are now surrounding in the town El-Buur, and the local elders went to the so called Al-Shababs to tell them to surrender because there is no any other alternative. This will be the first time for the warriors of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama to lash out the Al-Shababs from very strategic towns. ..
the-end-of-translation Warning Very Gruesome Pictures
http://mustaqiim.com/News86.htm

background information

related Stores published in the past

Somali Armed Group Says It’s Poised to Defeat Al-Shabab,Somalia's Sufis Fight the Shabab
Al Shabaab destroys more graves in southern towns
Terrorist al-shabaab Welcome Osama Bin Laden message
For Somalia, Chaos Breeds Religious War - NYTimes.com
Somalia's Sufis Fight the Shabab - Video Library - The New York Times

U.S.'s UN envoy warns Eritrea over Somalia rebels

WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - Eritrea has only a short time to stop undermining security in Somalia or face possible U.N. sanctions, Washington's ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said on Wednesday.Rice told a congressional committee the United States was "deeply concerned and very frustrated" with Eritrea's behavior in Somalia, including arming and funding Islamist insurgents"It is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it, and nor will other members of the Security Council," she told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.The U.N. Security Council warned Eritrea this month it would consider action against anyone undermining peace in Somalia."We will continue to discuss with colleagues in the Security Council appropriate measures, including potentially sanctions, against Eritrea for its actions in Somalia," Rice said."There is a very short window for Eritrea to signal through its actions that it wishes a better relationship with the United States and indeed the wider international community...more..http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSN29287781

Five Somalis sentenced to death in absentia for bombs

HARGEISA, Somali July 29 (Reuters) - A court in breakaway Somaliland. sentenced five men to death in absentia on Wednesday for masterminding suicide bomb attacks in 2008 that killed at least 24 people.
The synchronised blasts in October 2008 -- at Ethiopia's embassy, the local president's office and a U.N. building -- were blamed on Somalia's militant insurgent movement al Shabaab, which has links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The blasts in the northern territory, which has been relatively stable since declaring itself independent in 1991, showed the militants could operate beyond their southern strongholds and were one of Somalia's worst suicide attacks. Officials at the Regional Court of Hargeisa, capital of the enclave, said the five convicted Somalis were on the run in other parts of the Horn of Africa nation. SOMALILAND carries out the death sentence by shooting. Of 11 men in its custody, all from sepretist Somaliland, nine were released then re-arrested following a prosecution appeal, officials and witnesses said. That angered relatives who had to be dispersed by police firing in the air outside court. Two were sentenced to 18 months' jail for obstruction of justice, court officials said. Unlike anarchic southern Somalia -- where hardline Islamist rebels are battling a weak government and chaos has often reigned for the last 18 years -- (Reporting by Hussein Ali Noor; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

Somali Pirate talks about how to negotiate ransom, Interview with a Somali pirate when to kill captives.Pretty interesting stuff.

WIRED contributing editor Scott Carney interviewed a Somali pirate for his story in Wired about pirate economics, and Wired.com is running an excerpt of that interview.
What was your job before you start this one or what forced you to become a pirate?
Every government in the world is off our coasts. What is left for us? Nine years ago everyone in this town was stable and earn[ed] enough income from fishing. Now there is nothing. We have no way to make a living. We had to defend ourselves. We became watchmen of our coasts and took up our duty to protect the country. Don't call us pirates. We are protectors.
How do you pirates decide on what ransom to ask for? What makes them negotiate downwards?
Once you have a ship, it's a win-win situation. We attack many ships everyday, but only a few are ever profitable. No one will come to the rescue of a third-world ship with an Indian or African crew, so we release them immediately. But if the ship is from Western country or with valuable cargo like oil, weapons or then its like winning a lottery jackpot. We begin asking a high price and then go down until we agree on a price. Exclusive Interview: Pirate on When to Negotiate, Kill Hostages (Danger Room}

An Economic Analysis of the Somali Pirate Business Model
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/17-07/ff_somali_pirate

Alarm over Somalia's child soldiers

For years, warlords have conscripted children to fight in bitter conflicts over money, power and land. The BBC Somali service's Mohamed Mohamed reveals widespread alarm that the practice is now becoming entrenched in Somalia

Children as young as eight years old are going missing.
Some are drugged, others brainwashed and some paid $50 (£30) for every month they fight.
Most people are frightened to speak openly, but those who can afford it are sending their children out of the country to safety. An elderly man who did not want to be named publicly told how his 15-year-old son had vanished. He said he had looked everywhere for his boy, and even asked the militant Islamist group al-Shabab whether they had seen him.
They said they had not, but he later found out that al-Shabab had convinced the boy to join their jihad so "he would go to heaven if he died". Children as shields"After a long search I found out that my son is being held in a training camp on the outskirts of Baydhabo," he said. "They are using our children as a shield. But the children of people who claim to be leaders are not in the camps. They are not fighting. "Al-Shabab only use children from the poor as fighters." ..more..http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8173079.stm

Kenya arrests four Dutchmen near Somalia border (Netherland shabaab)

MOMBASA, KENYA (Reuters) - Kenyan police are questioning four Dutch passport-holders who were arrested on suspicion of aiding Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents, a local government official said on Wednesday.
The four men -- three who were born in Morocco and the fourth in Somalia -- were stopped by police on Monday while on their way to Kiunga on the Kenya-Somalia border.
"The al Shabaab group has been receiving humanitarian and technical help from foreigners and we suspect the people we have in custody were in that area to do exactly that," Stephen Ikua, Lamu district commissioner, said.
Al Shabaab insurgents have been battling Somalia's federal transition government since 2007, dashing hopes of a return to stability for the lawless horn of Africa nation...more..http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41399420090729
Kenya arrests four Dutch men suspected of joining Somali Islamists
http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=104494608

National Terror Alert Homeland Security Weekly Intel Brief‏

Homeland Security To Reveal Terror Prevention Plans
Biohazard Drill At Postal Service Center A Success
EMP – Electromagnetic Pulse Conference Sept. 8th – 10th
Extremists Who Raided U.N. Offices Not Considered a Terror Group
Operation Cassandra – South Florida Prepares For Terror Drill
Germany Openly Warns of Terror Threat
Should A New Pathogen Lab Be Built In Tornado Alley
Feds Seek 8th Terror Suspect In North Carolina
Homeland Security Launches Pilot to Counter Small-Vessel Attacks
An EMP Attack, Thinking The Unthinkable – James Carafano
Sacha Baron Cohen Threatened By Terrorists Over Bruno
Seven Charged With Terrorism Conspiracy In North Carolina – FBI
NLE – National Level Exercise Terror Drill Begins
Homeland Security Council Urges Nuclear Attack Response Planning
Have a Voice In Homeland Security Objectives and Policy
Homeland Security Issues Vulnerability Notice – Adobe Flash
Counter-terrorism Investigators Find Alleged Identity Theft Ring
Canada May Be Terror Target
Swine Flu Worst Case Scenario, Hundreds of Thousands Could Die
Homeland Security Arrests 3 In Killing of US Border Patrol Agent
Police Officers Sickened By Pesticides In 18 Wheeler Drug Bust
Border Patrol Agent Shot, Killed Near San Diego
Drug Cartels Target Mormon LaBaron Clan in Mexico
Counter-terrorist Authorities Seize Bomb Equipment
Feds: Man Plotted Terror Attack On Mass Transit
TSA Begins Pilot Test of Explosives Detection Technology
House Panel Examines EMP, Cyber Terror Threats to Electric Grid
DHS Scans 98 Percent of Imports for Radiation
Homeland Security Launches New YouTube and DHS.gov Websites

House Dems Carry Islamists’ Water

Seven House Democrats have written Attorney General Eric Holder invoking a list of grievances from radical Islamist groups and asking that Holder meet with representatives from those groups to hear their concerns, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.

The grievances include the use of convicted felons as informants in mosques, alleged religious profiling of Somali Muslims in Minnesota and elsewhere and allegations that the FBI is working with foreign governments to question American citizens who are terror suspects. In the letter, the representatives said:

"These concerns raise legitimate questions about due process, justice, and equal treatment under the law. We hope you will meet with American Muslim leaders to ensure that core American values are respected for all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity, or faith. For your convenience, we have attached a contact list of American Muslim leaders."

These issues have been pushed by radical Islamist groups for months. The letter's close tracking of the interest groups' positions indicates that their officials dictated its terms for the members of Congress to sign. In fact, the nine entities all are listed in exactly the same sequence in this release from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The April 2009 release also cites two of the same issues as in the letter to Holder.

The letter was signed by California representatives Loretta Sanchez, Adam Schiff, Mike Honda and Lois Capps, along with Ohio representatives Mary Jo Kilroy and Dennis Kucinich. Northern Virginia Congressman James Moran joined the group. Moran serves on the House Appropriations Committee subcommittee on defense. Schiff and Honda serve on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. Kilroy sits on the House Homeland Security Committee..more.http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.3866/pub_detail.asp.

How to reinvigorate the war on terrorism here at home

The arrest of Bryant Neal Vinas, the Al Qaeda recruit from Long Island who has confessed to helping plot a commuter train attack, has thrust domestic terrorism back into the headlines after a fairly long hiatus.
It never should have gone away. Some believe the terror threat has subsided because America has yet to suffer a spectacular attack since 9/11. That kind of complacency will only breed weakness and danger.
Rather, with Pakistan in crisis, Iran's brutality ever more evident and Somalia slipping into violent radicalism, now is the time to roll out aggressive new strategies that meet the ever-changing threat, including new technologies that identify potentially threatening conduct and detect radiation and biological pathogens - technologies lawmakers seem reluctant to support.
Though we have gone a long way to reduce our vulnerabilities in recent years, some threats have multiplied. Al Qaeda has established safe havens in the frontier areas of Pakistan and parts of Somalia, and, as the Vinas case reminds us, is looking to recruit Westerners to serve as operatives.
Meanwhile, the most sophisticated terrorist organization in the world is Hezbollah, with decades of experience as a client organization of the government of Iran. In recent years, Hezbollah has not struck directly against the United States, but few doubt that it could do so if unleashed by Iran, perhaps in retaliation for actions by the United States or Israel. Especially troubling is Hezbollah's presence in Latin America. Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez has recently welcomed Iran as a partner, opening a hemispheric platform for terrorist infiltration.Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/07/29/2009-07-29_how_to_reinvigorate_the_war_on_terrorism_here_at_home.html#ixzz39ncHi6Nx

Government soldiers conduct operations in central town

BELEDWEYNE (TF.SF)—Government soldiers in Beledweyne town in Hiraan region in central Somalia have conducted operations in the town overnight, witnesses said on Wednesday.
The soldiers captured ten people during their operations in the town, but they have released three of them after the operations. Somali government forces assumed full control of Beledweyne on Sunday after driving Hisbul Islam rebels out of town. The government officials said they made the operations in three districts in the town to secure the security of the city. Three civilians were wounded in Beledweyne on Monday after an explosion targeted one the of the government vehicles. For the past several months, Beledweyne, near the Ethiopian border and about 320 kilometers north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, has been divided between government and pro-government forces in the east of the city and Hisbul Islam rebels in the west. Beledweyne is considered strategic because it connects the central regions to Mogadishu, where al-Shabab and Hisbul Islam fighters are battling to overthrow the U.N.-backed government of Islamist President Sharif Sheik Ahmed The government officials said they will investigate the case of the captured people and will release them if they are involved in any violence.

INTERVIEW-Some Somalis in Dubai may aid piracy -UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Reuters) - A small group of Somalis granted asylum by the United Arab Emirates are suspected of supporting piracy in the lawless Horn of Africa nation of Somalia, a senior U.N. envoy said.U.N. special envoy to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that he believed "some elements of the Somali community in Dubai are involved in a number of activities which are undermining peace in Somalia."Those activities include piracy, illegal weapons transfers that skirt a U.N. arms embargo, and possibly indirect financial support for Islamist-led rebels who the government is struggling to subdue, he said. He added that the number of individuals involved was small, probably around half a dozen."But this is big money," Ould-Abdallah said.The U.N. envoy stopped short of urging the authorities in Dubai, the financial hub of the Middle East, to crack down on any Somalis involved in such activity. But he called on those with asylum not to get involved in any illegal activity.Ould-Abdallah will brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday on the situation in Somalia. Among the things he said he would urge the 15-nation panel to do is to voice its support for the transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and to ask him to continue talking with the opposition....more..http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN28211208

Shelling in Somali capital takes fresh toll

Johannesburg - With artillery shells falling in the capital of Mogadishu, fighting raging in the western part of Somalia, and civilians fleeing by the tens of thousands, Africa's most intractable war shows little sign of abating. On Tuesday, shelling between Islamist militias and government forces in Mogadishu's crowded Bakara Market killed at least seven civilians. Fighting has already forced some 235,000 Somalis from their homes, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. This number includes nearly 12,000 who have arrived in the coastal city of Bosasso in hopes of smuggling themselves across the stormy waters of the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, a risky option that killed nearly 1,000 Somalis last year alone. Western countries insist that the only solution is to support the transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. But with Mr. Sharif's supporters able to control only a few square blocks of Mogadishu, including the airport, seaport, and the presidential palace, time seems to be running out, and some experts suggest that it's time to make one last bid for dialogue with Sharif's Islamist rivals. "The situation in Somalia is bleak, and much more problematic now," says Rashid Abdi, a Horn of Africa expert at the International Crisis Group in Nairobi. "We need to see some movement on the political front, some momentum toward reaching out. Dialogue is good politics. If you extend a hand to people who want to take that hand, then you can perhaps resolve the conflict." Islamist militants not unified The Islamist forces arrayed against the Sharif government are far from unified, says Mr. Abdi and other experts. Much attention is given to the most intransigent among the Islamists, specifically the Al Shabab militia, which is thought to share the radical Salafist ideology of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda movement, and its harsh vision for an Islamic state under its own terms. Al Shabab concedes that it has attracted foreign fighters among its ranks, a fact that suggests Somalia is becoming a new base for violent jihadist groups. Yet, fighting alongside Al Shabab are other groups that have much more localized agendas, and that might be willing to pursue their goals through negotiation rather than fighting. Among them are the former members of the Union of Islamic Courts, a government that ruled Somalia for six brief but peaceful months in 2006. Many of these fighters and commanders might be willing to join the Sharif government if he was willing to meet some of their localized demands. Less amenable to dialogue is Sheikh Hassan Tahir Aweys. Once a mentor to Sharif, and founder of the former Union of Islamic Courts government, Sheikh Aweys is thought to covet Sharif's job, and to want to impose a harsh, Saudi-style form of Islam that is not native to Somalia itself. Backed by the Eritrean government, Aweys seems to be playing the role of a spoiler, hoping to take over if the Sharif government collapses. ..more..http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0728/p06s13-wogn.html

Somali Extremists Who Raided U.N. Offices Not Considered a Terror Group

The extremist group al-Shabaab raided three U.N. offices in Somalia last week in a campaign to rid the volatile African nation of all "enemies of Islam," and the world body can't do a thing about it — yet.

Though the U.S. State Department designated al-Shabaab a foreign terrorist organization in March 2008, the U.N. has yet to add the Islamic militia to its list of terrorist groups whose members face international sanctions and travel bans.
While the U.S. has been cracking down on the Al Qaeda-linked group's recruitment efforts at home, the lack of an international standard has allowed al-Shabaab to channel its funds — much of which come from piracy along Somalia's lengthy coast — through banks in the Arabian Gulf.
"There are millions and millions and millions of dollars coming into this organization. It's being funneled in banks in Qatar and other places — that's pretty well documented — yet nobody's really doing anything about it," said Jeffrey Addicott, director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
Somalia expert J. Peter Pham said that it was difficult to gather consensus within the U.N., which lacks a formal definition of terrorism and whose full-fledged members include countries such as Syria and Iran, which the U.S. has accused of sponsoring terrorism...more..http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,535191,00.html

Al Shabaab have betrayed Islam — Somali president

PRESIDENT Sharif Ahmed, a former geography teacher, does not seem overwhelmed by the almost insurmountable task of pacifying Somalia. The soft-spoken moderate leader of the Islamic Courts, who was elected by an enlarged parliament in January, speaks in clear and decisive terms about the Islamist insurgents whom he says have been brainwashed by global jihadists, and his dream of restoring law and order in a country that has been without a functional government for almost two decades.

How would you analyse the current situation?
There has been war in Somalia for a long time. The peace talks in Djibouti led to this progress (an all-inclusive government) and gave Somalia an opportunity to recover. Unfortunately, the opposition to the peace process does not have a political agenda. They just want to control Somalia and hand it over to global terrorists. Whenever we call them for peace talks, they don’t want to listen.

Are you trying to engage the opposition?
There are some members of the opposition whom we managed to get on board. They are now part of the government. They were calling for the introduction of Sharia and the government has accepted to implement Sharia law.

They claim they are fighting for Islam. But they are wrong. Islam does not allow the things they are doing; the killings, the chaos. In the history of Islam, when the Prophet Mohamed formed the first government, it was inclusive. Today, they say they are the only Muslims. The others are not Muslims. They infiltrated the Union of Islamic Courts, which I led. Now people think they are members of the Islamic Courts. They are using our name and the goodwill towards the Islamic Courts.

When the Islamic Courts were in power in 2006, Somalia was peaceful. One could travel around the country undisturbed. You are back in power now but the security seems worse than ever. What happened between then and now?
The difference is that while we were out, elements and top leaders of al-Qaeda came here. Previously, we had some elements of al-Qaeda but they were not active. While we were away, they took advantage of the situation and brainwashed a lot of young people. Al-Qaeda brought in its own people (foreign fighters). Their only agenda is to kill. Now they pose a threat not only to Somalia but to the region as a whole and the neighbouring countries.

When you are a member of al Shabaab, it is difficult to get out; they kill you. You need to look for an opportunity to get out of their ranks. Back in 2006, our goal was to stabilise the country, not to hurt or kill anyone. That is still our position. ..more.http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/689359

U.S. extends protected status for Somali nationals

St. Paul, Minn. — Somali nationals living in the U.S. under temporary protected status are eligible to remain in the country for an additional 18 months. The U.S. government is extending the status, known as TPS, until March of 2011, because of the violence that is still raging in Somalia. John Keller, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, said even though the extension affects only about 250 people in the U.S., it still sends an important message to the local Somali community. "It is an acknowledgement by the U.S. government that the conditions in Somalia are too unstable to send people back," Keller said. "This is very welcome news to the Somali community. And even to those who aren't dependent on TPS, it sends a broader signal that the U.S. understands the precariousness of what's going on over there." Most Somalis in the U.S. arrived here with refugee status, a more permanent status than TPS. "For those who fall through the cracks, TPS is a very important remedy," Keller said. Recipients of TPS are allowed to receive authorization for work, but the status does not lead to permanent residency. In March, the U.S. extended the temporary status for nearly 4,000 Liberians living in the country.

habar-gidr hawiye Second suspect pleads guilty to aiding Somali terrorists

Second terrorism suspect pleaded guilty today in Minneapolis

habar-gidr hawiye Salah Osman Ahmed, 26, pleaded guilty in federal court today to providing material support to terrorists, according to his attorney.Ahmed, a part-time security guard from Brooklyn Park, is accused of traveling to Somalia in December 2007, allegedly to train with al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group that federal officials say has links to al-Qaida.Ahmed's attorney, James Ostgard, said late Monday night that his client will plead guilty to a single count -- providing material support to terrorists -- before U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum. In exchange for the guilty plea, Ostgard said three other counts will be dismissed at Ahmed's sentencing: Conspiracy to Kill, Kidnap, Main and Injure and two counts of giving false information to law enforcement.
Ahmed was one of two men indicted by a grand jury in February for training with al-Shabaab. Abdifatah Yusuf Isse, 25, of Seattle, Wash., also has admitted to federal investigators that he trained with the terrorist group. Isse has already pleaded guilty.
The indictments for both men were made public two weeks ago after Ahmed was arrested on his way to his security job. Isse had been in custody since his arrest in Seattle in February.
Investigators say the indictments are part of a larger, ongoing investigation into the disappearance of up to 20 Twin Cities men of Somali descent over the past two years. Family members and federal officials believe the men have returned to Somalia to fight in a continuing civil war. At least four of those Minnesota men have been confirmed to have been killed -- either by family members or federal officials.
It is believed that the ongoing investigation focuses on who recruited and funded the men's travel to Somalia.
James Walsh • 612-673-7428

Second Somali terrorism suspect pleads guilty

http://www.startribune.com/local/51866227.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

Somalia seeks to ease donor jitters with foreign fund manager

ADDIS ABABA — Battling daily insurgency and unable to stamp authority across the nation, Somalia's transitional government has tapped a private accounting firm to soothe donor concerns over funds management.With the collapse of institutions over the last 18 years of relentless conflict, President Sharif Sheilkh Ahmed's administration recently enlisted the services of PriceWaterhouse Cooper to manage its finances.In addition, recent heavy attacks by hardline Islamist militia have also significantly pared Sharif's government control of the capital Mogadishu where it is backed by African Union peacekeepers."We don't have the personnel who have the experience, the training and the skills," Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar told AFP."We now have to work with not only international organisations but with many governments and countries therefore we need assistance to be able to manage the funds of the donor community and the international organisations," he said.
In April, international donors raised 213 million dollars (165 million euros) to help bolster the Horn of Africa country's security forces, back the understaffed AU troops and help combat piracy off its coast...more...http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iU2fg0leEOmOulxNLo2RsnjRfhig

Mogadishu residents dealing with three governors, From Three Different Hawiye groups

Mogadishu Somalia . mostly Hawiye residents are dealing with three different governors from three hawiye groups. On Monday Hawiye Terrorist Hizbul Islam terrorist group nominated Terrorist Moalim Hashi to be the governor of Banadir region administration which complicates the worsening situation in the capital.
There were already two governors in Mogadishu; Hawiye clan Mohamed Osman Dhagahtur is the governor of Mogadishu under the administration of the transitional Federal government terrorist group Ali Mohamed Hussein is the governor under the Shabaab Terrorist Ali Mohamed Hussein (left) abgaal- sup-caln, Hawiye ,Dhagahtur (centre) abgaal sup-Clan- Hawiye and Terrorist Moalim Hashi(Right) habar-gidir hawiye sup-Clan hawiye This reminds the people the hard times of Mogadishu warlords Hawiye Warlordism who divided the city in to five different sections. warlord Ali Mahdi, warlord Mohamed Qanyare, warlord Hussein Aideed, warlord Osman Atto, and warlord Muse Sudi divided the city and the people of Mogadishu in five sections with green zones in 1990s.
People could not cross into other sections in fear for clan retaliatory and the opposing militia at that time. Now the history is repeating it self after Mogadishu got three governors. hawiye al-shabaab wing Al Shabaab terrorist group , which is a proxy for al Qaeda in Somalia, is fighting for to topple the fragile government led by president Sharif sheik Ahmed and is planning to impose its version of Sharia law. The agenda of the militia is beyond Somalia but Terrorist group Hizbul Islam led by habar-gidir hawiye Terrorist Hassan Dahir Aweys is fighting for to overthrow the government and form an Islamic government under it. The nomination of habar-gidir Terrorist group Moalim Hashi for Mogadishu shows the difference between the two allied groups which is fighting together against the government and the African Union Troops in Mogadishu.

The Somali Conflict Root causes , peace-building strategies
Widow of Brit Muslim teacher says he was killed because he converted to Christianity

At UNDP, Clark's Talks and Photo-Ops But Dodging on Somalia, Biter, Consultants' Pay and Royal

UNDP's Helen Clark and blue UN flag, Press Q&A not shown

UNITED NATIONS, July 27 -- At the UN Development Program, one hundred days after former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark took over the top job, she has yet to hold a press conference for correspondents at UN headquarters. To mark her stealth one hundred days, she appeared from New York on New Zealand television. When asked how much she gets paid, she answered "I think you can go into the website."
It's not that there is not real news about UNDP. The organization was targeted in Somalia by Al Shabaab essentially for taking sides in a civil war. Conflict extended into UNDP headquarters itself, where as exclusively reported by Inner City Press a staff member complaining of hiring irregularities and nepotism was maced and taken to the local police precinct after biting of UN Security Officer on the arm. In Panama, UNDP is in damage control mode faced with criticism of paying consultants there more than the president of the country.
Weeks after asking Clark's UNDP for responses on its programs including in Cyprus, but receiving no response, Inner City Press on July 27 asked the UN system's Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq questions about UNDP, from the man bites man incident to ..more..http://www.innercitypress.com/undp1hclark072709.html

Hostage talks stall

Mogadishu - The imminent release of 24 hostages on board a German ship hijacked off Somalia in April has been delayed after pirates demanded a higher ransom, a gang member said on Tuesday.The German-flagged container vessel Hansa Stavanger with five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos had been expected to be released on Monday.
The pirates had agreed to a $3m ransom, but some members of the gang said that was too little, a pirate named Hassan told Reuters."Some of our friends say we are many and so the Germans must add $1m or $500,000 to make the ransom about $4m," he told Reuters by phone from Haradheere, about 17 km (10 miles) west of Gan, where the ship is being held.
"The Germans seemed to be angry after we broke the promise. They rarely answer our calls. Now they insist on the agreed $3m, but we are divided on this issue. We do not know how long it will take to release the ship," he said.The 20 000 tonne ship, owned by Hamburg shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg, was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu on April 4.
Concern over the crew's welfare
The vessel's owners refused to comment.
"We don't give any statements on the Hansa Stavanger," said a company spokesperson who did not give her name...more...http://www.news24.com/Content/Africa/News/965/98795f2426d74bdebc475ba36b3df440/28-07-2009%2002-07/Hostage_talks_stall_

Lord Malloch-Brown warns UK on Somalia

While Lord Malloch-Brown's change of stance on the adequacy of helicopters in Afghanistan is widely reported (Report, 23 July), his opinion that Somalia poses a greater threat to the UK than Afghanistan receives little analysis.
Almost the whole of Somalia falls under the control of one or other jihadist-inspired faction, and extremist sharia punishments have been carried out. Vast land areas, airports and seaports are available to armed groups to carry out training, marine piracy and disruption of shipping lanes can be pursued with impunity. Increasingly, IEDs and suicide bombers are beings used as battleground strategies.
Jihadist groups include al-Shabaab, its umbrella affiliate Hizbul Islam and possibly al-Muhajiroun, which have reportedly drawn in seasoned fighters from Chechnya, Pakistan, Afghanistan and probably the US, UK and Scandinavia. Secondly, the space is being created in the Horn of Africa for a Wahabist-inspired quasi-state, imposing by force its radical ideology on the Somali people. It is not only in close proximity to Europe, but it threatens to destabilise neighbouring states as the groups lay claims to parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, seek allies in coastal Tanzania and have threatened to blow up "the tall buildings of Nairobi" should Kenya intervene. Concurrent to this, there is a vast outflow of Somali refugees.
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The UN approaches, financed by the EC Somalia unit at Nairobi, are ineffectual. Since both the transitional federal government and al-Shabaab advocate a regime of sharia, Muslim states such as Turkey, Indonesia and Algeria should be given roles in peacemaking. Saudi Arabia should also be invited to contribute.
Radical, innovative action is required to prevent a conflict that could have repercussions on our lives, potentially on a greater scale than Iraq and Afghanistan, but with a great deal more powerlessness to influence the outcomes. Malloch-Brown ought to be listened to.
Source: guardian.co.uk