Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Director of the Somali Intelligence services, General Muhammad Sheikh Hassan, has said that contacts between the Somali government and the kidnappers of the French security experts detained by the Somali Shabab Movement are about to come to a halt.
In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat; his first since he took office last April [ 2009], the intelligence chief stressed his objection to any French military operation to free the hostages, even though the Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdul-Rashid Sharmakie said he would not object to a French commando operation to free the two French hostages. The intelligence chief revealed that a military operation to free the hostages has been cancelled because "it was too difficult for us to carryout."
He denied that the Somali intelligence apparatus has been infiltrated by the Shabab Movement, but he revealed that 12 have been arrested in connection with this incident; some of them are members of the Islamic Military Court militias, who are allied with the interim Somali government led by President Sheikh Sharif.
The intelligence chief, General Muhammad Sheikh Hassan is 55; he joined the intelligence Academy of Mogadishu in 1975 and was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. In 1986, he moved to the diplomatic service and worked in the office of the foreign minister with the rank of Colonel, until the collapse of the regime of President Muhammad Siad Berri in 1991.
During the civil war in Somalia he lived in Ethiopia and Kenya, and in September 2005, after the formation of the provisional parliament in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, he became director of the office of the Speaker of the Somali Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adam. After the election of Sheikh Sharif as president earlier this year, he became director of the presidential office, and on the 19th April 2009, the Somali Council of Ministers approved his appointment as director of the Somali intelligence apparatus.
The following is the text of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is the latest information regarding the French hostages?
[Hassan] There is no news until now. There have been attempts to contact them, but these are on the brink of being brought to an end as the kidnappers are clashing [with one another] and there are many conflicting reports. We do not intend to carry out any military operation as this would lead to heavy losses.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Somali Prime Minister said that he would not forbid French military intervention?
[Hassan] Yes, this is the government position.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you unconvinced of the French military intervention? [Hassan] I do not think that such intervention will be beneficial, we prepared a plan to release the hostages by force, but this proved too difficult and we turned away from implementing this. We do not know the extent of the possibility of the French intervening and [successfully] freeing the hostages.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are there any communications [between you and the hostages]?,..more.. http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=17516
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