Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Somalia Prepares for Offensive

Somali government troops massed in Mogadishu for a planned offensive against al Shabaab, the powerful al Qaeda allied-militia that's been trying to topple the government.Government and African Union officials say the goal is for the Somali troops, backed by U.S.-trained African Union forces, to carve out a secure area of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.Achieving that objective would provide breathing space for the Somali government to function, and the opportunity to win support from a fractious and insecure public, officials say.
The strategy takes a page from U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, where strengthening a weak government has been seen as pivotal in the U.S.-led wars against Islamic militants.
"We have our troops trained and equipped now, so they are ready to clear the rebels out of the country," said Somali Security Minister Abdullahi Mohamed Ali.After nearly two decades of war, the current government barely exists in the tiny pocket of the capital it controls. Members of an underpaid Somali force have been known to defect or sell weapons to militants.Ahead of the offensive, Mogadishu residents have packed into cars and buses by the thousands to flee to makeshift camps outside the city. In the past two weeks, an estimated 15,000 people have been displaced from Mogadishu, according to the United Nations, and some 85,000 have been displaced across the country since January 1.A recent statement from the office of the UN's humanitarian coordinator, Mark Bowden, said the high figures suggest that "all parties"—which would include government and African Union troops—are involved in "indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians."The government has attributed such allegations to insurgent propaganda. Gaffel Nkolokosa, a spokesman for the African Union mission in Somalia, denied any such actions by African Union troops.Mogadishu resident Abdiyo Hussein was preparing to leave the city for the sixth time since 2007, to take refuge in a camp. "I'm no longer hopeful of the government or the rebels," she said. "The rebels execute people meaninglessly, and the government shells civilians. So we are hopeless."An estimated 3.2 million people, more than 40% of the population, need emergency humanitarian assistance, according to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, an international project in Somalia.
The crisis has deepened as the U.S. and the U.K., the largest donors of food assistance, gave less than half of their planned contributions last year, according to Kiki Gbeho, head of the UN's office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs.The U.K.'s suspension was largely because of reports of missing food shipments, while the U.S. wanted assurances that supplies weren't being diverted to al Shabaab and other militant groups.
Mr. Bowden of the U.N. said al Shabaab has asked local U.N. staff to pay fees in regions they control, but said, "I don't think there's anything that would constitute diversion," of the humanitarian assistance.
Al Shabaab has been blamed for a raft of suicide bombings and other attacks targeting Somali officials. The group this month confirmed it was cooperating with al Qaeda insurgents in the region, as U.S. and Somali officials had suspected.While the Somali government offensive isn't likely to dislodge al Shabaab, some analysts say it might weaken the group enough to encourage defections from top commanders and raise tensions between different factions, which have feuded in the past. Analysts say a rift has also emerged between foreign fighters who want to link Somalia to al Qaeda's global jihad andSomali militants whose goals are largely domestic—to establish an Islamic state in Somalia.So far, though, the government has failed to exploit that division, said Rashid Abdi, a Somali analyst in Nairobi for the International Crisis Group, an independent think-tank. "Despite the rhetoric, there isn't a concrete reconciliation or engagement strategy," Mr. Abdi said. "Everybody is just digging in for a big fight.FEBRUARY 17, 2010, 12:31 P.M. ET
WSJ.com -  Somalia's Al Shabaab to Ally With Al Qaeda http://on.wsj.com/9AMqKu

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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