Monday, December 6, 2010

Somalia Fights Back and the UN Should Take Notice

America's involvement in conflicts for the foreseeable future will be determined by Washington's appetite for nation-building and debated by asking tough questions about whether or not we will be temporary occupiers or outside supporters. Americans, after all, have spent billions of dollars, and thousands of lives have been lost, fighting al-Qaeda and the Taliban from inside Iraq and Afghanistan. Building even fragile democracies is expensive and enormous sacrifices must be made by military families and the taxpayers that support them. The U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense have also spent a great deal of time and money trying to convince Iraqis and Afghans to take responsibility for their country by personally fighting terrorism -- and not just relying on Americans to do it.
One lesson we've learned over the last 10 years of fighting Islamic extremists is that fighting terrorism is easier when it's done from the inside by insiders rather than from the inside by outsiders. Building a democracy can only be done when those oppressed have finally had enough and push back. If Americans want to support a group of people willing to make their own personal sacrifices to fight Islamic fundamentalists then more should be done to support the Somalis who are locked in a battle with the pirates that terrorize East Africa.
Off the coast of Somalia, Islamic bandits and pirates, some claiming to be a part of al-Shabaab, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, have wreaked more than a decade of havoc, violence and death. With only halfhearted support from the international community, some Somalis are fighting back. The efforts of the international community have so far been unsuccessful, despite ongoing UN discussions and constant media attention highlighting the pirates' destruction. A British couple was released after 388 days of being held captive by Somali pirates only after someone or some government paid a hefty ransom; Al Jazeera reported the total ransom was roughly $1 million. Word in the region has now spread that the pirates are offering $1.5 million for the next white/western hostage to be used to extort more money and garner greater media attention. The situation threatens the region's stability and international peace and security.
The current western backed and UN approved Transitional Federal Government in Somalia is no longer waiting for additional support from the international community to do something to stop these pirates. The TFG has also been defending Mogadishu where its' headquarters is defended by 8,000 United Nations' troops. The Mogadishu airport is controlled by Ugandan troops supportive of the transitional government but al-Shabaab controls half of Mogadishu -- and wants to control all of it. Experts say that the pirates off the coast must be stopped from their safe havens on land in Somalia. The pirate force off the East African coast has been estimated at 22 ships and a crew of 521. But the multinational forces patrolling those same waters have been unable to stop them. This jeopardizes lucrative oil, gas and fishing licenses that the Somalis could use to fund a unified government accountable to its people.
African Union troops, mainly Ugandans, have tried training Somalis willing to help the struggling transitional government defend itself from Islamist militant groups after a bloody civil war that is finally coming to an end. The EU has also been training some Somalis in Uganda and in Europe but the transitional government wants a more comprehensive approach to deal with the pirates and for the training camps to be set up inside Somalia. The Associated Press reported this week that the TFG has begun working with outside military trainers to equip and train Somalis to defend the coast and drive the pirates out. The trainers are reported to be part of Saracen, a private security firm whose track record suggests is well-equipped to train the Somalis. Estimates say more than 100 have already been trained and more than 1000 will follow soon. The new training is more aggressive and higher quality than previous training from UN efforts. America should promote this new strategy and work with the UN, the EU, AU and NATO to act fast with financial assistance before the water terrorists take over all of Somalia.
The TFG Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed believes the pirates can be defeated and the international community should support his willingness to try. Many experts believe that since nothing else has worked despite implementing an arms embargo, a monitoring group, travel bans, asset freezes, targeted sanctions, a panel of experts and multiple resolutions that this new effort deserves a try. So far, UN officials have been cautiously optimistic of the new trainers. But the UN should be much more vocally supportive of the TRG's efforts. After all, in August of 2011 the UN will sit in judgment of the TRG and the progress it has made when the TFG's mandate expires. If the UN stands in the way of this new idea then they will be partially to blame for the continued piracy.
Mogadishu Mayor Mohamoud Ahmed Nur told the BBC of his city, "It's not the most dangerous. Baghdad and Kabul are worse -- but they have lots of money. We have none because here there are no Americans."
Richard Grenell Follow Richard Grenell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/richardgrenell 

Posted: October 21, 2010 04:43 PM BIO
 

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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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