Kenya alert over Shabaab threats. also Burundi Troops Vows to Crush Al Shabaab

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere

Commissioner of Police Mr Mathew Iteere has urged shopping mall, hotel owners and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) operators to be more vigilant following the threat by Somalia based radical Islamic group al Shabaab militia to attack Kenya.

Mr Iteere, however, assured Kenyans that police working in conjunction with other security agencies in the country had put measures to provide adequate security.

“I would wish to take this opportunity to assure the public that in conjunction with other security services, we have taken measures to provide adequate security. However, we wish to advice those responsible for security in shopping malls, hotels, Public Service Vehicle stations and other socials places where the public is admitted to be more vigilant at this time,” the police boss said.

He urged members of public with information on criminals and other suspicious activities to report to the police or other authorities.

Mr Iteere said that police were taking the warning seriously because al Shabaab had claimed responsibility for the June 11, 2010 twin bombings in Kampala which claimed 76 lives.

Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamuo Raghe alias Shiekh Ali Dhere on Sunday warned of revenge attacks against Kenya for aiding the Transnational Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia.

He accused the Kenyan government of being behind ‘the trouble’ in Somalia.

Retaliate

“Previous warnings to Kenya were nothing compared to this one. We are going to retaliate against it (Kenya) harshly,” the al Shabaab spokesman was quoted saying in Mogadishu on Sunday.

The al Shabaab spokesman accused Kenya of assisting pro-government forces in their attacks on the group's positions.

The police boss’ appeal comes as the Kenyan military in Mandera upgraded its alertness on the border to ‘amber’ as fighting between al Shabaab and TFG forces assisted by African Union troops continued.

The Department of Defence spokesman Mr Bogita Ongeri warned that Kenya would not allow the militia nor their associates on the country’s soils because they are a threat to humanity.

“Al Shabaab is provocative, unnecessarily aggressive and disrespectful to our territorial integrity. We are taking care in case of spill over into our country. Let them fight in their country not cross over to ours.

"We have, however, deployed soldiers to take care of our borders and are restraining ourselves because we respect the territorial integrity of a neighbouring country. They are used to threatening to attack, secretly capturing people and bombing hospitals only to later blame Kenya for problems of their own making. We cannot allow them nor their associate on our soil as they are a treat to humanity,” Mr Bogita said. Nation

Burundi Troops Vows to Crush Al Shabaab

Mogadishu — The Burundi forces, who are part African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM), will decimate al Shabaab fighters in Somalia, an official said on Monday.
Colonel Bierk, the spokesman of Burundi forces in Mogadishu said in an interview with Shabelle Media Network that they have a secret about Al shabaab, which control large swathes in southern and central Somalia.The spokesman shed a light the most recent battles in which units of Burundian troops of AMISOM forces manages dislodge and took control Al Shabaab's main military base (former Defense Ministry building at Mogadishu's Warshadaha Street).
Colonel Bierk stressed that they had slain 80 fighters from Al shabaab during Warshadaha battles in Mogadishu.
He professed seven of their soldiers were killed in last week Mogadishu combats that was between Somali government forces backed African union peacekeepers and Al shabaab insurgents.
Colonel Bierk, the spokesman of Burundian troops in Somalia said they have secrets about Al shabaab maintains planning in which it wants to attack again the newly seized military bases and recapture it. He vowed they will crush them if they try to do so.
Horn of Africa experts say the peacekeeping force, known as AMISOM, is all that prevents the rebels from toppling the U.N.-backed interim government that has struggled to quash the four-year insurgency.
Burundian and Ugandan troops make up the 8,000-strong AU force propping up the weak, Western-backed Somali transitional government.

Ogaysiis mudaharaad kadhacaya London uk maalinta Sabtida ah ee ay taariikhdu tahay 05/03/2011 Anti-separatist , anti-terroristist and human rights violations demonstration will be held UK Parliament - London

SOMALIA: Somaliland clashes displace thousands update on Somali-land an illegal entity being created by a particular clan (Isaaq) in order to serve personal interests, and as a proxy being used by foreign powers (mainly Ethiopia) in order to keep Somalia divided and weak.



update on Somalia: Clan wars, British tax money and Somaliland's aggressions [Editorial]

Ethiopia Massacre in Buhotle Town SSC region of Somalia.....Ethiopia is helping Somaliland: An enclave of one secessionist clan hijacking others ..Anti-separatist protesters block roads in Las Anod town vadio

 I speak as one from the North-West of Somalia who lost many innocent relatives to the barbarity of the SNM. . we  just want to keep our distance from the secessionists and remain in our  regions as proud and patriotic Somalis who belong to Somalia. Somaliland will continue to be nothing more than Isaaqland

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist aka Somaliland Army tortured young Somali pastoralist

 

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY COMMITTED BY SECESSIONIST SO CALLED SOMALILAND Leaders

Mudaaharaad Ballaadhan Oo Ay Soo Qabanqaabiyeen Jaalliyadda Soomaaliyeed Ee Ku Dhaqan Wadanka, Ayaa Ka Dhici Doona Baarlamaanka Ingiriiska Hortiisa
waxaa la ogeysiinaya Jaalliyadda Soomaaliyeed ee ku dhaqan wadanka Ingiriiska inay ka soo qayb galaan mudaaharaad ballaadhan oo ay soo qaban qaabiyeen Jaalliyadaha Soomaaliyeed ee UK, ee jecel midnimada iyo in aanay soomaaliya kala go’in.
Mudaaharaadkaasina waxaa dawlada Ingiriiska loogu soo bandhigi doonaa xasuuqii waxashnimada ahaa ee uu Maamulka Jabhada SNM uu ka geystey guud ahaan deegaanada Sool Sanaag Iyo Cayn, gaar ahaan  Kalshaale, hagoogaane iyo Maygaagle.
Mudaaharaadkaasi wuxuu dhici doona maalinta Sabtida ah ee ay taariikhdu tahay 05/03/2011 waxaanu si rasmi ah u bilaabmi doonaa kowda ilaa shanta galabnimo 1pm till 5pm.   Waxaana shacabweynahaa soomaaliyeed la ogeysiinayaa inay ka soo qayb galaan aad iyo aadna u ilaaliyaan waqtiga, waxaana la isugu imaan doonaa halkan hoos ku qoran:
Xafiiska Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1 2AA
Waxaad kala soo xidhiidhi doontaan:
Faadumo Cismaan Yare 07868143228
Cabdilaahi Axmed Aadan 07533219334
Imaan Xaaji Xasan 07846105533

Buhodleh: A city that symbolizes Somali Unity and Dervish Valor is under siege

Somaliland Link With Al Shabaab

break away tribal enclave aka Somaliland and the Somali terrorist network

SNM adherents and supporters have blood of innocent victims on their hands

  

 Exposing double-faced criminals.

meet well known financier of  northern Somalia  genocide . the ongoing Massacre  this a pics of    donors and financiers of IGAD body aka ( dictator Malaz Sanawi Criminal Enterprises Operatingin horn of africa )

1: Eng. Mahboub Maalim, The Executive Secretary of IGAD
2: Negash Kebret Botorad, Deputy Head of the Ethiopian Mission to the United Nation
3: Rengo Rossa, Italian ambassador to Ethiopia accompanied by Mr Alberto Vecchi
4: Jean-Christophe Belliard, France Ambassador to Ethiopia
5: Hiroyuki Kishino, Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia
6: Donald E. Booth, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia
7: Odd-Inge Kvalheim, Ambassador of Norway to Ethiopia
8: Leo Olasvirta, Finland’s Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and Ambassador to Djibouti
9: Isabel Cristina De Azevedo Heyvaert, Brazilian Ambassador to Ethiopia
10: Gunther Sleeuwagen, Belgian Ambassador to Ethiopia
11: Michael Biontino, Vice Counselor at the Embassy of Germany in Ethiopia
12: Sjoerd Smit, The Netherlands
13: Frederic Roberts, EU representative (Djibouti)
14: Ugur Kenan İpek, Turkish Ambassador to Ethiopia, acommpanied by Mr. Elif Okutucu, Third Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs
15: John Marshall, British Ambassador to Ethiopia and Mr. Sean Cockburn.
16: Jose Eugenio Thovar Loxano, Spain

Secessionist Somaliland and Al Shabaab two faces of the Same Token (Al Shabaab Puzzle!)

Shabab leaders from the Northern Somalia are mainly to blame for destroying Southern Somalia.

 

One-Clan secessionist Enclave. aka Somaliland president is on the path of a war criminal

The Myth of Somaliland aka One-Clan secessionist Enclave

Very Dangerous land mine Planted Near Kalshaale in Northern Somalia by One-Clan secessionist Enclave aka Somaliland

 

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist Somaliland's SSC Occupation is a Threat to Peace in the Horn

 

Are the visits of the international diplomats in Hargeisa a factor enabling the SNM regional authority to commit the atrocities against Non-Members of SNM?

 Silanyo’s Darfur in the making

 

 "HOW IT ALL WENT WRONG."

Hawiye, Isaaq, Ethiopia.

 

Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor part # 3

Through history, from ancient Babylon and the Hummurabi; through Talmud and the book of Jewish law; from the Roman law and the Norman feudal law; and from the Anglo-Saxon practice to the English common law; or even in our traditional “Xeer” and “Gar” -primitive legal systems, crime and punishment had always found their own respective places-normally complementing each other, in every society. This continuous process gave rise to the present legal systems that govern many societies, to the exception of our Somali society. But all that disappeared in our society of today to the point that crime and punishment are no longer mentioned in the same sentence, so much so that one cannot even dare mentioning the name of a criminal, whether that be a warlord in the southern Somalia or the SNM in the north; nor can one attempt to put the crime on the shoulders of those who committed; unless one is ready for attacks from the loyalists of these criminals.  An example of this strange phenomenon is the attack on Somali media after it genuinely raised the long awaited question regarding crimes and punishment in connection with SNM  aka isaaq and her supporters. This is an example of a society that is either in total denial or has accepted lawlessness and chaos as permanent replacement for the law and order that govern the rest of the world. This reflects a character of a society that has been brain washed into accepting violence and crimes, with no consequences, as the norm of man’s life. This attitude is a systematic mindset geared towards creating a public policy, where powerful criminals, such as the  Mostly Hawiye warlords in the south and the (isaaq) SNM in the north, go free and uncontested.

 

What Would Allah Do?: Somalian Girl In Muslim Gear Lets A Couple Dudes Grind The Grease Out Of Her Cake [Video]! Somalian video causes choas in an African American FORUM

I guess the myth of all girls who wear Hijab being pure is out the window. It is a COVER UP to COVER UP



this goes to show you. these women want freedom and folks saying muslim women want to stay oppressed. yeah right.. every woman want to get buck wild sometime VIa  possip

Expats Return To Somalia In Hopes Of Aiding Change

A Somali girl in Mogadishu. The city was once a beautiful, seaside tourist town, but two decades of civil war has left it in ruins.

Part 1 of a four-part series 

H.E. Mr. Abdulkareem Jama, Somali Minister of Information, Post and Telecommunications

Somalia has not had an effective central government in two decades of civil war.
A new Cabinet took office in November in the capital, Mogadishu, and it's loaded with Somali-Americans. Some have given up quiet lives in the U.S. suburbs to try to turn around one of the world's most dangerous countries.
Abdulkareem Jama is the Somali transitional federal government minister of information, posts and telecommunications. He used to work in IT management for Congressional Quarterly Press. Jama grew up in Mogadishu before the war, when it was a beautiful seaside city.
Like many Somalis, he left, eventually settling in Northern Virginia. One day, Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed asked him to join Somalia's transitional government.
"I told my wife and she thought I was nuts," Jama says. But they talked it over and decided he should return and try to make a difference. Jama is one of eight Somali-Americans in the Cabinet of 19.

Their task is overwhelming.
Foreign Policy magazine puts Somalia at the top of its list of failed states. Transparency International calls it the most corrupt. Jama says the new government is trying to change that.
Ships arrive each day at the port of Mogadishu carrying cars, televisions and emergency food. But the port had never collected more than $900,000 a month in taxes because of graft. Jama says the government reshuffled the port administration and — voila — monthly revenue jumped to $ 2.5 million — a record.
But changing habits in Somalia is hard.
Jama says he recently received bids on a building renovation project for $2.6 million. "The gentleman told me this includes my cut," he says. "I said, 'OK, what exactly is that?' He said it's $1,080,000. You get 40 percent usually. I said, 'Wow.' "
Jama says the government will consider the bid — minus the kickback.
Moving to Mogadishu has turned Jama's life upside down. He used to live in a four-bedroom, red-brick colonial. Now, he sleeps in a walled compound guarded by soldiers with machine guns.
"Our view here is of the Indian Ocean, and when you open the window, you get a nice breeze," Jama says.
And the steady sound of mortar and rifle fire.

Enlarge Frank Langfitt /NPR A Mogadishu street scene as viewed from an African Union armored personnel carrier. The vehicles are paid for by the United States.

Frank Langfitt /NPR

A Mogadishu street scene as viewed from an African Union armored personnel carrier. The vehicles are paid for by the United States.

Two decades of violence has left Mogadishu in ruins. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, the new prime minister, left in the 1980s. He returned last fall from the suburbs of Buffalo, where he worked for the New York State Department of Transportation.
"After 20 years of civil war, I could not recognize the areas that I grew up because of the destruction," Mohamed says. "My old house is where al-Shabab controls now."
Al-Shabab is a ruthless group of Islamist insurgents, who are affiliated with al-Qaida. They're trying to topple the government and create a strict Islamic state.
The main thing standing between the government and collapse is 8,000 African Union troops. But Mohamed says the government is making progress, building its own force to provide security.
"We mobilized our troops and boost their morale and pay salary, which has not happened before — and give them a sense of purpose," Mohamed says.
Government soldiers are accused of robbing people in the streets and selling ammunition to the enemy.
E.J. Hogendoorn, who works for the International Crisis Group, which monitors Somalia, says Mohamed and his Cabinet are the most technocratic the country has ever seen. But he says they lack the political skills to rally Mogadishu's various factions and effect real change.
"You need to have a constituency and you need to know your constituency quite well. And — I hate to say it — but if you've been living in Buffalo for 20 years, you're not going to have those contacts with people on the ground," Hogendoorn says.

Enlarge Frank Langfitt /NPR Mohamoud Nur returned from London last fall to become the mayor of Mogadishu. This month, he tried to hold a cultural festival in town, only to have a warlord send in gunmen to shoot up the crowd.

Frank Langfitt /NPR

Mohamoud Nur returned from London last fall to become the mayor of Mogadishu. This month, he tried to hold a cultural festival in town, only to have a warlord send in gunmen to shoot up the crowd.

Americans aren't the only ones returning to try to help Somalia. Mohamoud Nur, the mayor of Mogadishu, lived in London before he took this job five months ago.
Among other things, Nur has put in street lights, to encourage businesses to stay open after dark. Earlier this month, he tried to hold a cultural festival with singing and dancing. After so much carnage, he wanted to cheer people up.
But it didn't work out as he had planned.
A pickup truck with a machine gun on the back pulled up and opened fire on the crowd. Four people were killed and 16 more were wounded. The government arrested Mohamed Dhere, Mogadishu's former mayor, a powerful warlord and political spoiler.
Prime Minister Mohamed says this marks a new era of accountability.
"We're investigating who did what and definitely we will bring them to justice," he says.
It's also another test for a government that has little legitimacy with the people of Mogadishu. Somalia's government wasn't elected but created by a peace process, and its mandate ends in August.
Hogendoorn says unless it shows real progress by then, the United States should pull its support and look elsewhere for a solution to Somalia. npr

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist aka Somaliland Army tortured young Somali pastoralist

Buhotle: (TF.SF) - Somaliland Army has been fighting pro-union forces in the last six months or so. The group known as SSC (Sool, Sanaag & Ayn regions) has situated their administration in the town of Buhotle and surrounding villages. This area belongs to Dhulbahante clan of the grand Darod Tribe, and along with Warsangeli (another Darod clan) fiercely oppose Somaliland's quest for independence from the rest of Somalia. During the latest fighting of which the resistance forces finished victorious, many rural pastoralist had fell victim to Somaliland's defeated forces. Abdiweli Ibrahim (picture on the right) has been hanged from a tree for three days. He was inhumanely burned and beaten unconscious, and later hanged from a tree branch.

Abdiweli's predicament begun after Somaliland Army and local resistance forces engaged in a battle at Kalshale, a small village 25 km from Buhotle. He was caught by Somaliland's retreating forces while Abdi flocked his herd of camels near by valley. According to Abdi, "angry soldiers rushed towards me and grabbed me. They started hitting me with their fists and the barrel of their guns, while others kicked me in the stomach and the head...They yelled! You going to die, we will kill you," Abdiweli Ibrahim said.

Abdiweli was left dead, hanging from an acacia tree. Three days later a rural dweller found Abdi alive hanging from the tree. Abdi was transported to Galkayo Hospital, some 300 km from where the incident happened. He was immediately admitted into the ill-equipped hospital in central Somalia. Abdiweli sustained life threatening injuries especially his hands and legs where the tight rope had cut into his skin. Doctors at Galkayo Hospital believe Abdiweli may live if treatments work well . The hospital lacks modern medical equipment which would have been used to conduct restorative surgery, such as the one Abdiweli so desperately needs. 

The incident outraged Somalis everywhere, appealing international human rights organizations to take necessary steps against the Somaliland's secessionist leader, Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo who ordered troops to carry out systemic genocide on the people of Ayn Region in Puntland.

Ciidamada Somaliland Oo Si Bini'aadanimada Ka Baxsan Ula Dhaqmey

 some  background related to  the story

SNM aggression on SSC people is crime against humanity : Somaliland Forces Should Leave From Kalshale Village

Tribal Entity one clan secessionist Somaliland's SSC Occupation is a Threat to Peace in the Horn

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY COMMITTED BY SECESSIONIST SO CALLED SOMALILAND Leader

Ethiopia's dictator gives warning to parents

 update on  Ethiopia dictator daughter along with her friends
Feb 27, 2011 (Ethiopian Review ) - As the revolution clock is ticking in Ethiopia, the Meles regime is acting and behaving like any other dictatorship — intensify its repressive measures. This week, the ruling party’s security agents have started to gather parents and give them stern warnings to prevent their children from participating in any anti-government activities.

Two days ago, prominent Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega was taken to the Federal Police Headquarters where he was warned not to write any thing that may incite uprising.
The regime has tried to once again to force Ethiopian Satellite TV (ESAT) off the air. But ESAT came back online in 23 hours on a more secure satellite.
EthiopianReview.com and all other independent news web sites remain blocked in Ethiopia.

During the past few day, eyewitnesses at Woreda 23 told Ethiopian Review that officials from the Woreda police and Kebele 11 summoned some parents to the police station and threatened them that they will be sorry if their children participate in any protest. The Woyanne security agents warned the parents that Ethiopia is not Egypt and that there is a serious consequence for any one who engages in anti-government activities.

It’s true that Ethiopia is not Egypt because although Mubarak is a dictator he is not the enemy of the people of Egypt and the army is a national army. In Ethiopia the Meles regime is an anti-Ethiopia entity and his ruling junta is a gang of blood thirsty thugs who have been committing atrocities though out the country for the past 20 years while receiving billions of dollars in assistance and loans from the U.S. and EU.

No matter how savage and barbaric Woyannes are, they cannot stop the people of Ethiopia from asserting their freedom.

Source: Ethiopian Review

Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi health deteriorating - Wikileaks : Meles Zenawi ghost writes of his own biography

Meles Zenawi's Policy In The Ogaden Exposed!

 

Ethiopia in Transition:War and Peace and the US Role

Somalia: The Ethiopian Factor part # 3

Somalia's al Shabaab threatens to attack Kenya

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali's hardline rebel group al Shabaab threatened on Sunday to attack neighbouring Kenya for training Somali government forces and allowing Ethiopian troops to operate from its towns.
The group, which is aligned to al Qaeda, has said before that it would attack Kenya but so far has never done so.
Last year, the insurgent group bombed Uganda in twin attacks that killed nearly 80 people. It said it was in retaliation for Kampala providing peacekeeping troops that have helped Somalia's government stay in power.
"Kenya has constantly disturbed us, and now it should face the consequences of allowing Ethiopian troops to attack us from Mandera town," al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told a news conference.
The threat comes in the wake of a new government offensive that has seen Somali forces claw back parts of Mogadishu.
Somali troops backed by government-friendly militia have launched operations in several towns across central and southern Somalia including the al Shabaab-controlled border town of Balad Hawa, a few kilometres from the Kenyan town of Mandera, and Ethiopia.
Somali troop numbers have been bolstered by the deployment of hundreds of new recruits trained in Kenya and Ethiopia, local residents and security sources say.
"We have never openly fought Kenya but now we shall not tolerate any more. Kenya has been training soldiers to attack us. It has also given bases to Somali forces we drove away from Kismayu," Rage said.
KENYANS FLEE BORDER TOWN
Al Shabaab has also threatened to hit Ethiopia and Burundi, which has troops protecting the western-backed government in Mogadishu.
Last year, a video posted on the Internet showed chanting men that claimed to be al Shabaab threatening to hit Nairobi for a crackdown on Somalis in the country.
Al Shabaab spokesman Rage disowned the posting then and said he had no idea who was responsible for uploading it.
Kenya has been a victim of al Qaeda strikes twice in the past -- a 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi and an explosion at an Israeli-owned hotel at the coast in 2002.
The fighting in Somalia's Balad Hawa has paralysed life in the Kenyan town of Mandera and forced residents with homes close to the boarder further inland, an aid official told Reuters.
"Mandera is now a battle ground. Several stray bullets from Somalia and Ethiopia have come towards us. So far more than 15 people have been injured," a staff member at a charitable organisation in Mandera told Reuters.
Some foreigners working for international non-governmental organisations had also left the town for the capital, he said.

Al-Shabaab warns of Kenya terror attack

 Veiled protestors hold the flag of Somali rebel group al Shabaab during a demonstration outside the Jamia Mosque in Kenya's capital Nairobi on January 21, 2010. Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Dhere on February 27, 2011 accused the Kenyan Government of being behind “the trouble” in some Somali regions bordering its territory. Photo/FILE

Radical Islamist group al-Shabaab has warned of a “revenge” attack against Kenya for aiding the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia.

Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raghe alias Sheikh Ali Dhere, the al-Shabaab spokesman on Sunday accused the Kenya Government of being behind “the trouble” in some Somali regions bordering its territory.

He pointed a finger at Juba and Gedo regions, south and southwest of Mogadishu, respectively.

“Previous warnings to Kenya were nothing compared to this one,” said the al-Shabaab official. “We are going to retaliate against it (Kenya), harshly,” he declared.

He accused Kenya of assisting the pro-government forces in their attacks against al-Shabaab positions.

About 600 Somali soldiers training in Kenya have been moved to a camp in Elwak in Mandera awaiting deployment into Somalia as war escalates between government forces and insurgents. (Read: Blast at Mandera hospital as border clashes rage)

They were relocated to the camp in two groups of 300 in Kenya military trucks over the past one week ahead of possible deployment to reinforce the TFG soldiers in Bullahawa town in Somalia, the Nation has learnt.

And in Mandera, the Kenyan military upgraded its alertness on the border to “amber” as fighting between al-Shabaab and the TFG forces, who are assisted by the African Union, continued on the fifth day.

The government has sent more personnel to the Kenya-Somalia border to stop al-Shabaab militia from crossing into the country.

The military has also cautioned parents living along the border with Somalia to watch out for al-Shabaab members who are recruiting youth to go and fight in Somalia.

“We have heightened security along the border and soldiers are on the lookout in case of any spillover from the fighting in Somalia.

“We are aware of Kenyan youth being lured by promises of large sums of money to go and fight alongside al-Shabaab in Somalia,” Department of Defence Spokesman Bogita Ongeri said on Sunday.

“We cannot allow the militia nor their associates on our soil, as they are a threat to humanity,” Mr Bogita added.

Meanwhile, thousands of refugees have been fleeing from areas close to the border. (Read: Fresh wave of Somali refugees flee to Kenya)

Kenya Red Cross Society spokesman Titus Mung’ou said the society has identified a camp that will accommodate 500 households of about 3,000 refugees.

Two Cabinet ministers from North Eastern Province said 35,000 residents had been displaced due to the fighting.

Mr Mohamed Elmi, the Minister for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands and Mr Mohammed Mohamud, the assistant minister for Energy, warned of a humanitarian crisis unless adequate security measures were put in place. DAILY Nation

Somalia's al Shabaab threatens to attack Kenya

Somalia government ends latest crackdown on militants. 115 people die in Somali government assault on al-Qaida-linked militants in recent days

 African Union soldiers from Burundi occupy a rooftop position at the old military academy in Mogadishu, Somalia as government troops take on insurgents linked to al-Quaida. Photograph: Kate Holt/EPA

A government offensive against al-Shabab militants linked to al-Qaida has subsided as officials said at least 115 people had been killed since the violence started last week.
The Mogadishu ambulance service said 49 civilians had died and 157 had been wounded since the government launched the operation.
At least 60 militants were killed along with six peacekeepers, according to a spokesman for the Burundian peacekeepers, who are serving in the African Union force backing the Somali government.
The rebel group has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and controls much of the capital and southern and central Somalia.
Sheik Ali Mohammed Rage, an al-Shabab spokesman, has threatened neighbouring Kenya for allegedly helping Somali government troops and their allies attack the militants' bases.
The militant group includes veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts who have trained Somalis in tactics such as suicide bombing and sniper fire. The group carried out a double suicide bombing in Uganda last July that killed 76 people.
Somali civilians have borne the brunt of two decades of conflict in their country. In November, the ambulance service said that more than 4,200 civilians have died in warfare over the last two years.
The country's weak UN-backed government has long promised a full-scale war against militants, but coordination among poorly trained government forces has held up that push.
Somalia's defence minister, Abdihakim Fiqi, said government forces and their allies were making progress in the offensive.
"The operations we started will continue until we defeat the enemy and we will not repeat the past mistakes in which territories reclaimed by our armed forces were abandoned," he said.
Abdirizak Qeylow, spokesman for Somalia's ministry of information, said government troops had already captured several rebel-held positions.
The Somali government said earlier in the week that 17,000 African Union and Somali troops were involved in the assault to reclaim territories held by al-Shabab, starting with the capital, Mogadishu
Guardian New
115 people die in Somali government assault on al-Qaida-linked militants in recent days 
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A government offensive against al-Qaida-linked militants largely subsided Sunday as officials said that at least 115 people had been killed since the violence started several days ago.
Ali Muse, the chief of the Mogadishu ambulance service, said that 49 civilians had died and 157 had been wounded since the government launched the operation Wednesday.
In addition, at least 60 militants have been killed along with six peacekeepers, according to Biyereke Floribert, a spokesman for the Burundian peacekeepers who are serving in the African Union force backing the Somali government.
Muse said heavy fighting had subsided but sporadic gunfire still could be heard. The militants were regrouping to plan retaliatory attacks but "we are ready for them," Floribert said.
Al-Shabab has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and controls much of the capital, and southern and central Somalia.
On Sunday, al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohammed Rage also threatened neighbouring Kenya for allegedly helping Somali government troops and their allies attack the militants' bases.
The militant group includes veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts who have trained Somalis in tactics like suicide bombs and sniper fire. The group carried out a double suicide bombing in Uganda in July that killed 76 people.
Somali civilians have borne the brunt of two decades of conflict in their country. In November, the ambulance service said that more than 4,200 bystanders have died in warfare over the last two years.
The country's weak U.N.-backed government has long promised a full-scale war against militants, but co-ordination among its poorly trained government forces has held up that push.
Somalia's Defence Minister Abdihakim Fiqi said late Saturday that government forces and their allies are making progress in the offensive.
"The operations we started will continue until we defeat the enemy and we will not repeat the past mistakes in which territories reclaimed by our armed forces were abandoned," he said.
Abdirizak Qeylow, spokesman for Somalia's Ministry of Information, said that government troops already have captured several rebel-held positions.
The Somali government said earlier in the week that 17,000 African Union and Somali troops are involved in the assault to reclaim territories held by al-Shabab starting with the capital, Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, relative calm had returned to the northern Kenyan town of Mandera, which borders the Somali town of Belet Hawo, after stray bullets and artillery fire had crossed to the Kenyan side.
Earlier in the week, one woman died and 17 other Kenya-Somalis in Mandera were wounded after they were hit by stray bullets from the fighting in Belet Hawo between militia and government troops, according to Kenya Red Cross spokesman Titus Mungou.
Mungou said the ominous calm has allowed Red Cross officials to start the registration of refugees fleeing Somalia.
___
Associated Pres

Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed paid a visit frontline somali troops and African Union peacekeepers in Somali capital Mogadishu today
 

.

Al-Shabab use smart techniques contacting families in Kampala and Bujumbura

 UPDATE ON Burundi: '6 Burundian peacekeepers died in clashes with Al-Shabab Sunday. UN chief "deplores" loss of life in Somalia: spokesperson
AND Somalia government ends latest crackdown on militants. 115 people die in Somali government assault on al-Qaida-linked militants in recent days

Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked [Al-Shabab] has on last Thursday used a smart method in which they could make families and relatives of the Ugandan and Burundian troops in Mogadishu to know the demise of their loved ones in a deadly combat in Mogadishu. On Tuesday the 22nd of February the African Union troops flanked by Somalis government soldiers freshly trained in Uganda and Ethiopia have carried out attack along the famous industrial street in Northwest of Mogadishu, in this attack the AU troops and the Somali government troops have overpowered the Al-Shabab faction and the AU troops with their fellow Somali soldiers have advanced to new areas and succeeded in conquering new areas including the former building of Shirkole officiale and the former building of the Ministry of Defense.
In fact the confrontation between the bilateral sides was so fierce and lasted for several hours in sequence, and in the mid of the battle 6 of Burundian infantry soldiers who have gone stray have fallen into the hands of Al-Shabab, and this has happened because many reasons the AU troops can simply differentiate the Somali government troops and Al-Shabab fighters, because both have duplicate camouflage uniform.
The Al-Shabab fighters have killed 5 out of the 6 soldiers who have lost their direction, and among them was only one Ugandan and the rest of the soldiers were from Burundi.
Thus the smart technique which Al-Shabab which has used was they have collect all the cell-phones of the dead AU troops, and have instructed the only alive Burundian soldier to call and inform the families and relatives of the killed soldiers, and hearing the sad news the wailing of women could be heard.
The life in hand Burundian soldier whose name is Nzumba has also informed the families and relatives of the deceased soldiers to rally and demonstrate their grievances to the Ministry of Defense.  
The clever communications made by Al-Shabab has not had any effect to both the government of Burundi and Uganda and the troops of the two countries on the ground as well.


You Can't See the Picture of  Captured Soldier  link below. “unfortunately, this is a Somali jihadist website based in Minneapolis, MN

Sawiro laga soo qaaday Askarigii AMISOM ee nolosha lagu qabtay iyo gabdhaheena oo ku indho doogsanaya gaalkan lasoo qabtay.(SAWIRO) 

 

Burundi: '6 Burundian peacekeepers died in clashes with Al-Shabab Sunday. UN chief "deplores" loss of life in Somalia: spokesperson

Honoring those who fought and died in somalia

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Six Burundian soldiers were killed and a dozen others wounded in clashes which started Sunday between forces of the African peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Islamist insurgents of Al Shabaab, according to an official statement issued Friday in Bujumbura.

"AMISOM, in general, and Burundi, in particular, reported the death of six peacekeepers and 12 wounded in the fighting Sunday between the government forces and the extremist elements of Al-Qaeda and Al Shabab " according to the statement issued by the Department of National Defence Force and Veterans.
Burundi and Uganda are the only countries to have sent troops in 2007 to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia under the banner of the African Union (AU). Troops deployed as part of AMISOM have not yet hit 10,000 men, whereas the AU requires at least 15,000 to overcome young al Shabaab Islamists, opposing the government in power in Mogadishu, and any presence of foreign military forces. During the umpteenth attack, Somali government forces, supported by AMISOM, reportedly took control of two strategic positions in Mogadishu, including the former Ministry of Defence (Khashandigha) and the former Dairy (Milk Factory), the statement said. The peacekeeping forces in Somalia are often the target of attacks by Al-Shabaab and the Burundian contingent already regrets the loss of 30 elements, including the former deputy commander of AMISOM, General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza. Burundi's military presence in the Somali quagmire remains surrounded with controversy among the national opinion, especially for not having been authorized by the Burundian parliament. But the Burundian government see its involvement in Somalia as an expression of gratitude to the international community which assisted it at the height of its civil war.

UN chief "deplores" loss of life in Somalia: spokesperson

What Somalia’s post-colonial political trends can tell us about ...

What Somalia’s post-colonial political trends can tell us about ...

Buhodleh: A city that symbolizes Somali Unity and Dervish Valor is under siege

Pres. Ahmed M. Silanyo

Silanyo’s Ambitions

What is going on in a small city in Northern Somalia is testimony to the dark history of Silanyo, the current President of the secessionist enclave calling itself Somaliland. Silanyo used to be the chairman of the clan-based militia, the SNM, which used civilians as human shields when its fighters infiltrated the cities of Hargeisa and Burao and forced the residents of both cities to run for their lives when caught between the rebels and the equally brutal military forces of the Somali government. That hate-filled conflict contributed to the collapse of the Somali government and the loss of Somali Nationalism and Patriotism. It is the base for most of the problems that still besiege Somalia today. It is also the base for all failed efforts to resuscitate the failed State of Somalia.

In disregard to civilian sufferings, Silanyo’s SNM militia remnants are again waging a brutal and relentless war against another population center called Buhodleh, a city that stands for freedom, Somali Unity and Dervish Valor. The thousands of SNM militia assembled in the area get regular enforcements, logistical support and regular monthly salaries, which has been increased twofold recently as an incentive to continue the war against people who are defending their land, honor and freedom. Some of these funds are provided by British Tax Payers in the form of aid. The philosophy behind the onslaught is the ambition of Silanyo to fulfill a long held dream of ethnically cleansing the regions that refused to support the SNM secessionist agenda and supported the Somali government in its war against the rebel movements. It seems that it is pay-back time as is clear from an old letter circulating in the Somali media.

The City of Unity

Buhodleh is a small city along the border between Somalia and Ethiopia. Its residents are the descendants of the Dervish Warriors who resisted against colonial ambitions in the Horn of Africa for 21 years. They fought against the French, Italian, British and Ethiopian hegemony. The leader of the Dervish movement, Sayid Mohamed Abdullah Hassan was born in Sacmadeeqo, 11 km from Buhodleh. Sayid Mohamed grew up to become the Mahdi of Somalia and frustrated the efforts of the colonial powers to establish an effective rule in Somalia. Although he was finally defeated by the combined forces of these powers and their Somali collaborators, he leaves a legacy for Somalis unparalleled in Somalia’s written history. He inherited his poetic prowess from relatives on his mother’s side such as Ali Dhuuh and Ismail Mire, both of whom are bards in their own rights.

Although all Somali pastoralists practice Egalitarian democracy, I.M. Lewis uses the Buhodleh area as a base for his famous book “A Pastoral Democracy”. In my travel to the area, I met a pastoralist in a small town known as Widhwidh who told me that his camel herd includes a number of camels in the name of I.M. Lewis, a gift from his father to Lewis in the 1950s when the latter visited the area.

Buhodleh can be compared to the legendary city of Troy which resisted its enemies for a long time. The comparison stems from the fact that Silanyo and Farole, the respective presidents of Somaliland and Puntland use their own Trojan horses to try and infiltrate the defenses of the city. Although Farole has not used force against Buhodleh, both administrations use some local collaborators to weaken the resolve of the city inhabitants for supporting a local administration known as SSC and their unwavering intention to stand up for Somali Unity regardless of the huge costs involved in terms of lost lives, lost income and lost development. True to their Dervish history, the people of Buhodleh are ready to sacrifice everything dear for the sake of dignity, honor, freedom and the blue Somali flag.

Background to the Conflict

For people who are not familiar with the current conflict in Northern Somalia, a short background history is a must.

Before, and even after the colonialists divided Somalia into 5 different spheres of influence, the Somali people never recognized any borders and grazed their livestock wherever the grass was greener. They used to migrate with their herds wherever it rained. This behavior even led to British intervention to stop their movement south into Kenya. An American Archeologist theorized that the ancient Egyptians were Somali pastoralists who settled in the Nile Delta. The constant migration contributed to the homogeneous nature of the Somali people who speak the same language, and pray to the same God.

In 1960, two of the former colonies, Italian ruled Southern Somalia, and British ruled Northern Somalia united to form the Somali Republic. After enjoying 9 years of civilian rule, the military took over power in Somalia in 1969 after the assassination of the elected president, Abdirashid Sharmarke. The military dictators ruled Somalia for 20 years. In 1991 they were eventually replaced by clan-based militias that collaborated with the Ethiopian regime of the brutal dictator, Mengistu Haile Miriam. One of the rebel movements that destroyed the Somali State and plunged it into the current chaos that fostered pirates, Warlords and Islamic extremists is the Somali National Movement, the SNM. The current president of Somaliland, Silanyo, used to be its chairman.

Just like Gaddafi is trying to use clannish sentiments to derail the unfolding revolution in Libya, the SNM used the clan factor to fight against the Somali government. It also stormed large population centers such as Hargeisa and Burao in the hope that the Somali government would use force to dislodge them out and thus displace thousands of innocent civilians in the process. The tactics worked and thousands ran for their lives to Ethiopian refugee camps that provided the SNM with more recruits filled with hate for the government and their supporters. This is the same hate that is now fueling the current conflict in the Buhodleh area.

After the collapse of the Somali government, the SNM called for a meeting in Burao, known as the Burao conference to which all the traditional leaders of Northern Somalia were invited for ending the clan conflicts that could have destabilized the area. The conference was dominated by the SNM militia that just emerged from a brutal conflict. They forced the participants to declare the unilateral secession of Northern Somalia from the rest of Somalia. Somaliland bases the legality of its secession from the Somali Republic on defunct colonial borders and the declaration of the Burao conference that was based on coercion.

To sell their case to the world, Somaliland hired foreign lobbyists who advised the enclave to show the world an image of stability, democracy and the rule of Law. They held two presidential elections that, although marred by vote rigging, seem to have convinced countries like the former colonial power, Britain, to become sympathetic to their cause. According to Wikileaks, the British seem to be pushing for Somaliland recognition. The British also increased their foreign aid to the enclave.

But democracy can be deceiving. Somaliland is an area that is based on clan structures. Loyalty to the clan takes precedence over loyalty to the state and democratic institutions. The use of force against the clans that are not sympathetic to the secession agenda is not democratic. The ban of political parties that oppose the secession is not democratic. The use of aid money to mobilize thousands of militia to attack cities like Buhodleh to force a secessionist agenda upon its residents is not democratic.

The Somaliland philosophy can be summed up in a few lines:

1. It is legal and democratic for Somaliland to unilaterally annul the act of Union with the rest of Somalia without holding any Internationally supervised referendum
2. The forced declaration of unilateral secession in the Burao Conference is binding on all clans in Northern Somalia. It is illegal to withdraw from such an agreement although it was obtained under coercion in the first place.
3. All clans that resist the secession are terrorists who are allied with the Shabab and international terrorism.
4. All the SNM fighters who died in the Somali civil war are martyrs who will to go to heaven while all the clans that sided with the defunct Somali government are traitors who deserve death or incarceration. It is even legal to ethnically cleanse them from Somaliland as long as they oppose the unilateral secession from Somalia.
5. It is legal and democratic to teach school kids in Somaliland the history of the SNM martyrs while it is a criminal offense to teach them the history of the Dervish warriors and their leader Sayed Mohamed.
6. It is perfectly legal to use all development funds obtained from countries like Britain to mobilize thousands of militia and use heavy artillery to pound cities like Buhodleh to rubble.
7. It is democratic to assign 75% of the seats in the Somaliland government to SNM sympathizers although such allocation is not based on reliable demographics.
8. It is democratic to earmark all aid from the UN and other countries for developing SNM controlled cities like Hargeisa and Burao while preventing aid from reaching other areas labeling them as disputed areas.

Concluding remarks

The city of Buhodleh will resist to the last man and woman. In two recent major battles that lasted from dawn to dusk, the SNM militia used all types of military hardware to break the will of the defenders of the city. Even young girls have taken up arms against the SNM militia. The Buhodleh side lost around 50 pastoralists including 2 women and they are ready to sacrifice more to defend themselves against the unjustified aggression of the SNM militia. The weak Somali government understandably remains silent about the massacres being committed against a section of its population since it is under siege as well and hardly controls a few block of Mogadishu. The international community seems to be oblivious to the conflict and continues supporting Somaliland indirectly in its genocidal war against the people of Buhodleh in particular and the other regions that support Somali unity in general.

I call upon the world community to put some effort into understanding the root cause of the conflict and help put an end to the senseless killing and destruction unfolding in this remote area that is far from the spotlight.

Even as I draft this article, the SNM militia has launched another attack against the defenders of Buhodleh and heavy artillery can be heard from the outskirts of the city. Let us pray that the casualties on both sides will remain low.

Ali H Abdulla
A native of Buhodleh
E-Mail: aliegeh@gmail.com

Pirates ‘strike deal' with terrorists linked to al-Qaeda> Somali pirates to pay militants

Habar-gidir Hawiye Jehadist wing Pirates ‘strike deal' with terrorists linked to al-Qaeda> Somali pirates to pay militants

SOMALI pirates are reported to have reached a multi-million-dollar deal with Islamic militants, allowing them a cut of future ransom payouts in return for anchorage at Harardhere, a port controlled by al-Shabaab fighters.
The agreement, sealed last week by the release of pirate chiefs imprisoned by al-Shabaab, threatens to pour insurance money from the shipping industry directly into the terrorist organisation that has close links to al-Qa'ida. US officials already estimate the annual turnover of ransom payouts to Somali pirates to be more than $US60 million ($59.8m) -- a conservative estimate limited by confidentiality clauses in shipping insurance agreements.
The knock-on effect of any pirate deal with militants could effectively transform insurance companies into unwitting terrorist bankrollers whose terms of business would be in violation of anti-terrorist legislation across Europe and the US.
Insurance industry leaders expressed concern yesterday and said that if recent reports were true, it could make it impossible to pay ransoms, which have become almost routine in facilitating shipping in the region.

Sean Woollerson, a partner at Jardine Lloyd Thompson, a Lloyd's broker for companies seeking insurance protection, said paying ransoms to terrorist organisations was illegal.

"It would be a major problem for the world shipping and insurance industry -- and for seafarers -- if there was a definite connection between terrorism and piracy," he said.
So far, there was no evidence for a link, he said. Currently, 31 ships with 694 crew are being held by pirates in the region. Aside from its legal implications, the alleged deal raises the stakes in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, giving the pirate scourge a terrorist dimension. It also adds to the rising sense of foreboding along the Somali coast after the killing of four US hostages aboard a hijacked vessel on Tuesday.
"If proven, then a link between pirates and terrorists would probably be a game-changer," said Wing Commander Paddy O'Kennedy, the spokesman for the European Union Naval Force operating in the Horn of Africa. "It could have implications not just for the payment of cash for hostages but also for our rules of engagement. But a lot of proof (of a deal) would be required first."
Pirate sources in Harardhere, a Somali port seized by al-Shabaab late last year, were reported to have said the deal had been finalised last week. "After negotiation, we signed the 20 per cent ransom share to al-Shabaab and they released our leaders today," a pirate who identified himself as Ali told a news agency by telephone.
One British official at the centre of counter-pirate operations in Somalia said that he believed the cut was about 10 per cent. "Even so, its impact will be massive," he said.
John Drake, a piracy specialist with the security company AKE, said: "If a deal existed, then it would be unprecedented."
The Times

Al-Shabaab embark on forced recruitment in Mogadishu

Sheikh Dulyabeyn, militant Islamist commander from former Hizbu Islam group which now forms a union with radical Islamist group of al-Shabaab. XINHUA | AFRICA REVIEW | 

Somalia militants al-Shabaab are mobilising the youth in Lower Shabelle regions to join the jihad in Mogadishu, residents confirm.

Forces that include the Transitional Federal Government’s military, clan militias and loyalists of the moderate Islamist group, Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea, have been strongly attacking al-Shabaab positions since last Wednesday.

As a result, the al-Shabaab movement lost their main base in Mogadishu at the former Ministry of Defence headquarters, popularly known as Gashaandhigga.

The pro-government forces are supported by the heavily armed peacekeepers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), enabling them to make progress in the war fronts.

The escalating war is forcing al-Shabaab leaders and militants to call for more volunteers, especially the youth, to join the combat, according to Ali Mohamed Hassan, a media analyst in Mogadishu.

According to Jowhar.com, a Somali news website, the al-Shabaab militants ruling Jowhar town, 90 km north of Mogadishu, are instructing all youngsters to enlist to the movement and join the war in Mogadishu.

The website adds that the order has compelled many youths to flee the town to the countryside, particularly to the farming areas along Shabelle River that passes through the Middle Shabelle region.

Somali rebels cede more ground in Mogadishu - Long Expected Government Offensive Begins

 Update on Shifting Battlefronts Cut a Long Gash Across Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali forces pushed deeper into rebel-controlled pockets of Mogadishu, the president said on Friday, as the beleaguered government sustained its offensive against insurgents in the city and in southern Somalia.
In the border town of Balad Hawa, a few kilometres from Kenya, residents reported gun battles and volleys of artillery fire between government-allied militia and al Shabaab militants.
Warning against a fresh wave of suicide attacks, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's government has said it will keep up its attack until the hardline Islamists are routed from the capital.
"Our forces have taken more positions today," Ahmed told a news conference. It was not possible to get al Shabaab comment.
Militants have waged a four-year insurgency against the largely ineffective U.N.-backed government and control large chunks of southern and central Somalia. Counter-terrorism experts say the lawless nation is a haven for foreign jihadists.
In the past few weeks, Somali forces have clawed back parts of Mogadishu and now control 70 percent of the city, the government says.
Deputy military commander General Abdikariin Dhagabadan said militants from al Shabaab, which Washington says is al Qaeda's proxy in the Horn of Africa nation, had retreated into the Bakara market, a rebel stronghold.
"We see government forces advancing towards al Shabaab bases but we don't know who is winning. All I can say is that this is the worst fighting for months in our district," said 54-year old resident Hawa Said.
Somali troops backed by government-friendly militia have also launched operations in several towns across central and southern Somalia including the al Shabaab-controlled border town of Balad Hawa, a few kilometres from both Kenya and Ethiopia.
Somali troop numbers have been bolstered by the deployment of hundreds of new recruits trained in Kenya and Ethiopia, local residents and security sources said.
Before dawn on Friday, a Reuters witness watched a convoy of Somali military lorries escorted by Kenyan troops leave the northern Kenyan town of Isiolo headed north to the border.
Some residents reported Ethiopian troops had crossed into Somalia and clashed with al Shabaab. Soldiers from Ethiopia, which invaded Somalia in late 2006 and drove an Islamist administration out of Mogadishu, spawning the current insurgency, routinely cross the border for short periods.
"Neighbouring countries are training troops and offering political support but are not directly involved in the ongoing fighting," Defence Minister Abdihakim Haji Fiqi told Reuters.
Kenya says it has beefed up security along the border to prevent the conflict spilling over. The United Nations refugee agency said the fighting forced 300 Somalis to flee into Kenya.

Long Expected Government Offensive Begins

 February 25, 2011:  The long (for nearly a year) rumored TNG (Transitional National Government) offensive against the Somali Islamic radicals has apparently begun in the last few days. Al Shabaab, and their smaller allies, have been pushed out of Mogadishu neighborhoods long held by the Islamic radicals, as well as areas on the Kenyan and Ethiopian borders. There have been several hundred casualties, about a third of them civilians, but most of the remainder have been Islamic radicals. In Mogadishu, government troops also captured over 1,500 meters of trenches al Shabaab had dug, to enable them to get close to government and peacekeeper bases without being seen or shot at.

February 24, 2011: A bomb went off at a Kenyan hospital, near where the Somali and Ethiopian borders meet. No one was hurt, but bullets continued to hit the hospital from fighting in nearby Somalia. Several hundred more Kenyan troops were sent to this part of the border, in case armed Somalis tried to cross. The fighting in Somalia is between TNG troops who recently completed training in Ethiopia, and members of Islamic terror groups al Shabaab and Ahlusunna al Islam. Further north, Ethiopian troops attacked al Shabaab fighters who were just across the border. The TNG/AU offensive in Mogadishu continued.
In Mogadishu, a major offensive by AU peacekeepers and newly expanded TNG forces have pushed al Shabaab out of a part of the city (the Defense Ministry compound) that the Islamic radical group had been using as a base, along with a nearby factory buildings. Two soldiers and six peacekeepers, and a dozen

Army Confiscates New Al Shabaab Military Trenches in Mogadishu> Scores dead as fighting escalates in Somalia.Woman killed, scores injured in Mandera

Mogadishu — On early Friday morning, heavy fighting between Somali transitional federal government forces and Al shabaab fighters broke out in the Somali capital Mogadishu, as new Al shabaab military trenches fell in the hands of Somali government army, officials said.
Officials of Somali army contacted Shabelle Media Network, saying that they had seized parts of Wadnaha Street including the intersections of Hararyale, Geyd Ja'eyl and Adan Adde in Wardhigley and Howldawag districts in Mogadishu where Al shabaab used to have military bases.

Mid night of Thursday, officials said their forces attacked several Al Shabaab bases and managed to dislodge them.Locals and witnesses told the media that heavy gunfire and artillery barrages from Mogadishu Howlawadag and Wardhigley.

Scores dead as fighting escalates in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people were killed and almost 50 others wounded on Friday as government offensive gains pace against Islamist fighters in the Somali capital Mogadishu and in a southern border town, witnesses and medics said.
Fierce battles between the government forces backed by African Union peacekeepers and Islamist fighters continued to rages in restive Mogadishu and in the southern Somali town of Bulo Hawa on the border with Kenya.
Medical sources in Mogadishu report that 10 people were killed and 20 others injured in the fighting. Witnesses also said a number of combatants from the warring sides died or wounded in the clashes.In the southern border town of Bulo Hawa, heavy fighting continued for the third day between Islamist fighters and allied Somali government forces and militias of a moderate sect.The rival sides have reportedly exchanged heavy artillery fire, forcing most of the town's residents to flee across the border into Kenya.Twenty people were killed and thirty others wounded, most of them civilians who were caught in the crossfire, medical sources and residents said.The Somali government launched late last week a much- anticipated offensive against radical Islamist group of Al Shabaab that control much of the south-central part of the war-torn country.Officials say they intend to drive the rebel forces from the capital and the southern and central parts of the country, most of which is now ruled by Islamist forces loyal to Al Shabaab.Army commanders say they have made major gains in the latest onslaught against the insurgents who lost key positions in the coastal capital of Mogadishu to government forces supported by AU peacekeeping troops.Dozens of young Islamist fighters have began defecting to the government side, while others have deserted the Islamist group's ranks, a claim vehemently contested by rebel officials.
Islamist groups have paraded the bodies of at least five uniformed men they say were AU soldiers killed in battle with the government forces on Thursday. They also claimed to have captured another alive, an assertion that cannot be independently verified.The Somali government says the offensive will continue until its "aims are realized," while Islamist insurgents vow to continue launching their attacks on the government and AU positions in the capital.

Woman killed, scores injured in Mandera Kenya
 NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 25 - One person was shot dead and more than 10 others seriously wounded in an attack at the Kenya-Somalia border where Al Shabaab militias are fighting with Somali government forces and troops.The Kenya Red Cross on Friday reported that those wounded were being treated at the Mandera district hospital."One woman has been reported dead at Border Point One and 10 casualties are being treated at Mandera District Hospital," Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Abbas Gullet said in a statement.He said the fighting that started at about 10am on Friday did not spare the Red Cross offices where several gun shots were fired, but no casualty was reported.
"Several gunshots flying in the air across the border have hit the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) offices in Mandera, where six members of staff are holed up, like many other residents of Mandera town," Mr Gullet said."The gunshots have rocked the town, keeping residents and refugees indoors," he said.The Society's Spokesman Titus Mung'ou said the situation had put the lives of humanitarian workers and other residents of Mandera town in grave danger."We have reported this latest incident to the Government and hope the KRCS offices, which have a Red Cross emblem flag hoisted on the rooftop, will be protected," he said. The Red Cross emblem is a protected symbol, under the Geneva Conventions, and all warring parties are required to respect it, he added."Hundreds of refugees are now scattered on the Kenyan side of the border, as it is risky to gather in camps until fighting ceases," he said.Hundreds of families began fleeing Mandera town Friday following the intense fighting that has been going on at the Kenya-Somalia border since Wednesday.Reports from Mandera indicate that schools, government offices and hospitals had been shut for stray ammunition that has been hammering the border town.
A councillor who spoke to Capital News from Mandera said although no physical attacks had occurred in the town, residents were worried of the bullets that "are being fired from various directions whenever the troops are fighting the militiamen."On Thursday morning, eight people were struck by bullets fired by militia men who have been fighting AU troops on the Somalia side."It is scaring, you cannot know when a bullet will land near you and that is why people are running for safety," the councillor who only identified himself as Ahmed said."Some houses have gone up in flames since morning and we don't know who are burning them but we highly suspect it has something to do with what is going on at the border," Ahmed added.
He said Mandera town remained deserted for the better part of Friday, and only military and police trucks were seen parked strategically with heavily armed officers."People are running towards remote areas far away from Mandera, we don't want to become victims," he added "This place now is inhabitable, there are heavy gunfire renting the air every after a couple of hours. They are not fighting far away from the Kenyan side."The situation was made worse when a bomb was hurled at the Mandera district hospital but no one was hurt because it landed on an open field.North Eastern Provincial Commissioner Joseph ole Serian told Capital News that the bomb could have caused a major disaster "were it not that it landed on an open field.""The hospital covers a large area, we are lucky it landed on an open ground, it could have been disastrous," ole Serian said on telephone from where he was coordinating security.Some 14 African Union soldiers flown from Mogadishu were still admitted to hospitals in Mombasa where they have been receiving treatment for bullet wounds since Thursday.Military Spokesman Bogita Ongeri told Capital News they had enhanced security at the border towns to ensure Al-Shabaab fighters do not cross over into Kenya."The war is not in Kenya, these people are fighting on the other side of the border but the effects are being felt on our side because it is not far away. But Kenyans should be assured that we are safe, we have enough security at the border," Mr Ongeri said.He said Kenyan soldiers admitted to the Forces Memorial hospital after they were involved in an accident as they returned from border patrols in Mandera were out of danger.
The soldiers had managed to repulse Al Shabaab fighters who had tried to enter Kenya on Thursday when their truck overturned, injuring seven of them.