Wednesday, May 23, 2012

EXCLUSIVE: Reporting from the frontline :Somali troops, AU peacekeepers launches offensive against al-Qaida militia, troops advance on key Al-Shabaab stronghold Afgoye (images from front line)


 Terror free Somalia embedded with the troops
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Somalia has begun a major offensive to clear an Islamist militia allied to al-Qaida from the world's largest camp for people displaced by war and famine.The attack on al-Shabaab is the first time that Somalia's government troops, backed by African Union peacekeeping soldiers, have moved out of the capital Mogadishu and taken the fight to militia strongholds.Hundreds of soldiers pushed closer to the town of Afgoye, north-west of Mogadishu, where up to 400,000 people who fled their homes are squatting on land controlled by al-Shabaab.
The militants have banned aid groups from their territory, despite the effects of last year's famine and threats of further crop failures this year. It follows months of relative stability in the capital since the Islamists retreated in August last year.
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 Somali troops, AU peacekeepers advance on key Al-Shabaab stronghold As a sweeping military offensive enters its second day on the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu, hundreds of government troops alongside African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) today reached Arbiska, near Afgoye in Lower Shabelle region.

Allied troops backed by military tanks and armored vehicles moved deep into the outskirts early on Wednesday after deadly fighting broke out in the al-Shabaab strongholds of Elasha-Biyaha, Siinka, Lafoole, and Arbiska.At least 11 people were killed, including seven civilians, according to a residents in Lafoole who spoke to terror free somalia .“I don’t know how many people died, but I can assure you that three people are dead in Kahda where the fighting started today," Luul Ali, a resident in Kahda, told tf.sf .

Somali forces allegedly also shot eight civillians on the way at Boqolka cemetery of Boqolka village on suspicion of being al-Shabaab fighters fleeing. Four of the the eight people died and the other four were taken to Madina Hospital in Mogadishu.

Somalia’s third army commander, Colonel Abdullah Ageey, confirmed government troops have reached Arbiska and are heading to Afgoye with in the next hours.

“I’m speaking to you from Arbiska, which is close to Afgoye. We have clashed with the Al-Qaeda fighters for hours here before we attacked today. They have tried to defend themselves, but we forced them to run away and they are firing shots at us from a distance over there. We will be continuing to pursue them wherever they go, and we hope to cross into Afgoye with hours," said Colonel Ageey.

Residents in Afgoye town told TF.SF that they have seen al-Shabaab convoys heading to Walaweyn, 90km from Mogadishu.“I have seen large convoys of al-Shabaab fighters fleeing from the outskirts of Mogadishu. While I was on my way to work, I saw them heading towards Walaweyn district," one resident in Afgoye town told terror free Somalia .Other sources claimed that al-Shabaab's top leaders, Fuad Shongole, Hassan Dahir Aweys and Ali Dheere, all fled to Marka, south of Mogadishu, yesterday. TF.SF however, has been unable to confirm these claims.Radio Andalus radio, run by al-Shabaab, went off the air last night before the allied forces could reach the station.“Equipment from Andlus radio station was removed last night by the fighters, but it is not yet clear where they took it," said Abdikadir Mohamuud, a resident in Siinka.The fighting has blocked the strategic road which links between Afgoye and Mogadishu and has caused a massive displacement of people since the first round of this offensive started on Monday.Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on today's offensive, the largest to be conducted in the area since al-Shabaab vacated the capital last August.
Somali government forces backed by African Union peacekeeping troops on Tuesday moved on positions of the anti-government group Al-Shabaab on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu, officials said, as cited by terror free somalia. 
The allied forces launched the operation on the town of Afgooye, 30 km northwest of Mogadishu which is one of the key towns that remains under the control of the Al-Shabaab fighters.
The town is close to the camp of Elasha Biyaha which houses hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled from the Mogadishu during the height of the violence back in 2007 and 2008.
The AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia said in a statement the operation was aimed at bringing peace and security to the "largest concentration of displaced people in the world."
The AU said they were trying to avoid built-up areas and that the African peacekeepers and Somali national army were making progress against Al-Shabaab.
"The Afgoye corridor holds one of the biggest concentrations of internally displaced people in the world. We are helping them by building security so that they can share in the economic revival of the capital. They will now be able to access humanitarian services and eventually return to their original homes in Mogadishu," Wafula Wamunyinyi, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said in a statement.
The radical group of Al-Shabaab which is allied to al Qaida said it has repulsed the offensive by AU and Somali government forces.
Witnesses say that the rebels were forced to flee key positions on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu including a key airstrip in the suburban district of Deynile. Residents have started to flee from their homes as fighting closed in Afgooye.
Reports said the Al-Shabaab commanders in Afgooye were using loudspeakers mounted on vehicles to call on people to join the fight against Somali government troops and AU peacekeepers.
Somali government military commanders said that the allied forces were closing to the main town of Afgoye on two fronts while a strategic supply route linking southern and central provinces controlled by Al-Shabaab was taken by government forces and AU peacekeepers.
The Al-Shabaab has lately been losing ground to Somali government forces and AU troops. Its fighters fled Mogadishu last year after intense offensive by Somali troops and AU peacekeepers.
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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
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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
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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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The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

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