Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Al-Shabaab ineffective due to mistrust of foreigners, al-Amriki says

A letter allegedly written by American-born jihadist Omar Hammami, the al-Qaeda operative known as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, says al-Shabaab has been increasingly ineffective in Somalia because of its mistrust of foreigners and weak allegiance to the principles of global jihad.
  • A picture posted to a Twitter account that purports to speak on behalf of
     Omar Hammami attempts to show that he is still alive, despite rumours to the
     contrary. [File/Sabahi]
A picture posted to a Twitter account that purports to speak on behalf of Omar Hammami attempts to show that he is still alive, despite rumours to the contrary. [File/Sabahi]
"The brothers from al-Qaeda in Somalia have tried for two decades and failed to change the situation in spite of their tremendous efforts," the document posted with a video on January 7th said. "This is due to the Somali nature that prevents outside interference and prohibits suggestions from others."
"Despite the propaganda from some Somalis that they are on board with global jihad, their past and present actions indicate that all they want is internal work for local purposes," it said. "In spite of the rumours that they follow the al-Qaeda ideology, they are the ones that expelled al-Qaeda from Somalia."

Foreign fighters look on

"What Hammami calls a final appeal to a sheikh, whom I believe is [al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri], is in effect the final blow to the group," said retired Kenya Defence Forces Major Bashir Hajji Abdullahi. "It will take something extraordinary to end the palpable tension within the group."
The damage has gone beyond the differences between Hammami and other leaders in the group.
The American-born jihadist has many foreign-born loyalists, and how al-Shabaab leadership deals with Hammami will be an example of what foreign jihadists in Somalia should expect in the future, Abdullahi told Sabahi.
"The message being sent by the Somali fighters to the foreign fighters is that there is only one way of approaching the war," he said.
Hammami loyalists are also emerging on social media to rally around him and criticise al-Shabaab leaders.
For example, an anonymous Twitter user who goes by "Abu M" has been supposedly speaking on behalf of Hammami in recent weeks, criticising al-Shabaab for not being in line with the jihadi agenda.
In a series of abbreviated English sentences posted on Twitter, Abu M's criticism is apparent.
"How can u fight kuf [non-believers] if shabab want to jail u 4 not agreeing," Abu M posted January 13th. A week earlier, Abu M posted: "Muhajiriin [foreign fighters] arent allowed to truly benefit somalia, nor any other land. They can't even help themselves 2 b [self-sufficient]."
In a December 18th post, Abu M challenged the al-Shabaab leadership asking, "Why are muhajirs dying, going to jail, running away, being forced out? Call me a liar and discredit urself."
Discussing the plight of foreign fighters in Somalia, Abu M on January 5th said, "Shabab actively send people to act like apostates. But well known fighters are jailed at the mere notion of [possible apostasy]." A day later, Abu M posted, "[Foreign fighters] are locked up like cattle upon mere whim."

Muslim Youth Centre weighs in

Meanwhile, the Muslim Youth Centre (MYC), a Kenya-based group associated with al-Shabaab, was compelled to join the fray because the organisation had "received numerous queries on the status of Abu Mansour al-Amriki", according to a January 12th press release.
In the statement, MYC urged jihadist fighters to refrain from encouraging disunity "over the issue of Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, but focus on recommitting themselves to jihad in East Africa under the umbrella of [al-Qaeda in East Africa]".
Aiming to deflect other fighters who "seek to emulate" Hammami, the statement went on to say "jihad will never be about the image of one individual but the collective image of the mujahideen".
Moreover, in a Twitter post the same day, MYC said Hammami needs to show regret and return to jihad. "opposin sheikh abu zubeyr [al-Shabaab leader, also known as Ahmed Abdi Godane] is akin 2 siding wit kuffar [non-believers]," MYC said.

Rising concerns

Garissa County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim said the differences playing out in public indicate that the militants have lost focus and lack an agenda. "Al-Shabaab has been portraying itself as a united front, yet its fighters are an amalgam of people with diverse hidden interests," he said.
Some group members seek power, some are in it for money and some joined for an adventure in radicalism, he said, adding that these diverse interests started emerging because "some of the Kenyan youths who joined the group did so out of the promise of money, but when the promises were not met, they returned back home".
"I will not be surprised if Hammami reveals that the differences may have also been heightened by the management of the militants' dwindling finances," he said.
David Ochami, a Mombasa-based journalist who follows militant groups in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa for Kenya's The Standard, said the divisions within al-Shabaab would eventually lead to the formation of splinter groups.
"We saw how Hizbul Islam severed ties with al-Shabaab in September over ideological differences," he said. "The Hammami team will eventually break ties with al-Shabaab, further weakening it."
"The al-Shabaab command may view Hammami as an individual, but his stay in Somalia amassed trust among foreign fighters that will be broken with his departure or killing by al-Shabaab," he said.
Without the support of Hammami, one of the most prolific propagandists the militant group had on board, al-Shabaab is effectively on its death bed, he said. However, the offshoots could pose a bigger threat to security in the region because once foreign jihadists sever ties with Somalis, these breakaway factions could concentrate on taking their war globally, he said.

Al-Amriki videos

The "Final Appeal" video is the third in a series of videos in which Hammami outlines the infighting between al-Shabaab's Somali and foreign factions.
In a video released October 19th titled "An Urgent Message", Hammami called on "the leaders of jihad and virtuous scholars" to intervene and find a fundamental solution to "the bitter situation that currently engulfs the Somali [foreign fighters]".
Hammami said the "friction" between al-Shabaab's local leaders and foreign fighters was an impediment to the militant group taking their terror activities globally.
"Therefore, [I ask you in the name of] Allah [to come to the aid of] your mujahideen brothers, and to rein in the internal strife before it is too late," he said. "Do not abandon us..."
In a video released last March -- one month after al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced that the Somali Mujahideen al-Shabaab movement was merging with al-Qaeda -- Hammami said his life was in danger from fellow al-Shabaab members. His whereabouts have since been unknown

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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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