Monday, June 17, 2013

Kenya to employ drones to thwart gunrunners, al-Shabaab

Kenya is preparing to employ drones as part of increased security operations along its borders with Somalia and Ethiopia to monitor and halt the movements of al-Shabaab and gunrunners, security officials told Sabahi.
  • Kenyan security forces conduct a search mission in Liboi along Kenya's border with Somalia in October 2011 after two Spanish aid workers were kidnapped from Dadaab refugee camp. [Tony Karumba/AFP]
  • Kenyan paramilitary police in Nairobi burned this pile of seized illegal weapons in March 2009. [Simon Maina/AFP]
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are needed to help Kenyan security forces on the ground patrol the country's frontiers, said Patrick Ochieng, director of the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
"We face an unprecedented security challenge," he told Sabahi. "Not only do we have threats from within the country, but also from al-Shabaab insurgents."
Gunrunning and infiltration by al-Shabaab into Kenya's north-eastern region have brought insecurity with deadly effects, he said, adding that the past two years have seen an increase in violence from illegal guns, with criminals and gunrunners devising new ways to smuggle in firearms.
The unarmed drones will be equipped with state-of the-art technology including night-vision cameras to help Kenya stay ahead of criminals and evolving security threats, Ochieng said.
Security officers are receiving training on working with the drones, which will be operational by the end of the year, Ochieng said. He declined to reveal more details about the programme, saying that doing so could aid gunrunners.
Policing Kenya's porous, more than 800-kilometre border with Somalia is a difficult challenge, said north-eastern regional Police Chief Charlton Mureithi, and deploying drones will aid officers on the ground.
"We hope this technology will go a long way in addressing security threats in the region because the drones will keep an eye on the most remote routes the smugglers use," he told Sabahi.

Investing in security

Retired army Major Bishar Hajji Abdullahi said the government should invest in such technologies even if they are expensive because the goal of safeguarding the country should supersede the costs.
"Despite the drones being a controversial subject all over the country, in some cases, the government has the responsibility of protecting its citizens by whatever means," he told Sabahi.
Nonetheless, better technology will not yield desired results without proper training for security officers, he said. "The government has to be careful not to sink money into ineffective technology," Abdullahi said.
As security equipment becomes less expensive to acquire, Kenya should invest heavily in it to counter criminal threats, particularly from al-Shabaab, he said.
"For instance in the north-eastern region, where there are frequent al-Shabaab attacks, the government should provide security officers with armoured vehicles and bulletproof vests," Abdullahi said.
The government unveiled its national budget for 2013-2014 on June 13th, setting aside 67 billion shillings ($784 million) for security.
National Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich said 4 billion shillings ($46.9 million) of the allocated money will go towards security equipment, 4.5 billion shillings ($52.7 million) for enhanced operations, and 1.5 billion shillings ($17.6 million) for research into improving crime-prevention methods. ..via sabahionline

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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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