somalia: 17 Killed, 20 Wounded in Mogadishu Violence

Mogadishu, -Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops engaged in fierce fighting with insurgents in the capital Mogadishu Saturday, leading to at least 17 deaths, sources said.Two police officers manning a checkpoint at Howlwadaag intersection near Bakara market were shot and killed in a sneak insurgent attack this morning. The killers armed with pistols escaped before police reinforcements rushed to the scene.Witnesses saw police units take away the dead bodies towards the district headquarters.Later in the day, heavy fighting erupted in parts of Hodan district and quickly spread into Bakara market, where insurgents backed into as a joint Somali-Ethiopian force pushed forward with armored vehicles including tanks.Artillery and tank shells hit Bakara business fronts and homes in the surrounding area, killing and wounding civilians shopping at the market or inside their homes, witnesses reported.correspondent saw two bodies, including a young child dressed in school uniform, lying on the ground lifelessly near Howlwadaag intersection that leads into Bakara.
It is not clear how many soldiers and insurgents died in today's battle, but witnesses reported seeing dead bodies belonging to both groups of fighters.Most civilians fled the area for personal safety, including our own correspondent.Medical sources at Mogadishu's Medina Hospital said 20 wounded people were admitted before 6pm local time, when the fighting slowed down to a halt as nighttime approached.Today's battle was one of the worst fighting Mogadishu has seen in months, according to our correspondent and residents.Somali government officials have repeatedly accused Bakara market of being the headquarters of the insurgency, which includes Islamist guerrillas and clan fighters opposed to the presence of Ethiopian army troops.Mogadishu has seen relentless violence since January 2007 when the Ethiopian army helped government troops overthrow the Islamic Courts movement that governed the capital since June 2006.The Islamists, who vowed to wage a guerrilla war to uproot the Ethiopians and their Somali government allies, claim responsibility for most insurgent attacks, including daily shootouts, roadside bombings and the targeted assassination of government officials.Human rights groups say 6,500 people were killed in Mogadishu last year and hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the insurgency, which has now entered its 15th consecutive month.

SOMALIA-UGANDA: AU mission will not impose peace - Museveni

INJA, 1 March 2007 (IRIN) - The African Union (AU) peace mission due to be deployed in Somalia will not try to disarm armed groups in that country, but will instead train a Somali national army, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said on Thursday. e are not going to disarm the Somali militias because if we empower the Somali people, it will be up to them to decide whether it is necessary to disarm," said Museveni as he bid farewell to the Ugandan army contingent that will serve in the force.

"We don't want you to interfere with the affairs of Somalia. Your work is to teach," he told the soldiers, who are due to arrive in Somalia next week.

Unconfirmed media reports in Somalia said an advance unit of Ugandan troops had already arrived there.

A tank battalion is expected to leave by rail for the Kenyan port city of Mombasa from where they will travel by sea to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, according to the Ugandan army spokesman, Captain Paddy Ankunda. The Ugandan force will be commanded by Col Peter Elwelu.

The 1,500 Ugandan soldiers will be part of an 8,000-strong force that the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are expected to deploy in Somalia to help the fledgling Transitional Federal Government (TFG) restore law and order.

The AU force is expected to replace Ethiopian troops, who went into Somalia in December 2006 and helped the TFG defeat the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), whose forces had seized control of most of the country and were undermining the limited authority of the interim government set up in 2004.

"We are not going to Somalia to impose peace on the Somali people, but to help empower them to rebuild their state and help them to rebuild their army. That is our line of responsibility," said Museveni.

The Chief of Staff, Gen Aronda Nyakairima, cautioned the troops on the kinds of danger they were likely to encounter in Somalia.

"Remnants of Islamic fundamentalists are still out there; warlords who are yet to integrate in the government are still there and freelance militias are still there," said Nyakairima. "Maintain good relations with other contingents that are coming in. Maintain a good relationship with the people of Somalia," he told the soldiers.

Somalia has had no effective national government since the overthrow in 1991 of the regime headed by Muhammad Siyad Barre. The country plunged into factional bloodletting soon after the government was toppled as rival armed groups and warlords fought for power, resources and territory.

Somali PM says his Gov will have Talks with Al-Shabaab Insurgent Group

Mogadishu,- Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein said on Friday that his government plan has dialogue with Al-Shabaab Insurgent group fighting Somali government and Ethiopian troops in the capital.In an interview with VOA Somali service, the prime minister said the insurgents have the right to express their opinion."The insurgents are Somali citizens and have the same rights with the other Somali citizen, we ought to talks and discuss with them" said the premier.

Somali Prime Minister has shown that he and President Yusuf disagree on reconciliation approach.

President Yusuf has maintained his hardline stance on negotiating with "extremist groups," whom he considers terrorists intent on overthrowing his Ethiopian-backed interim government.

By contrast, Prime Minister Nur Adde has repeatedly appealed to all members of the opposition to negotiate with the government in the elusive search for lasting peace in Somalia.

Leaders from the AlShabaab insurgents group repeatedly say that they will not had dialogue with the government until Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia.

Ethiopian troops arrived in Somalia on December 2006 and supported government troops oust Union of Islamic Courts from Mogadishu and many parts of south Somalia.

Will divisions undermine Somali rebellion?

y mid-2007, when the fighting in Somalia was routinely described as an "Iraq-style insurgency," victory seemed likely for the extremist Islamic Courts Union. But rifts within the insurgency that were simmering last year may now have reached a boiling point, providing a strategic opportunity for Somalia's transitional federal government (TFG) and its Ethiopian allies.

The major rift in the insurgency is between the Shabab faction, the insurgency's most militant wing, and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), which is the name that the former Islamic Courts Union adopted in mid-September 2007. That group assumed its new name following a conference of opposition factions in Eritrea's capital Asmara, which the Shabab boycotted. A communiqué recently issued by Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, an U.S. jihadist aligned with Shabab, explains the split between the two groups.

Entitled, "A Message to the Mujahideen in Particular and the Muslims in General," Amriki's communiqué describes the ARS (which he continues to refer to as "the Islamic Courts") as nationalist in orientation, while Shabab is more religiously motivated. (Shabab leader Aden Hashi 'Ayro, for example, trained at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan.) "[W]hile the courts had a goal limited to the boundaries placed by the Taghoot [impure]," Amriki wrote, "the Shabab had a global goal including the establishment of the Islamic Khilafah [caliphate] in all parts of the world."

This represents not only a difference in strategic visions; Amriki also condemns the ARS for their tactical choices. The ARS has been closely aligned with Eritrea, and its leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed now lives in Asmara. Amriki claims that "[t]here is no doubt" that Eritrea is "not looking out for what is in our best interest or what is in the best interests of the jihad."

Though not much is publicly known about Amriki, an American intelligence source tells me that he was one of the former U.S. military personnel who fought in Bosnia during the 1990s, is a high-ranking member of al-Qaida's East Africa leadership, and is one of the Somali insurgents' lead trainers. When he once appeared on al-Jazeera wearing a face mask, it was clear that Amriki was Caucasian.

In his critique of the ARS, Amriki writes that the Shabab has adopted the manhaj (religious methodology) "adopted by the Mujahideen in the rest of the blessed lands of jihad," including that of Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and "the lion, the genius, the doctor" Ayman al-Zawahiri. According to Nick Grace, who follows the jihadist web for ThreatsWatch, global jihadist forums have taken note of the split, and opinion on them generally runs against ARS.

Amriki's recent attack on the ARS echoes Shabab's condemnation of the September 2007 Asmara conference. One reason Shabab refused to attend was the fact that the conference involved cooperation between disparate elements, including not just Islamists but also former TFG parliamentarians, diaspora Somalis, and even factions that Shabab claimed "believe that the Islamic faith should be banished from the public space in Somalia."

The ARS's formation in fact accelerated the conflict with Shabab by changing the composition of the old Islamic Courts. After Asmara, the ARS featured a broader range of groups opposed to the TFG – including, to Shabab's consternation, "misled women."

Since then, Shabab has been functionally independent from ARS leadership, but has continued its attacks against Ethiopian forces and TFG targets. J. Peter Pham, the director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University (and my colleague at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies), told me that the common enemy that Shabab and the ARS find in the TFG is a unifying factor. "Insofar as they have a common enemy," he said, "their split is not relevant to the current strategic picture."

But Abdiweli Ali, an assistant professor at Niagara University who is close to the TFG, believes that there may be a strategic opening. He told me that a late February skirmish between supporters of the ARS and Shabab in Dhobley killed three or four people.

In mid-February, ARS leaders Ahmed and former Somali parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheik Adan traveled to Cairo. The press speculated that they may have been there for talks with the TFG, an assessment with which several of my sources agreed. Ali told me that new TFG Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein "has found a back door to moderates within the ARS," and believes that speaking with them is a positive move.

One reason that Ali believes the move is positive is because it has reportedly opened an aid spigot from EU donors who were encouraged by the talks. He believes there may also be propaganda value to Hussein's willingness to talk with the insurgent groups. "It is showing Somalis that the TFG is a force for peace," said Ali, "and that Hussein is different from the previous prime minister."

Beyond that, negotiations may further alienate Shabab from the ARS. Shabab leaders' opposition to negotiation derives from their theological worldview rather than tactical considerations, and they violently oppose even ARS lip service to moderation.

Can this rift be exploited tactically? There are differing views. Pham believes that as long as the ARS and Shabab can unite against the TFG, they will be able to maintain a sufficient alliance. He also believes that the TFG will collapse in the next several months, an assertion that Abdiweli Ali dismisses as "nonsense."

A regional analyst who requested anonymity told me that continued exploration of dialogue may widen the rift between the ARS and Shabab. "If continued exploration of possibilities for dialogue is pursued, at some point that's going to raise the issue of who's leading the talks," he said. "That's where we could see some real sparks fly. Every time the international community talks about bringing in moderate Islamists and opposition members, the Shabab fears they're going to be sold down the river."

Negotiations, discussions, and concessions must always be handled carefully. But the rift between the Shabab and ARS is real. What will ultimately come of it is another question entirely.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is vice president of research at the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the author of, "My Year Inside Radical Islam."

War on Terror is a war on ideas

Most Americans are at least somewhat familiar with the autocracy and corruption that have plagued many governments in Muslim countries. Because of their oppressiveness and corruption, these government are declining, and they should. But their decline has encouraged Jihadist movements — movements that take advantage of a religious reawakening and prey on the fears and resentments of oppressed people.

This should not be a surprise. Many people in Muslim countries are or have suffered under totalitarian regimes or monarchy systems — regimes funded and supported by Western countries. Many, therefore, may believe that the Jihadist movement presents an incorruptible knight in shining armor that will restore pride and economic well-being.

It doesn’t. But impractical U.S. policy toward some of these peoples gives energy to the Jihadists.

Some of these countries have already collapsed. In Somalia, the country of my birth, the rule of warlords seems to have come to an end. The new Islamic Court Union — a hard-line, conservative faction — has filled the vacuum there.

Elsewhere, Hamas has won power in Palestine, and Hezbollah declared victory in Lebanon against the recent invasion of Israel. It is not a surprise to see the collapse of corrupt governments. Nor should the West be surprised by the religious reawakening and radical movements in Muslim countries.

In Somalia, for example, since the collapse of the state in 1991, the country has suffered one of the most brutal civil wars in the whole of the African continent. What disappoints me is the utter lack of response on the part of the international community to the piteous cries for help from the Somali people. Just what is the U.S. policy with regard to Somalia?

It is an open secret that U.S. policy toward Somalia is heavily influenced by what happened on Oct. 3, 1993, in Muqdisho, the Somali capital: Blackhawk Down, a mission by American soldiers to capture a Somali warlord, went terribly wrong. A fierce and desperate bloody fight resulted in the death of 18 U.S. marines and more than 500 hundred Somali casualties. This single tragic incident plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. policy toward Somalia, policy that is now coupled with the war on terror in a post 9/11 world.

The vivid memories of Black Hawk down and the recent Jihadist movement in Somalia led the U.S. to fund warlords, only to see the warlords defeated by the same group the U.S. wanted to isolate: Islamic Jihadists.

It is apparent that U.S. policy suffers from confusion at least, or, worse, a less-than-sufficient competence to handle a world that’s changing fast and requires deep knowledge of foreign cultures. The elites of the Jihadists movements see this, and thus use it to their advantage.

I’m not suggesting knowledge for the sake of sensitivity. But knowledge for the sake of effectiveness. It’s not in the U.S. interest, or in the interest of Muslim people, for the Jihadists to gain strength.

So what might be the elements of a practical, effective policy?

-- To begin with, I believe that effective foreign policy should be consistent and honest with the moral and ethics of international law. The Western world, particularly the U.S., should admit that a grievous mistake was made in the fight against terror, that is, the invasion of Iraq. Then it should ask for help moderate Islamic countries to save lives in Iraq and elsewhere.

Do I believe that this can happen? Yes I do. It is my hope that Americans, Muslims, Christian, Jews and the rest of all other religions can sit down together and say, “yes, we have been a cause of much of the conflict in this world, but with our traditions of freedom and democracy, we can once again, set a positive example for the world

Al-Shabaab Islamic Group Claims Attack on the Southern Somali Town of Diinsor

Mogadishu,- Al-Shabaab Islamic group has claimed that it

forces briefly took control of Southern Somali town of Diinsor district, says member of the group.

Moalim Hashi Moamed Farah, a senior member of Al-Shabaab group said that their troops have captured the town briefly on Sunday after launching an attack on government forces which they have confiscated two war vehicles .

"Our forces burnt down four military vehicles from the enemy” said Moalin hashi referring to government forces.

The attack took place before noon of today but the Al-Shabaab group claimed that they have killed two government soldiers.

“It was a muscle show, we did not wish to capture but just a brief visit" said Moalim Hashi.

The leader of Al-Shabaab Islamic group Sheikh Muqtar Robow "Abuu Mansoor" delivered speech to the residents of Dinsoor district soon after they have taken control of the town, said Mohamed Abdiyow, a resident in Dinsoor district who spoke to Insidesomalia.org by the telephone line.

Abuu Mansuur said that his group will continue to fight against Somali government and Ethiopian troops unless Ethiopian government withdrew its forces from Somalia.

Last month , Insurgent forces led by Abuu Mansoor briefly held Balli Dogle Airport, former Somali Air force base in Wanla weyn, 90km from the capital, Mogadishu.

Since allied Somali government and Ethiopian troops ousted Union of Islamic Courts on December 2006 insurgent believed to be remnants of UIC regrouped themselves and started launch day by day attacks against government and Ethiopian troops and recently extended their insurgency into other regions of Somali including Hiran, Bay and Bakol regions ad central Somalia.

United Nations and local human rights organizations said that 6,000 people were killed and more than one million others fled from the capital since on December 2006 when fighting erupted in the capita

Somalia: Situation Report no. 7 – 22 Feb 2008

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ASAZ-7C3D7V?OpenDocument

Somalia: Fighting Rocks in Mogadishu Overnight

Mogadishu, -The hostility stuck between the TFG troops and armed Islamist groups happened close to the Gulwadayasha military camp in the capital on Thursday night residents said.
In the fighting The Ethiopian troops based at former defense ministry building have fired more 12 mortars to the fighting areas targeting to the Islamist fighters aligned with their presence in Somalia.It’s still unidentified the causalities of that fighting.
“We can now perceive the sounds of heavy artillery shelling in our village" resident Sadiya Jama told local reporters, as the fighting was raging in her village.The clashes occur in the capital makes daily bread struggling residents to dishearten them from the fearful life of Mogadishu rocked by callous battles.The Islamists vowed to fight an Iraq-style insurgency after their brief hold on parts of southern Somalia was broken by Ethiopian troops in December 2006.

Security Chief Killed as Violence Escalates in Somalia

Seven people including the chief security officer in the southern Somali town of Afgooye were killed and 15 others wounded in separate clashes in Mogadishu involving Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian forces and insurgents, witnesses and local media reports said Thursday. dig more http://english.cri.cn/2947/2008/02/21/189@325643.htm

TFG Soldier and a Civilian Killed in New Clashes in the Main Market of Mogadishu

Mogadishu, A government soldier and a civilian were killed and two others wounded in a fighting on Thursday in the Bakara market, says witness.The fighting has started when government troops took offensive giants the insurgents in the main market of Bakara.
Heavy gun fire were heard along main positions in the capital while soldiers besieged many neighborhoods in Hodan, Kaasa Bobolare and African Village area searching for weapon, said government official. All business activities in Bakara market were sustained and shops were closed early in the morning as people were forced stay away from the market.
Government soldier fired heavy gun fire to disperse those fighting against them but the e fighting continued till mid-day on Thursday and market came standstill and was cordoned.
On Tuesday, at least one person was killed in weapons search operation done by Somali military forces in Bakara where a day before clashes between government and insurgents claim more than six people and at least 22 others wounded when insurgents launch attack against government troops positions at Howl wadag Street.On the other hand, fighting has erupted between government forces allied with Ethiopian troops against insurgents on Thursday in Suuqa Xoolaha and Huriwaa neighborhood in Mogadishu, says Hanad Ali Guled, a local reporter in Mogadishu.During the fighting heavy gun fire were used including mortar shells, RPG'S and hand grenades as few people still remaining in the area started flee for safe heaven positions.
Four people were reported injured in the fighting which lasted after the afternoon on Thursday, as said by Mohamed Samater, a resident in Huriwaa neighborhood speaking to InsideSomalia.org.The fighting in the capital claimed 3,000 people since January 2008, as said by Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, a local Human rights group.
Somali Prime Minister repeatedly said that his government wants a plan to have a dialogue with the opposition including those fighting Somali government and Ethiopian troops in the streets of Mogadishu

Bush winding up tour in Liberia

US President George W Bush has arrived in Liberia, one of the US' staunchest allies in Africa, and the final stop on his five-nation tour of the continent. dig more. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7256133.stm

terpreting the Concept of Jihad

Feb 21. 2008

I remember once when I asked a Somali child whether Ethiopia is a friend or foe? The young innocent face looked at me, perhaps, in disbelief and said: “they are our enemy, Somalia’s archenemy, don’t you know that!?”. I asked again: who told you? You’re too young? “I know for myself.” The child replied. My conversation with that child was years before Ethiopia’s invasion. I wonder what the child’s answer would be if I put the same question to him again. dig more http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_08/Feb/20_concept_jihad_abbas.html

Somali Prime Minister backs broad-based reconciliation process

MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 21 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's new Prime Minister says he is willing to meet with opposition groups waging a guerrilla war against his interim government in pursuit of peace through a genuine national reconciliation process, dig more http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somali_Prime_Minister_backs_broad-based_reconciliation_process.shtml

Somali forces kill three in Mogadishu operation

MOGADISHU, - Somali government forces on Tuesday killed three civilians as they carried out a massive security operation in the capital's volatile Bakara market, witnesses said. dig more http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080219/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrest_080219180852;_ylt=AiEQ8.svfrdTSphyCSpyE4aXsdEF

Ethiopia Troops Arrive in Central Region, Fighting Rocks in Afgoi

Galgadud, somalia Hundreds of Ethiopian troops with more than 25 vehicles have reached in Dhuso-mareb district of Galgadud region central Somalia on Friday witnesses said.
The soldiers left there have pulled out from Hiran region and made passage in Guri-el ward towards Dhuso mareb.Dhuso-mareb Residents have acknowledged that the soldiers have packed up military camp called "21 military campgrounds" although it’s unidentified the motive behind the troop's arrival in that neighborhood.No comments were available from Galgadud region authorities on the Ethiopian troop's arrival in Dhuso-mareb district.Else where deadly fighting occurs in IDP"S haven area in Afgoi district following a land ownership dispute between the internally displaced people.One civilian died in that fighting which exceptionally occurred in IDP's camp called Howlwadag where the two fought sides used in the clash light rifles.That brief clash with in the IDP's caused that the refugees to displace for a second time from their new thought safe havens after they have originally fled from the bloodshed battles in the capital.The situation of the battled area is reportedly tranquil and the the Government troops in Lower Shabelle region arrived at the scene.

INTERVIEW-UN envoy: Sec Council must end impunity in Somalia

NAIROBI, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The international community must focus on ending impunity in Somalia, where warlords have committed gross human rights abuses against civilians for many years, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. dig more http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2287182.htm

U.N. extends peacekeeping mission in Somalia

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council authorized African peacekeepers Wednesday to continue operating in Somalia for six months while the United Nations mulls taking over those duties. DIG MORE, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5557462.html

Bush pledges $100M to train peacekeepers

A $100 million item in the 2009 budget will fund training for more African peacekeepers for Darfur, a spokeswoman for U.S. President George Bush said.Of that total, $12 million would be earmarked for Rwanda, where the president and first lady Laura Bush were visiting Tuesday during their African tour, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.Other countries that will benefit from the funds include Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Malawi, Perino said. The money had been dedicated to building, maintaining and operating African Union base camps but the United Nation took over that responsibility, the money could be reallocated.Training of peacekeeping troops "is what most of the countries have said that they could really use help on," Perino told reporters traveling with the president and first lady.While in Rwanda, the Bushes visited Kigali Memorial Center, which houses exhibits documenting the 1994 Rwandan genocide."This is a moving place that can't help but shake your emotions to your very foundation," Bush said after the museum tour. "It reminds me that we must not let these kind of actions take place."

SHABAAB Gunmen kill 2 Ethiopian Troops-witnesses

TFSF.news- BAIDOA, Suspected Somali insurgents killed two Ethiopian soldiers in the southern town of Baidoa on Wednesday, residents said.
Baidoa is the seat of Somalia's parliament. Businesses in the centre halted as dozens of government soldiers, who are backed by the Ethiopian military, began searching pedestrians, vehicles and shops for weapons.
"Men armed with pistols shot dead two Ethiopian troops in the centre of town this morning," witness Abdulqadir Mohamed said. "The bodies lay in the street for nearly half an hour."
A Reuter’s reporter saw Ethiopian soldiers arrest five men.
Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies are facing a persistent insurgency by remnants of a hardline Islamist group they routed from the city just over a year ago.
At least seven people, including four policemen, were killed in the capital Mogadishu on Monday in the heaviest fighting for weeks between government forces and suspected insurgents.
Hundreds of under-equipped African Union peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi have been unable to quell the bloodshed.

Member of Hawiya Traditional Council Rearrested in Mogadishu

Mogadishu, (InsideSomalia.org) Sheikh Ahmed Ali Gees, member of Hawiya Traditional Council recently released by the Somali government from jail was rearrested on Tuesday, said wittedness.

http://insidesomalia.org/News/Politics-%7C-Somalia/Member-of-Hawiya-Traditional-Council-Rearrested-in-Mogadishu.html

6 Somalis Killed in Latest Fighting

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Heavy fighting killed at least six people in the Somali capital overnight, sparking cordons and search operations by government troops and their Ethiopian allies, witnesses said Tuesday. DIG MORE http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOMALIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-19-10-37-37

US shifts on Africom base plans

The US military has decided to keep the base of its new Africa Command in Germany for now, after only one African nation, Liberia, offered to host it. dig more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7251648.stm

Five killed in fierce Mogadishu mortar fighting

At least five people, including four Somali government soldiers, were killed Monday evening in violent clashes between state security forces and insurgents, witnesses said. dig morehttp://rawstory.com/news/afp/Five_killed_in_fierce_Mogadishu_mor_02182008.html

Somali prime minister says open for talks with foes

NAIROBI (AFP) — Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein on Monday said his government was open for talks with rivals to end years of turmoil in the Horn of African nation. dig more http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5joLQvzErDfLr6f3KV8YWLkGdJsPQ

Police query six men over terror claims

Police have detained six people for questioning over alleged links to terrorism.
Four of the suspects are held in Mombasa while two have been transferred to Nairobi for further investigations. DIG MORE http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=117075

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7248287.stm

Mr Bush said Africa's many conflicts were not the main focus of his tour: he also wanted to highlight success stories .dig more http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7248287.stm

Somali District Authorities hold Security Talks with Ethiopian Officials

somlaia -Hiiraan, -Bulo-burte district administration of Hiran region held a security meeting with the officials of Ethiopian troops in recent times based close to the ward later of Saturday officials said. The assembly, which occurred at the Ethiopian troop’s new army base near Bulo-burte locality, was talked together on the security issues of Hiran region central Somalia following armed groups carried out well planned killings and attacks in the region. After the talks the chairman of Bulo burte Abdi Azzis Dorow has declared that the talks between his administration and Ethiopian officials finished with comprehensive high-quality atmosphere and agreed in the talk’s some crucial articles on the security of the district and the region. Sinking the poverty-stricken nation of Somalia of 7 million into chaos. As Somalia’s transitional government, backed by Ethiopian troops, is struggling to quash an Islamic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians this year.

US President George W Bush has arrived in Benin

US President George W Bush has arrived in Benin at the start of his first presidential tour of Africa since 2003.
After talks with President Thomas Boni Yayi, he renewed a US pledge to supply mosquito nets to tackle malaria. dig more http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7247370.stm

Press Briefing by Ambassador Jendayi Frazer

President will greet and meet with the families of the victims of the 1998 embassy bombing. And he will also do a U.S. Embassy greeting. And then finally round up with a dinner with President Kikwete with his delegation.
Just on the embassy bombings -- obviously, the President has mentioned several times so far on this trip and in his speech leading up to this trip that the United States sees the support for African countries as both a moral obligation as well as in our vital strategic interests. It doesn't take much then to go to Tanzania to be reminded of how our embassy was bombed by al Qaeda in 1998. And we're continuing to try to work with African countries to build their capacity and to build their partnership in responding to these terrorist threats. So it's not only civil conflict, but also the global war on terror that is in our vital national interest to engage African countries robustly, as the President is doing. dig more http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/02/20080216-5.html

Somalia Urges UN Peacekeeping Force

Somalia's transitional government urged the Security Council on Friday to speed up its planning for the possible deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force to replace African Union troops in the war-wracked nation.
Somalia's U.N. Ambassador Elmi Ahmed Duale endorsed a recent appeal by African heads of state to the council "to urgently take steps for the early deployment of United Nations peacekeeping operations to further enhance peace in Somalia." dig more http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/feb/16/somalia-urges-un-peacekeeping-force/

Ethiopian troops deployed in the centre PM of Somalia reveals security cooperation with America

Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein that the humanitarian problems in his country is similar to the situation in the Darfur region in western Sudan, and added that the Transitional Government provided facilities to the relief organizations that help the needy Somalis, and explained in a lengthy interview published magazine "Newsweek" and highlighted newspapers Mogadishu yesterday.He pointed out that piracy is a threat to relief efforts, and welcomed the development of his country's relations with the United States, said that Washington provide political support for Somalia only, and revealed the existence of security cooperation between his government and the United States, but denied the existence of customers in Somalia, said his country welcomed the deployment of forces American there. He added that Nur chaos in Somalia may attract elements with links to terrorist organizations, but he stressed that the situation in Somalia is different than it was in past years, and denied knowledge of the elements of the Washington accusing them of responsibility for the bombing of its embassies in the "Nairobi" and "House of Peace" in , 1998, and defended the presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, and denied that this is an obstacle to the efforts of his government in the reconciliation and said that the Ethiopian troops entered Somalia to assist the Somali government to overcome the security problems, and refusing to describe the clashes between government-backed forces and Ethiopian opposition as a proxy war between the Ethiopia and Eritrea, said that the positions of the opposition with regard to solving the Somali crisis mixed, and noted that some of them want to reach genuine reconciliation, there are extremists who believe violence and reject the principle of dialogue. Ethiopian troops began in the last days of deployment in regions of central Somalia, and the stationing of units of the Ethiopian forces two days ago in the southern city of "Mtaban" Hiran province (central), the Ethiopian soldiers arrived supporting them tanks and military machines yesterday to the boundary between the territory and jurisdiction "Middle Shabelle" ( north), and came after the escalation of the Somali government opponents and Ethiopian presence attacks on both sides in the central and southern regions, and seized some towns.

Meeting of Mr Bernard Kouchner with with Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein

Meeting of Mr Bernard Kouchner with with Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein Adde Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner met with Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein Adde.
The visit comes two and a half months after the appointment of Nur Hassan Hussein Adde to head the Somali government. There was a joint press briefing after their meeting

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/diplomatie.tv_17108/points-presse_17111/entretien-avec-m.-bernard-kouchner-m.-nur-hassan-hussein-adde-premier-ministre-somalie._59553.html

Violence hampers aid to Somali people

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A recent escalation of violence in Somalia is causing strain on an increasing population of vulnerable people in desperate need of humanitarian aid. dig more http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Briefing/2008/02/15/violence_hampers_aid_to_somali_people/4497/

'Thank you' song dedicated to President Bush

MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) -- In a humid rehearsal studio, Liberia's pop queen is practicing her newest single -- a song called "Thank you" to be released for President Bush's visit here next week.

US President George W. Bush speaks on the eve of the planned five-nation trip to Africa.

Her head tilted back, Juli Endee pulls the microphone close and belts out, "Thank you, George Bush." dig more http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/02/15/africa.thanks.bush.ap/

President of somalia Survived missile attack

Survived Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf of mortar fire attack on his home in his capital Mogadishu, hours after his return after trips abroad. The assistant asked him not to disclose his name, told "Reuters" that the four missiles fired at the car the presidential palace, and three of them fell outside, with shells and one at home, no one was injured, and reported that Yousef was in the presidential compound in the very guard at the time bombing. (Reuters)

Ethiopia arrests over 300 police for links with Ogaden rebels

February 18, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — Over 300 police officers suspected of links with Ogaden rebels have been arrested in Ethiopia’s restive Ogaden region as part of a government crackdown, state-media reported on Monday dig more http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article26028

Bush returns to Africa, continent where America still shines

MONROVIA, Liberia - In a humid rehearsal studio, Liberia's pop queen is practicing her newest single _ a song called "Thank you" to be released on the occasion of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to this African capital next week. dig more http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23173748/

Hope at last in Somalia

The new Somali PM has freed some opposition leaders and journalists in a gesture of goodwill and seems willing to talk to all parties in the conflict, presenting the first glimmer of hope. dig more . http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=14423&tag=

Africa's Strategic Importance to U.S. Is Growing, Envoy Says

Washington -- A senior diplomat says her recent appointment as the first full-time U.S. envoy to the African Union (AU) highlights a growing U.S.-African partnership aimed at pursuing political stability and economic prosperity on a strategic continent ...dig more http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/May/200705141556461EJrehsiF0.9337885.html

Aid Groups Under Attack

Attacks against international aid groups have increased in the last two weeks. After three of their staff were killed, Doctors Without Borders withdrew 87 foreign medical personnel from 14 clinics and hospitals in Somalia. These left behind 800 Somali medical personnel, who will try to carry on. dig more http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080213.aspx

Hopes grow for peace talks in Somalia

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Hopes are growing that a new government in Mogadishu may be able to reach a peace deal with the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, in Brussels Tuesday, said he was open to talks with the exiled leaders of the opposition aimed at ending the ongoing fighting in Somalia that has cost 6,000 lives and displaced between 1 million and 2 million people. dig more http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Briefing/2008/02/14/hopes_grow_for_peace_talks_in_somalia/2501/

President Bush trip to Africa

President Bush's trip to Africa later this WEEK. will soften opposition to the administration among African-Americans andpossibly help the eventual GOP presidential nominee make inroads into the blackvote this fall. president really cares about Africa," says a senior WhiteHouse official.President Bush will use the trip to underscore his commitment to spending millions of dollars to fight AIDS, HIV, malaria,War on terror and other diseases in African nations. Bush and his party have Africa's best interests at heart. .President Bush plans to spend a week in Africa starting February 15 as he visits Benin,Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia.

Puntland STATE troops trade fire with Somali pirates

BOSASSO, Somalia, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Somali troops in the northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland exchanged fire on Wednesday with pirates who have hijacked a Russian ship and its crew off the Horn of Africa, an official said DIG MORE http://africa.reuters.com/country/SO/news/usnL13915830.html

PM Meles confers with TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.

Addis Ababa- Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Tuesday held talks with the President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed.
The talks centered on the current realities in Somalia and the bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.
After the discussion, Prime Minister Meles told journalists that Ethiopia would continue its support to help bring about sustainable peace and security in Somalia as it has been doing so far.
The peace and security situation in Somalia has been improving by the day, he said.
He said Ethiopia will be supporting the legitimate TFG until it can stand on its feet.
TFG President Abdullahi Yusuf called on the international community to muster the necessary support to bring about durable peace and stability in that country.

INTERVIEW-Somalia PM says ready for all-inclusive peace talks

BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Somalia's prime minister said on Tuesday his government was ready to start talks with opponents aimed at ending 17 years of violence.
But Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein said the withdrawal of Ethiopian peacekeepers could not be a precondition for talks, rejecting a proposal from Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, exiled leader of Somalia's opposition Islamists.
"From now on we are planning to elaborate a strategy of conciliation that will be all-inclusive," Hussein told Reuters in an interview during a trip to Brussels. dig more http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL12105599.html

U.S. Warships Fire on Somali Pirates in Hijacked Danish Boat

MOGADISHU, Somalia — U.S. warships fired on Somali pirates trying to resupply colleagues who hijacked a Danish-owned tug boat, a district commissioner said Monday.
"Some of the artillery shells hit around the coastline but no human casualties were reported. Unfortunately the gangs escaped," Abdullahi Said, the district commissioner for Eyl, told the AP by phone. dig more http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330315,00.html

6 Gitmo detainees to face trial for 9/11

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Six men being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will go before military commissions and could face the death penalty if it is judged they were involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks, a general said .dig more http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/11/911.charges/index.html

UN Denies Suspension of Operations in Somalia after Attacks

UN Denies Suspension of Operations in Somalia after Attacks
The United Nations humanitarian agency on Tuesday denied reports that the world body has suspended its operations in Somalia following attacks on its compound in Mogadishu, the capital on Monday. http://english.cri.cn/2947/2008/02/12/65@322497.htm

UN Suspension of Operations in Somalia after Attacks story.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25582&Cr=somali&Cr1=

EU HR Javier SOLANA met Nur Hassan HUSSEIN (Nur Adde), Prime Minister of Somalia

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/declarations/98706.pdf

Terror Hot Spots: Somalia -- Kids In The Cross Ha

The War Is Far From Over, But What Are The Next Fronts? From Africa To Asia, A Look At The Battles To Come--Both On The Ground And For Hearts And Minds dig more http://www.newsweek.com/id/63721

Michael Chertoff's deepest fears: Terrorists entering U.S. from Canada

America's top counterterror official says "more than a dozen" people tied to Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and other extremists have tried to infiltrate the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. dig more ttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/02/10/2008-02-10_michael_chertoffs_deepest_fears_terroris.html

Police say 49 insurgents surrender in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Dozens of members of an Islamist insurgent group handed themselves over to Somalia's interim government in the capital on Sunday, police said... dig more http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSL10022438

GIMF: The AMERICAN Leader of al Qaeda in Somalia (& its U.S. Website)!!

An American citizen claims to speak for an al Qaeda linked jihad group in Somalia. The terrorist group has a U.S. hosted website http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/191153.php

Somalia Islamist insurgents

Islamist insurgents in Somalia have claimed responsibility for twin attacks in the northeast port city of Bossaso that left 20 dead. The presence of the Ethiopian Army inside Somalia remains the most contentious issue in the country's chaotic political landscape. Armed groups have killed two government troops after they assaulted the troop's base in Yaqbari district.

Somalia Stint Haunts Swedish Muslim

PARIS — Swedish Muslim Youssef Qomer thought that his volunteering to fight alongside the Islamic Courts against Ethiopia in Somalia had been put at the back of his mind as he continued his life peacefully when he returned home following a cliff-hunter odyssey.
But one year on, the Somalia stint has landed him in one of French custodies with terror charges hanging over him. dig morehttp://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1201957717976

Ethiopia steps up war to support new government in Somalia

There is clearly no limit to Bush's determination to force Somalia to remain a "failed state" and to bolster its strategic enemies – Ethiopia and Kenya. He must believe that in this way he can keep Islam and Islamic groups at bay.. dig more http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/49628

Expatriate Somalis return to help rebuild Puntland

GALKAYO, Somalia, February 8 (UNHCR) – When Hibo travelled for the first time to Somalia, the country her parents left decades ago, she spent her nights gazing at the stars. "I saw quite a number of shooting stars. I found it so amazing that I told the guard at the gate how beautiful Somali nights were with all the stars. dig more
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/42d3de607e7860674173badb7aab35d2.htm

Bin Laden and Omar operating in Pakistan: U.S. official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders are directing insurgency operations in Afghanistan from the Pakistani city of Quetta, while al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is operating from Pakistan's tribal areas, a senior U.S. administration official said on Friday. dig more http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSKRA88269920080208?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

A Week in the Horn

UNMEE relocation to go ahead
A satisfactory African Union Summit
IGAD ministers offer solidarity and support to the Kenyan people
Somali leaders in Addis Ababa dig more http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/Week_Horn_Africa_Feb_08_2008.htm

US General Explains How to Fight Terrorism

What Happened in Somalia
Halley writes that the terrorists were emboldened to begin their war by an incident that occurred in 1993 in Somalia:
"We [the U.S.] went to that country with the purest of intentions - to restore order, end the civil war, and prevent the starvation of tens of thousands of Muslim people. The Muslim warlords were preventing international aid from being properly distributed to the starving people.
"In an Army Ranger operation against one of those warlords, Mohammed Farah Aideed, a Blackhawk helicopter was shot down and 18 Americans were killed in the operation... Our response was to leave Somalia. dig more http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1966992/posts

Adam Gadahn - American al-Qaeda Killed In U.S. Strike?

UNCONFIRMED: Following unconfirmed reports of killing of a high-profile al-Qaeda commander Abu Laith al-Libi, there are now rumours that an American al-Qaeda militant Adam Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, had been killed in the alleged Predator attack by the US on a house in Mirali, North Waziristan, a few days back. dig more http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/02/07/adam-gadahn-american-al-qaeda-killed-in-us-strike/

One killed as Somali Islamists bring in Afghan-trained commander

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) � A Somali security official was killed in Mogadishu, witnesses said Sunday, as Islamists insurgents brought into their ranks an battle-tested Afghan-trained commander. dig more http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hL5iUY1dwpzTM-NLMu9L7XyQmmHw

Somalia: Al Shabab wing claims separation from ICU

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) quoted by UPI, the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabab al-Mujahedin in Somalia is renouncing the Islamic Courts Union. The group, dominated by non-Somalis, accused the ICU for changing its preference in favor of nationalist Somali groups instead of religious groups with “global aims of the jihadist movement.” DIG MORE http://jimmatimes.com/article.cfm?articleID=17640

Islamist insurgents claim Somalia attacks

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Islamist insurgents in Somalia have claimed responsibility for twin attacks in the northeast port city of Bossaso that left 20 dead, mostly Ethiopians, in a website message.
In a message posted Wednesday, the Shabab said the explosions targeted "Ethiopian forces who fought in Mogadishu and who were assisting Puntland forces" in the city. dig more http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080207%5CACQDJON200802070722DOWJONESDJONLINE000467.htm&

Grenade attack kills 15 in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia
(AP) -- A grenade tossed into
a house killed at least 15 people and wounded 50 others yesterday in Somalia's northeastern Puntland region, an official said. dig more http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2008/02/06/Somalia_0206.ART_ART_02-06-08_A10_HC99791.html?sid=101

25 People Killed in Explosions in Puntland Region

Two separate bombs went off Tuesday night in northern Somalia, killing at least 25 civilians and wounding more than 90 others, officials and witnesses said.
The bombs went off near the entry point to the port of Bossaso, the commercial hub of the Puntland regional autonomy dig more http://allafrica.com/stories/200802060009.html

Tube terror gang guilty

Five men were found guilty this afternoon of helping the failed 21/7 suicide bombers during a massive police manhunt across London.
Two of them were brothers of Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman - both serving 40 years for the attempt to bring carnage to the capital with rucksack bombs two weeks after the 7/7 attacks. dig more http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23435690-details/Tube+terror+gang+guilty/article.do

Somalia: Insurgents Are Responsible for Ethiopian Troops in Somalia, Says Speaker

Somali insurgents waging war on the country's transitional federal government are responsible for the continued presence of the Ethiopian army in the country, the parliament Speaker said today. dig more http://allafrica.com/stories/200802030021.html

Pirates hijack Danish-owned ship off Somali coast

MOGADISHU, Somalia: A Danish-owned tug boat with a British captain, an Irish engineer and four Russian crew members was seized off Somalia's northeastern coast and a ransom has been demanded, the ship owner and a Somali official said Monday. The U.S. Navy said it had ships in the region of the latest act of piracy off Somalia. dig more http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/04/africa/AF-GEN-Somalia-Piracy.php

Pirates hijack Russian ship off Somali coast

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Pirates seized a Russian ship with Russians and Britons aboard off Somalia's northeastern coast, an official said Monday.«We have learned of the hijacking of the Russian ship on Sunday,» said Abdirahman Mohamed Bangah, Puntland's information minister. «Now the ship is in the waters of the coastal town of Eyl. dig morehttp://www.pr-inside.com/pirates-hijack-russian-ship-off-somali-r419674.htm

Roadside bomb kills 8 people in Somali capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A roadside bomb killed eight civilians and wounded nine others when it exploded near a minibus full of passengers in the war-ravaged Somali capital on Sunday, witnesses and hospital staff said.
Hussein Ali, a resident of Wabari district in southern Mogadishu, said he saw eight bodies in the minibus. dig more http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-03-somalia-deaths_N.htm?csp=34

11 die in Mogadishu when car strikes landmine

MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 3 (Garowe Online) - At least eleven people, including five women, died and 10 others were seriously injured when a landmine destroyed a mini-bus they were traveling in on Sunday in the violence-wracked Somali capital, witnesses and the driver of the van said. dig more http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_8_Die_in_Mogadishu_when_car_struck_Landmine.shtml

Troops clash with insurgents in Somalia, lawmaker wounded

MOGADISHU, A band of rebels attacked Somali troops Friday in the southwestern town of Dinsor, near the government's temporary capital in Baidoa, local sources reported. DIG MORE http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Troops_clash_with_insurgents_in_Somalia_lawmaker_wounded.shtml

A Week in the Horn

In advance of the AU Summit, the International Contact Group on Somalia held a meeting in the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa for the first time. The ICG has previously provided a forum for discussion; this meeting, however, moved significantly beyond this to plan for concrete assistance to the TFG. It also agreed to expand membership of the group to include all stakeholders. The meeting was given a detailed briefing by Prime Minister Nur Hassan ‘Adde’ on political and security progress as well as the efforts made by his cabinet for reconciliation and dialogue. He emphasized that the Charter and the Transitional Federal Institutions provided a legitimate and viable framework for the process of re-establishing governance structures in Somalia. He detailed his government’s priorities and its action plan to address security, reconciliation, the humanitarian situation, the political road map and institutional development. The ICG welcomed the plans of Prime Minister Nur ‘Adde’. Co-chair Dr. Jendayi Frazer, US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, presented a proposal to restructure the ICG and strengthen its organization, flexibility and effectiveness. The proposal, accepted by the meeting, included the creation of ‘cluster groups’ to cover humanitarian responses, security and stability, political outreach, and the facilitation of key TFG concerns. Essentially, the proposal provides for a mechanism to support TFG efforts in the implementation of the proposed action plan. ICG members also pledged to co-ordinate their efforts and agreed to avoid the proliferation of initiatives which has had the effect of undermining attempts to solve Somalia’s problems. The meeting underlined the need for a UN deployment in Somalia, to address humanitarian problems, to continue to fight terrorism and piracy, ensure the implementation of the arms embargo, and assist in governance and the provision of social services.
In its subsequent communiqué, on Wednesday, the Contact Group welcomed the appointment of Prime Minister Nur ‘Adde’ and his new cabinet, the relocation of the TFG to Mogadishu, and the deployment of a Burundi battalion for AMISOM. The Burundi battalion has been deployed around the former US embassy compound in Mogadishu. It welcomed the recent release of detainees, including Ahmed Dirie Ali, spokesman for the Hawiye Leadership Council, whom leaders of the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, based in Eritrea, claimed had been killed. In its communiqué, the ICG emphasized the need for all Somalis to remain focused on the process leading to national elections next year, and welcomed the commitment of the Prime Minister to political dialogue and the transitional process. It urged all Somali stakeholders to distance themselves from extremist elements. The ICG expressed its concern over the humanitarian situation and reiterated its willingness to help build the capacity of the TFG. It noted that the “full and timely deployment of AMISOM and the strengthening of Somali security institutions will help create conditions for Ethiopia’s withdrawal from Somalia”. The ICG also joined the AU in calling for urgent planning and deployment of a United Nations mission to Somalia to take over from AMISOM. In a joint press statement on Thursday, the then AU Peace and Security Commissioner, Said Djinnit, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, and Norwegian Ambassador Kjell Herald Dalen, underlined that it was time for the international community to redeem the pledges it had made to the Somali peace process.

somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Price of Prosperity

The Price of Prosperityr

Rival clans continue to battle in Mogadishu. It's a low level war, with Ethiopian troops, and their local allies, driving out the families of those clans that oppose them DIG MORE http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080201.aspx

Islamist Terrorism Poses Renewed Threat

In early October, then-U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Director Scott Redd said that the U.S. public was not "tactically" safer than it was before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Many other U.S. and European officials ended 2007 less optimistic about the global terrorism situation than they began it.
This is in spite of the more positive outcomes of the international community's response to terrorism: dig more at http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/20/islamist-terrorism-jihad-cx_1221oxford.html?partner=links

Terrorist sympathizers from Masjid Ibn-Taymiyha Columbus Eight Somali store operators charged in food-stamp fraud

Eight men who ran four area food markets are accused of abusing federal food programs for the needy at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1.5 million, newly unsealed charges allege


http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/01/28/somalis.html

19 Killed in Somalia Clash

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic Terrorist firing rockets and mortars clashed with Somali troops and their Ethiopian allies in fighting that killed at least 17 civilians and two Ethiopian soldiers in the capital, witnesses said Tuesday.http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan29/0,4670,Somalia,00.html

French aid worker among four killed in Somalia terr attack

Three aid workers from France, Kenya and Somalia were killed Monday along with a local journalist by a roadside bomb near the southern Somali town of Kismayo, officials said.
The Dutch branch of aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) said three employees -- a Kenyan doctor, a French logistics expert and a Somali driver -- were among those killed by the blast. dig more http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZDxcNoxWr18IwjB3QocGSivrQGA

Republic of Ethiopia The Week in the Horn

http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/Week_Horn_Africa_Jan_25_2008.htm

News somalia

The African Union warned the Shabab insurgency is spreading to relatively peaceful areas. "Their strategy seems to be to further weaken the TFG [Transitional Federal Government] by destabilising as many areas as possible. ... In the Middle and Lower Juba regions, the al-Shabaab [military wing of the deposed Union of Islamic Courts] are reported to be training new recruits and planning attacks, taking advantage of the instability created by clashes between clans." More than 130 Somalis drowned as their boat capsized in the Red Sea.

African Union Unveils Road Map for Peace in Somalia

The African Union's top security official has presented Somalia's leaders a four-point plan for creating stability in the war-ravaged country. From the Somali capital, Mogadishu, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports the plan's ultimate goal is to entice the United Nations to take over peacekeeping duties from beleaguered Ethiopian and African Union troops. more at the Digg Store. http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-24-voa1.cfm

Top AU official in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU (AFP) - African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit on Wednesday arrived in Mogadishu to review the African body's peacekeeping operation and meet Somali officials. "The purpose of my visit is to meet the prime minister and the cabinet members to express our support for efforts in the peace process in Somalia," he told reporters at the airport.Djinnit, on a one-day visit to the war-torn Somali capital, went straight into talks with new premier Nur Hassan Hussein."The second point is to meet Amisom, our troops on the ground and their commanders, to express our position on the wonderful job they are doing on behalf of Africa in supporting peace in Somalia," Djinnit added. More of this story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080123/wl_africa_afp/somaliaunrestafricanunion

New Somalia Cabinet Locates to Mogadishu

By James Butty Washington, D.C.23 January 2008
Butty interview with Ashkii Listen to Butty interview with Ashkii

Somalia’s newly confirmed cabinet ministers are beginning their third day of work Wednesday in the violent-plagued capital of Mogadishu after arriving over the weekend, marking the official relocation of the new government from Baidoa to the national capital. Abdirazak Ashkii is Somalia’s minister for reconciliation. He old VOA that Mogadishu is relatively safe despite reports of frequent mortar attacks from Islamic insurgents. More of this story

http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-01-23-voa5.cfm

Most Wanted Man in Horn of Africa The Islamic Courts' Leader.

TFSF Headline NEWS

The Islamic Courts' Leaders

the leadership of Somalia's Islamic Courts and Shabab.
Somalia's Islamic Courts presentation looks at the major players in the Islamic Courts and affiliated Shabab movement. Both organizations have deep ties to al Qaeda and are waging a violent insurgency against the Transitional Federal Goverment and allied Ethiopian forces.

Read the Rest of the Headline ON

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/01/in_pictures_the_islamic_courts.asp

news briefing, State Department

news briefing, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the fact of Monday's meeting does not mean the United States is on the verge of recognizing Somaliland and that U.S. policy on the matter is unchanged.
He said U.S. officials believe it important to have contacts with responsible political figures from all over Somalia, who have an interest in building the country's institutions and taking it to, as he put it, a more hopeful future:
"Certainly Jendayi's [Frazer's] meetings fall solidly within that category, and it's a policy we are going to continue to pursue," said Sean McCormack. "We have interests in fighting terrorism in Somalia as well as in the Horn of Africa. Part of trying to bring about some greater stability in Somalia, writ large, involves working with the political parties, encouraging the political parties and political leaders in Somali to come together."
McCormack said the United States defers to the African Union as the appropriate forum to address the recognition issue.
Recent U.N. Security Council resolutions on Somalia, backed by the United States, reaffirm support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of the country

Problems in the VOA-Somali Service

Problems in the VOA-Somali ServiceBy Abdirahman Warsame

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/problems_in_the_voasomali_serv.html

At the beginning of the Voice Of America-Somali program, Somalis in the Diaspora and back home were very enthusiastic about the radio service. From the start expectations were very high, particularly as US foreign policy toward Africa has taken a new course in the last few years, following suspected al-Qaeda efforts to establish itself in East and Central Africa. Read more at american thinker.

An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers

When Osama bin Laden issued his videotaped message to the American people last month, a young jihad enthusiast went online to help spread the word.America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness,” he wrote on his blog. “America is known to be a people of arrogance.”
Unlike Mr. bin Laden, the blogger was not operating from a remote location. It turns out he is a 21-year-old American named Samir Khan who produces his blog from his parents’ home in North Carolina, where he serves as a kind of Western relay station for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups. more..http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/us/15net.html?_r=1

TFSF Factor of the Week

From the Executive Director:

This is just my observation. I actually think Somalis abroad are less informed and aware of the principles of democracy. Most seem to be driven by their emotions than reason. The fact that they only react to the extreme action of the government is an evidence for their lack of commitment to build democracy in Somalia . It takes dedication, hard work and sacrifices to build a democratic society anywhere, let alone in Africa. If Somalia's are lacking the interest to participate in the building of democracy in somalia when it is relatively peaceful and only react when things are in chaos, it seems to me that somalia do not understand the basic steps in building democracy.

If you would like to know whether I know the answer to the political problem in Somalia , I don’t know. I also think no one knows the right answer to this question. But I know what would lead to the answer, an open dialog among all the stake holders. I also believe that this would not happen till all Somalis think they are Somalia first and however they want to describe themselves second. If one is only defined by by tribe or region, it is hard to compromise for the good of all. So, it is hard to believe that the Diaspora know the answer to somalia complex political problem when they can’t even see beyond their tribe association.

Clear-cut democratic issues like unity, individual freedom, individual rights and obligations, justice and equality for all are but bitter and sour pills for tribal political epistles and disciples. In the name of this or that liberation front, these misguided tribal political groups have already stained themselves with and washed their hands by the blood of innocent somolis, ICU Islamic Courts Union's , SDN (Somali Diaspora Network), WSC/USC, elders of the Hawiye clan and others who carry the trade marks of so-called liberation fronts (LFs) hate democratic language and democratic preconditions. They are not willing to forge the noble wisdom of unity that serves as a pillar for peace, prosperity; they forget that democratic tradition is the pathway that brings society towards the fulfillment of democratic rights, freedom of individuals and freedom of groups. those groups are undemines the development and prolongs our position as one of the poorest countries in the world. As long as we continue to hate one another within, how can we hope to compete globally?

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The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.