UK and Siwss Hostage negotiations by AQIM, in Gao, Mali, Acades, Niger

London considers granting facilitations to Abu QatadaBritain and Algeria warn abductors of the two hostages

Britain has proposed to offer facilitations to abductors of detainee Abu Quatada in exchange of releasing the British national.

• Meanwhile, both Britain and Algeria have made what it is called as “the last warning” to the kidnappers.
• Military actions which had already been planned on the triple borderline between Algeria, Mali, Niger and Mauritania before May, are likely to be resumed, following the expiration of the two weeks ultimatum being set by Sahel countries to facilitate vain negotiations with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Britain and Switzerland, said a security source.

However, a well informed source unveiled to El Khabar that Britain has made the most interesting proposal to the Sahara Emirate at AQIM, stipulating facilitating judicial procedures to Abu Qatada, in a way so as not to harm his legal situation.

Yet, a Salafist mediator, in Europe, already played mediation role in ongoing negotiations with terror abductor group led by Yahia Djouadi, mentioned that Abu Qatada is wanted by several countries, including France, Spain and Jordan, therefore releasing Abu Qatada means setting him subject to prosecution and abduction, the same source added.

However, the two abov ementioned hostages are likely to be released sooner, according to echoes coming from the place where secret negotiations are being conducted, namely in Gao, in Mali, and Acades, in Niger.

Yet, an Algerian security source had ruled out that Abu Amar group to dare and execute the British hostage, before the expiration of the two weeks ultimatum given to the British Government to release Abu Qatada.

The latter is considered as theorist of terror groups.

El Khabar source further said: “we’ve got guarantees from many influent parties in northern Mali and Niger over the life of the British hostage;” pointing out that “elders in tribes close to Algeria mentioned that Abu Amar group tends to release sooner the two hostages in exchange of some guarantees and an 8 millions euros ransom.”

On another side, Algerian security services and British Foreign Intelligence Services have both warned Sahara Emirate at AQIM of the consequence of touching the life of the two hostages. Algeria and Britain’s security services threatened to launch a wide military action targeting at eradicating the abductors and parties supporting them.

31-05-2009 By A.N/ Translation A.Ait El Hara 

The Rest @ al Khabar

Internal on Commentary by Taliban on Taliban Losses in Pakistan

Due to the latest military statements from the Pakistani Army, there have been a few brothers that have voiced their concern. Other than my own opinion that these statements are lies and a way to make themselves feel better, there are some important things to remember:

Patience is key; everyone thought the Taliban in Afghanistan was brought to an end. Few years later, they surprised everyone and re-wrote history books as they are one of the major underlining reasons for the [upcoming] end of the American empire and the humiliation of its army. Therefore, be patient and don’t be of the opposite; this is not allowed in our religion since Allah has promised that the end belongs to the Mutaqeen.

The Mujahideen themselves don’t despair; if they did, they wouldn’t be fighting in the first place.
Remember that if Allah grants losses to the Mujahideen, then it is only for their benefit; this is due to numerous reasons such as cleansing their ranks from the Munafiqeen, and weak Muslims. Military losses test the endurance, steadfastness and patience of the fighters; if they don’t show these qualities in face of hardship, then they don’t deserve to be in the ranks of the Muflihoon.

The nature of Guerrilla War is something that military generals of conventional armies hate admitting.

They know very well that there is no such thing - when fighting a guerrilla army - as a decisive battle that will end the war. There may be major losses in some guerrilla battles, but there is never a decisive battle; rather, the lifelline of the guerrilla’s depend on their recruits, resources and influence. As long as these are alive and well, the battle can carry on for many years; for Muslims, you can add one more category to that: Deen (a comprehensive term encompassing Iman, Tawakkul, seeking knowledge, implementing Shari’ah, Love of the religion and jihad etc.). These four qualities are very strong in the TTP, so don’t expect them to all of a sudden give up like the Sri Lanka guerrilla’s.

It is incorrect to think wrongly of your brothers. Don’t think for a moment that your brothers and sons will give up jihad. Everyone thought that the Jihad in Saudi Arabia was over with the massive crackdowns and arrests by the Saudi Kingdom; today, the Mujahideen in Saudi have joined hands with their brothers in Yemen and became a powerful force once again, constantly attacking the Apostates and Kuffar, striking fear into them whilst gaining more support through their influence and media efforts.

There have been many reports that even the US Government is having a hard time believing in the number of dead Taliban that the Pakistani’s are claiming. That should tell you something.
Remember to include the Mujahideen of Pakistan in your du’a and ask your friends to do the same. The battles are getting hot and the tide can change whenever Allah wills; perhaps, it will be your du’a that will give the Mujahideen a powerful strike against the enemy.

After Allah, have hope in the actions of the Mujahideen.

Recently, the Mujahideen in Pakistan have gone on a bombing campaign in Lahore, humiliating the Murtadeen Army.

Make du’a that Allah enables them to repeat these powerful strikes that shake the thrones of the Khaasireen.

Finally, the lack of military news/media coming from the side of the Pakistani Taliban should strongly indicate the importance of participating in the global media jihad.

Quite frankly, this is so Remething they need to work on better. Influence can increase greatly when they take advantage of this field. Savvy Irhabi discussed this in more depth in our last Jihad Recollections release.

The Rest @

The 2000 Somali National Peace Conference Participants

Professor Mohamed Abdi Gandi

• (coordinator, member of Somali Intellectuals Forum; based in Germany as Director of NGO Somali Peaceline);

Kamar Yousuf, M.A/M.B.A
An independent consultant. She was the regional finance manager for an international NGO, which provides air transport, communication and information technology to all humanitarian organizations working in Iraq. In this capacity, she designed and implemented financial management systems for two offices based in Iraq and Jordan. Kamar earned her MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California. She worked in the Africa and Central Asia regions of the World Bank as a consultant on poverty assessment projects, and conducted gender analysis. She has also a Masters degree in Peace Studies with emphasis on International Conflict Resolution from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Yusuf Ahmed Nur, PhDProfessor of Strategic Management and International Business at the Department of Business and Economics, State University of New York, Brockport.

He has a PhD in Strategic Management from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. His research has been published in refereed journals, and he has presented at both the Academy of Management and Academy of International Business, two of the most prestigious management associations in the USA.

Ahmed Abdi Dahir “ Shell”, BA.
Worked with SHELL & BP OIL Company from 1967-1972 in various positions most recently being the Manager of the Berbera Installation. Served as a Somali senior civil servant and Politician with various positions, lately holding the position of Assistant to the Minister of Youth and Sports. Worked with USAIDTIPCO as Private Sector Development Program Manager in Somalia. Served his local community as Director of Somali Relief and Rehabilitation Association (SORRA). Served as member of Somali Olympic Committee from 1967 to present. An activist with Somali Civil Society and at present Chairman of Somali Revival Council as well as Executive Member of Somali Intellectuals Forum (SIF), all based in London, UK.

Eng. Abdulkadir Aden Abdulle
Laurea in Ingegneria Electtrotecnica Universita’ La Sapienza, Roma. 1967.Served as a Minister of Public Works. Worked as a director general, Ente Nazionale Energia Eletterica. Technical director Societa’ Elettroindustriale Somala. Currently a businessman and a Somali Civil Society activist.

Gen. Jama Mohamed Ghalib
Member of the Somali Civil Society, participant of the Somali National Reconciliation conference. Retired police general, former chief of Somali National Police Force, cabinet minister of interior, labour, local government and transportation. Acquired legal training and experience, and a worked as a notary public in Mogadishu and Hargeysa.

Prof. Ahmed I. Samatar, PhD
James Wallace Professor and Dean, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. A scholar and author of five books and over thirty scholarly articles published in refereed and academic journals. Editor of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies.
Dr. Ibrahim Sheikh Mohamed, MD, FMGMS
Specialist in internal medicine and cardiology. Former lecturer at Somali National University, faculty of medicine. Lecturer at Mogadishu University, faculty of nursing. Activist in Somali Civil Society.

Abdulkadir Hassan Shirwa
ProfessorDegree: MS in Agronomy, Nottingham University, U.K. 1989-1991Profession: Agriculturalist. Specialization: Food Security, Crop and Livestock ProductionExperience: • Former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture (1979-1983)• Part-time Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, Florence, Italy (1992-1994)• USAID’s Farming Early Warning System (FEWS) Country Representative for Somalia (1998-2002)• USAID’s Farming Early Warning System (FEWS) Country Representative for Somalia and Djibouti (2001-2002)• FAO Somalia Program Advisor (2003-Present)Contact:• P.O. Box 6630, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya• Telephone: 0721570619• Email: ahshirwa@faonairobi.or.ke

Hussein Mao Haji, PhD
Research Scientist Degree: Ph.D., University of Guelph, Canada, Specialization: Plant Breeding and Crop ProductionProfessional Experience: • Coordinator for Sorghum Improvement in Somalia (1985-1988)• Director Central Agriculture Research Centre (CARS), (1989-1990)• Research Scientist, Agriculture Canada/Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation (1997-Present)Contact:• 87 Clara Crescent, London, ON N6E 3G5, Canada• Telephone: (519) 582-2370 Ext. 257• Email. hhaji@ontarioflue-cured.com

Ali Sheikh Ahmed Abubakar, PhD

Former Associate Professor in King Saudi University, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. President of Mogadishu University. Author of The Roots of the Current Crisis In Somalia (in Arabic). And published other books and articles about the history of Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

Mohamed Barre Muse, M Sc Economics and Finance.

Researcher, Center for Research and Dialogue (CRD), Mogadishu, Somalia.Lecturer, Mogadishu University, Somalia. Worked in humanitarian, development and policy analysis in Somalia and North Eastern Kenya with local, international and UN agencies. Contact: Mobile: +2521 503303 Mogadishu Somalia Email: mbarre98@yahoo.com

Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir

LLB.Acting Chairman of Formal Private Education Network in Somalia (FPENS).EMBA fellow as an executive Manager in Maastricht School of Management (MSM), and Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI)Member of Board of Directors, Somali Institute of Management and Administration Development (SIMAD). Since 1992 has worked with international and local organizations in the development of educational programs in Somalia.

Prof Mohamed Abdi Mohamed “Gandhi”PhD in Geology, PhD in Anthropology/History and HDR, Besancon University.

Former In-charge Researcher, IDR, Paris. Awarded International Laureate from French Academy. Served as a senior program advisor of UNDP Somalia in DDR. Lead Consultant in Mapping the Somali Civil Society. Chaired the Technical Committee in Arta Somali Peace process and member of Somali Civil Society in the Somali Peace and Reconciliation Conference in Kenya. Published eight books and edited three studies, and published more than 40 scientific articles in academic journals

Dr. Mohamed Gedi Qayad, MD, MS, MPH, MSPH
A Medical epidemiologist with the Georgia division of public health, USA, former Vice Chairman of the department of community medicine in the Faculty of Medicine in Mogadishu Somalia. A fellow of the Atlanta-, USA, based Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in bio statistics and quantitative epidemiology in tuberculoses. Experienced in the area of public health for both developing and developed countries, and worked as a consultant for WHO Afghanistan.
H. E. Abdirazak Haji HuseinPrime Minister of Somalia,1964 to 1967, and an elected MP. Minister of Interior 1960 to 1962.Minister of Public Works, Post, and Telecommunications, 1962 to 1964.Devoted worker of peace and reconciliation in Somalia.

Abdilatif Mohamud AbdiProfession:

Veterinary Scientist and Livestock Consultant, Development Educationalist, Project Manager and Environmentalist.Experience: Field veterinarian, livestock consultant and trainer. Senior lecturer/Researcher, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Somali National University. Project Manager in Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation activities in Somalia.Education researcher, UNDP Somalia.

Jabril I. Abdulle, MA
Co-Director, Centre for Research and Development, CRD/WSPI, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Abdi Ismail Samatar, PhD
Professor of Geography and Global Studies, University of Minnesota.Author of over 35 scientific articles and three books. His book the African Miracle was the finalist for Herskovitz Award in African Studies in North America in 2000. Elected Director of the African Studies Association, 1999 – 2003. He was also a Fulbright scholar in Botswana and Ethiopia. He also served as an advisor to South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council.

Mohamed Kassim, PhD
Teaches at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, Toronto, Canada. He taught at Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada, Aug. 2002 to May 2003. He is a PhD Candidate in the History Department at York University, Canada, and has published on the history of the Benadir coast in the nineteenth century. He is currently working on a two-volume book based on the 19th century court records of Brava, Somalia.

Abdi Mohamed Bafo, BS, MS in Agriculture
Researcher in Agriculture, 1984 to 1990 and engaged in humanitarian and development work with international organizations during the Civil War. Active in voluntary contribution in Civil Society initiatives aimed at peace building.

Abdulkadir Yahya Ali
BSc, Co-Director of the Center for Research & Dialogue (CRD), former Liaison Officer for the European Commission/Somalia, former National Political Officer for the United Nations in Somalia, Assistant Protocol of the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, Political/Economic Advisor to the U.S. Embassy. Member and founder of the FALSAN, an active civil society organization based in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Amina Said, M.Sc/M.Sc
A scientist and a poet. She is a Molecular Biologist and Toxicologist, and works at the Department Epidimiology/Bio-Bank in the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. She is self published author of a collection of poems in Somali language.

Hinda J. Jarik, J.D

Hinda Jarik is a corporate/securities Attorney working at World Bank. Currently she is reviewing the Legal Framework for Somalia. Prior to the World Bank she worked as an Attorney at law firm in Washington DC. She has a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University, School of Law in Chicago, USA.

Abdullahi Haider PhD
Research in geosciences, mineral and oil exploration. Senior lecturer Department of Geology Somali National University. Senior Researcher at Geological Survey of Denmark and Copenhagen University. Royal Society fellowship in UK. Published several articles on mineral and oil resources in Somalia. Worked on development projects in Somalia with International organisations.

Dr. Abdusalam OmerIs

a seasoned Public Finance Management Analyst, currently leading the Governance and Financial Services Program at UNDP-Somalia. Dr. Omer served as Chief of Staff for the Mayor of the District of Columbia and a budget Director of the Budget

Source @ Somaliwatch

Somlia Similar to Afghanistan in 2001 Says Whitehall

A growing number of young Somali Britons who have received “global jihad” training in Somalia pose a terrorist risk to the United Kingdom.
With al-Qaeda (AQ) in effect ousted from Iraq and constantly attcked by American Predator air attacks in Pakistan, the AQ franchise in East Africa, and notably Somalia, has become a greater focus of attention for the international counter-terrorist agencies.

“Somalia has some of the characteristics of Afghanistan in 2000 and 2001 — a country of ungoverned space which AQ can exploit,” a senior Whitehall official said.

For Britain, the evidence of spreading AQ training camps in Somalia is particularly alarming because of the large Somali community in the UK. About 70,000 live in London, 10,000 in the borough of Tower Hamlets.

Jonathan Evans, the Director-General of MI5, has emphasised that three-quarters of the agency’s international counter-terrorism resources still have to be devoted to Pakistan because of the 400,000 Pakistani-Britons who travel back and forth to Pakistan every year. Most of the terrorist plots uncovered since 9/11 were connected in some way to Pakistan.

Somalia has moved up the agenda and is viewed increasingly as a terrorist haven and growing resource for AQ’s global ambitions.

Although it is believed that the motivation for young Somali Britons may principally be to receive instruction so that they can fight in Afghanistan or join jihad in Somalia, Whitehall officials accept that some might decide to use the expertise they have acquired in the camps to return to Britain and start planning attacks.

Two of the four men who were convicted over the plot to detonate bombs on Tube trains and a bus in London on July 21, 2005 were from Somalia. Ramzi Mohammad had come to the UK from Somalia with his family in 1998, and Yassin Omar had been in the UK since the early 1990s. They and two Ethiopian-born Britons, Muktar Said Ibrahim and Hussein Osman, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

MI5 categorises its counter-terrorism coverage by networks rather than individuals. So there is no unit specifically focusing on Somali suspects unless they are involved in a targeted network. The domestic security service has learnt since 2005 that networks are often of mixed ethnic make-up. The East African connection is assessed as a growing threat.

“There is no doubt that there is training activity and terrorist planning in East Africa, particularly in Somalia, which is focused on the UK,” Mr Evans said in a speech two years ago.

Since then there has been evidence that the threat has grown.

• Whitehall officials said that the number of Somali Britons going to Somalia for training was “not huge” but was increasing.
• As a consequence, and because the focus on AQ in Iraq has been downgraded, extra resources are being channelled into combating the East Africa/Somalia terrorist connection because of the perceived risk of trained British nationals returning from camps to become attack planners in the UK.

The Rest @ Times Online

Abdirahman Farah Derow Dead, Ahmed Osman Abdalla Wounded in Car accident

MOGADISHU (Mareeg)—The deputy commander of Hiiran region in central Somalia has died on Sunday in a car accident that took place near the airport of Beledweyne town, where the Islamic Courts Union controls.

Sheik Ibrahim Yusuf, the commander of the Islamic Courts Union of Beledweyne confirmed that Abdirahman Farah Derow, the deputy commander of the Islamic Courts has died in the cart accident.

The commander of the Islamic Courts Union in Hiraan region Ahmed Osman Abdalla has also been wounded in the car accident.

Unidentified numbers of soldiers were also wounded in the car accident. It is not known the cause of the accident.

The Rest @ Mareeg.com

By Farah Ahmed Mohamed

Cocaine Shipment Captured in Ghana

22 May 2009 – The head of the United Nations anti-drug agency today congratulated Ghana on the seizure of a multi-million dollar cocaine shipment in Port Tema earlier this week.

Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said the seizure “shows that law enforcement officials are getting better at reading the warning signs.”

Ghanaian police and customs authorities, working in a Joint Port Control Unit which was established with the support of UNODC in 2008, discovered 72 kilograms of cocaine in a container from Ecuador. The shipment had a street value of around $ 7 million in Europe, UNODC said.

UNODC said Ghanaian law enforcement officials used profiling techniques learned from the UN training, noting that perhaps insiders in the port of Ecuador are cooperating with people in Port Tema to smuggle drugs and falsify customs documents.

This is the second notable success for the Port Tema authorities within a year. Soon after the launch of the UNODC training programme, customs officers intercepted three stolen luxury cars in containers coming from Spain, the agency said.

“Criminal groups should learn that developing countries are no longer a safe haven for smuggling,” stressed Mr. Costa.

UNODC said some 420 million sea containers move around the world every year, with only a tiny fraction of them being inspected.

UNODC and the World Customs Organization have designed the Container Control Programme to assist Governments in developing countries to establish effective controls over the movement of containers and make it harder for terrorists and other criminals to use these for smuggling.

That Programme is now operational in Ecuador, Ghana, Pakistan, Senegal and Turkmenistan, and will be extended to ports in Central Asia and Latin America, UNODC said.

West Africa is a key transit hub for drug shipments en route to Europe. A report released by UNODC in October 2008 claimed that at least 50 tons of cocaine from Latin America are entering West Africa every year, en route to Europe where the drug sells for almost $2 billion.

The Rest @ The united Nations

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Sharif Ahmed, a Complex Relationship

This is an excerpt from a larger story by Xan Rice or Kenya. He describes The History and relationship between Dahir Aweys of the Union of Islamic Courts, and Sharif Ahmed the New President of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government.

-Shimron Issachar


.........The Islamic Courts Union had two main leaders: Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, forty-four, a former geography teacher, and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a seventy-four year old henna-bearded cleric who appears on US terrorism lists for his alleged links to al Qaeda. One afternoon my fixer arranged an interview with Ahmed. We met in a heavily shaded room in a house near the mayor’s office.
“We just want to bring peace to the country,” Ahmed told me, speaking softly in Somali and trying to stress that being an Islamist did not necessarily mean being a threat to the outside world. “We will not impose anything on the people if the people are against it, not even sharia law.”

There was little time to impose anything. Within months the Courts had been swept out of power by Ethiopian forces backed by the United States, which viewed the Islamists as a terror threat. The weak and corrupt Transitional Federal Government, disliked by most Somalis and completely dependent on Ethiopian muscle, was installed in Mogadishu. Ahmed and Aweys both fled the country, leaving behind a brewing insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 civilian lives in two years, according to local human rights groups.

Today the Ethiopia occupation is over and the two former leaders are back in Mogadishu – and on opposite sides. In a twist that would have seemed highly improbable in 2006, Ahmed is now the Western-backed president of the transitional government. He has installed sharia law, though less out of popular demand than as a means of appeasing the hardline Islamist groups fiercely trying to oust his administration. This opposition, which is not united, includes the radical Shabaab guerillas, who have been carrying out punishing alleged criminals in areas under their control using amputations, and a more politically motivated militia called Hizbul Islam, which owes loyalty to Aweys.

Aweys returned to Mogadishu in April from Eritrea, where he had set up an opposition group that had strongly opposed Ahmed’s move in government. There were hopes that he would enter in discussions with Ahmed, who had said he was willing to talk to his former ally. Indeed, according to diplomatic sources, Sudan had even hosted Aweys for three weeks before his return, with the Sudanese president Omar el Bashir personally trying to convince him to support the transitional government.

Instead, Aweys’s passage home has breathed life into the insurgency, which had slowed significantly following the departure of the Ethiopian troops in January. A day after arriving back Aweys demanded the withdrawal of the 4300 African Union peacekeepers before entering into any talks, and then called for all Islamist groups to fight the government, which he described as a tool of the West.

Soon Mogadishu was in turmoil once more. Nearly 200 people have been killed in the fighting between pro-government and Islamist-led militias over the past two weeks, and more than 40,000 people have fled the city. Some have headed into neighbouring Kenya, to the world’s largest refugee settlement, Dabaab, designed for 90,000 people, which squats in desert-like terrain. When I visited last August there were 210,000 people in the camp, and no space for new arrivals. Now the population is 270,000, with 5000 more people arriving every month.

The Shabaab, which has used Somalia’s complex social dynamics to advantage by securing the support of some smaller clans that feel marginalised, has gained ground in Mogadishu in the latest fighting and took control of the strategic town of Jowhar, fifty-six miles north of Mogadishu, last Sunday. Hizbul Islam has also made gains. There are reports of several hundred foreign guerrillas fighting alongside the opposition groups, and warnings that the government may soon fall, leaving al Qaeda-linked radicals in charge. Both the likelihood of the government’s collapse and the strength of the Islamists’ terror links may well be exaggerated, but nonetheless there is serious concern as to what comes next.
One of the a

One of the diplomats who was closely involved in the talks in Djibouti that led to Ahmed joining the government said that both Somalis and international community had “taken their foot off the accelerator” over the past few months, thinking that the worst fighting was over. “There is a very serious risk of underestimating and failing to understand the dangers ahead, particularly among the international community. In New York [at the United Nations], some diplomats are still saying: ‘So Aweys is back in Somalia, and that’s a good thing isn’t it?’ – they still don’t get the dynamics at play.”....

(Xan Rice is a Nairobi-based journalist who writes regularly for Inside Story.)

The Rest @ Inside Story (Australia)

al Qaeda Takes Direct Charge of Insurgency in Somalia

The following report from The Times suggests that Foreign Commanders have taken charge of the Islamist offensive in Somalia.

This is remarkeable development, suggests that Transitional Government Forces, who has recently counter attacked, has stripped the combined Shabaab and Hizbul Islam Units of thier local Leadership.

Key questions are:

• Where are Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and Muktar Abdirahman Godane?
• Has there been a falling out breaking their recent re-uniting?
• Have the forces so fractured that only Seasoned al Qaeda leaders can hold them together?

It may be that The Times are likely misreading the count of 1000 foreign fighters. They may be double counting, reading reports that there are about 300 fighters, and believing these fighters just arrive, added those numbers already there.

There may have been up to 500 foriegn fighters at the begining of the offensive, and unless plane loads of new foreign fighters have arrived in last few weeks that is a more likely number.

-Shimron Issachar

Up to a thousand foreign fighters, including Britons, have answered the call to jihad in Somalia and are leading street-fighting Islamist extremists in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, The Times has learnt.
Early yesterday the Western-backed Government launched a counter-offensive after almost a fortnight of attacks by insurents that have killed at least 200 civilians.

At least 45 people were killed yesterday in battles across the city, the highest daily death toll for months.

The insurgents’ attacks have threatened to topple the shaky Government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed only weeks after the international community pledged £135 million to support him.

Senior security officials in the region say that the foreign fighters are behind the recent success of the extremists. More than 290 fighters from Britain, the US, Canada, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia entered Mogadishu in the past two weeks.

An intelligence report seen by The Times, which is due to be presented to the US Congress next week, states: “An estimated ten foreigners have taken the lead to command both Somali and foreign fighters in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.”
“I have no doubt that some of the foreign fighters are British as well as North American and Scandinavian,” said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the top Somali diplomat for the United Nations. One Western diplomat with experience in Somalia said: “These foreigners are the ones with al-Qaeda links. I would be surprised if Britons were not the leading foreign members of al-Shabaab.” [...]
“Al-Shabaab welcomes and calls foreign fighters for jihad,” said Jason Mosley, an Africa analyst at Oxford Analytica. In most cases foreign fighters bring religious fervour helping to radicalise the bulk of disparate al-Shabaab militants, who fight mostly for money or under duress.
Of course, if there were not broad acceptance of Sharia in letter and in principle across Somalia, the jihadists -- styling themselves as bearers of "law and order" -- would not have gotten as far as they have.

A smaller number have military skills, financing and weaponry. “We understand that these fighters are providing training to the extremist insurgents and are helping to mobilise funding and source weapons, the level of which we have never seen before,” Nicolas Bwakira, the head of the African Union (AU) Somalia mission, said.

Intelligence sources said that foreign jihadis from Britain and elsewhere had joined an alliance of al-Shabaab factions and Hizb al-Islam extremists that have coalesced around Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. The Sheikh, who is wanted as a terrorist by the US, returned from exile in April to take on the fragile Administration of Mr Ahmed.

The Rest @ Jihad Watch

Somalia TGS Strikes Back

MOGADISHU - Somali government forces attacked rebel strongholds in Mogadishu on Friday, triggering battles across the capital that killed at least 15 people.

• Witnesses said four insurgents from the hardline Islamist al Shabaab group died and a journalist from local independent Shabelle Radio was also killed.
• "I saw masked men running away carrying the bodies of four of their friends," said a mother-of-three who lives in the city's sprawling Bakara Market, told Reuters.
• "We were surprised to see men in government uniforms fighting in Bakara. They have recaptured four police stations between here and the palace, and they are advancing further."
• Sources at two Mogadishu hospitals said they received 85 wounded civilians on Friday, and that four of them later died.
• Residents in the city's Hodon district said the bodies of six dead insurgents were lying at a police station there.

Residents said Friday's pre-dawn assaults looked to be a concerted effort by pro-government forces to seize back control of strategic sites in the capital held by the rebels.

• "They have surrounded Bakara Market, al Shabaab's biggest stronghold in the city. We hope for the sake of peace that the government forces do not retreat later," one local man said.

Hassan Mahdi, a spokesman for Hizbul Islam, another Islamist guerrilla group battling the government, told Reuters by telephone that troops had struck at their positions too.

• "Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam are counter-attacking ... we have pushed them back in some places. There are casualties, but I can't say how many. We are in the middle of fighting," Mahdi said as heavy gunfire thundered in the background.

Local journalist Abdirizak Warsame was killed in the crossfire as he walked to work at his radio station."A stray bullet hit him in the head and he died on the spot," Shabelle Radio boss Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe told Reuters.

The Rest @ Dose.ca

Caucasus: Musa Mukozhev, Khasan Sizhazhev, Abu Usman and Zeytun Sultanov Killed

Three Deaths confirmed by Anikah.

Our brothers the Naibs (deputies) of the Combined Province of KBK,

• Emir Abu Muhammad (Musa Mukozhev)
• Emir Hamza (Marat Guliyev)
• brother Khasan Sizhazhev became Shuhada (Martyrs), on 10 May 2009.

....But we testify that decent brothers, who were engaged in the affairs of Muslims of Northern Caucasus for more than 10 years have left us. And who knew them know that who these brothers were and what business they did.....

....Information on martyrdom of a Naib of Wali of KBK Province, our brother Abu Usman (Zeytun Sultanov), who [was killed in battle]on 22 April 2009 in the village of Hasanya of Combined Province of KBK, has also been confirmed......

The Rest from Anikah

Abu Zubayr wounded, Possibly Dead

The leader of Al Shabaab is reported to have been wounded and possibly killed in what appears to be an accidental explosion at a safe house outside Mogadishu.

Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed, the reclusive spiritual leader of the radical al Qaeda-linked terror group, was seriously wounded in the explosion on May 17. He is reportedly being treated at a hospital in northern Mogadishu, according to Garowe Online. Another source, Waaga Cusub, a Toronto-based Somali website aligned with the Hawiye clan in Mogadishu, speculated that Mohamed may have been killed, although the report has not been confirmed.

• Eleven Shabaab fighters and three or four "foreign fighters" were killed in the incident.
• One report indicated that three Pakistanis were among those killed.
• After the incident, Shabaab fighters immediately cordoned the home and prevented witnesses from getting near the site, making confirmation difficult.
• Mohamed, who is also known as Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr and Godane, is reported to have been hosting a meeting of senior Shabaab commanders when the explosion occurred. No other senior leaders have been reported killed or wounded.
• The cause of the explosion is unknown.
• One witness told Waaga Cusub that "missiles" struck the safe house.
• No US airstrike has been reported in the region.
• US officials contacted by The Long War Journal would not comment on the reports of a potential strike.
• The US has carried out several strikes against al Qaeda and Shabaab leaders since early 2007.

But the cause of the explosion appears to be a premature detonation of one or more bombs on site. A source close to Shabaab told Garowe Online that one or more car bombs detonated due to faulty wiring.

• Another witness told Waaga Cusub that one of the Pakistanis was training for a suicide attack against African peacekeepers and crossed the wrong wires.
• After the explosion on Sunday, a Shabaab spokesman stated that three car bombs built for use against African peacekeepers had accidentally detonated.
  

Shabaab has carried out numerous suicide attacks inside Somalia and the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland. The terror group is estimated to have between 280 and 300 foreign fighters in its ranks.

Shabaab has openly lobbied to join al Qaeda, and the offer has been warmly received by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command.

• Mohamed is one of the original founders of Shabaab, or the Young Mujahideen Movement in Somalia.


• In November 2008, Mohamed and two other senior Shabaab leaders were designated as terrorists by the US.


• He has taken on a more visible role since the death of Shabaab's chief military commander Aden Hashi Ayro in a May 1, 2008, airstrike.


• Mohamed rarely appears in the media, but just six days ago released an audio recording in which he denounced the Somali government, led by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a former ally during the rule of the Islamic Courts.


• Ahmed and the parliament had attempted to appease the radical Islamist groups by passing a bill imposing sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country.

Shabaab and the allied Hizbul Islam are battling for control of central and southern Somalia with Islamic Courts factions that reconciled with the weak Transitional Federal Government. Despite the alliance and support from several thousand African Union troops, the Ahmed government controls only small areas of the capital of Mogadishu; nearly all of the southern and central provinces are under Shabaab and Hizbul Islam control.

.....Shabaab recently took control of the town of Jowhar in the central province of Hiran from the Islamic Courts.

• The move sparked an incursion from the Ethiopian Army, which invaded Somalia in December 2006, ousted the Islamic Courts, and occupied the country until its withdrawal in January 2009.
• Ethiopian forces have been spotted moving into Hiran. The incursion has placed the Ahmed government in an awkward position.

The Ethiopians are disliked, but the Islamic Courts and the Somali government are incapable of defeating Shabaab and Hizbul Islam without outside help.

The Rest @ The Long War Journal

Hassan Dahir Aweys flew on Capital Arilines Plane from Kenya

Farah Transport chartered a plane with Capital Airlines to Fly Hassan Dahir Aweys and Six others from Eritria to Mogadishu on 22 April, 2009.


Somalia Islamist Military Offensive

• It looks like Turki and his group is running the Logistics, and has brought at least one resuplly of fresh foreigh troops an supplies up from the south.
• There is a Sheikh Umal legedly raising Funds for Shabaab out of an Eastleigh, Kenya Hotel. The operation in Eastleigh is part of a network that extends to Europe and provides ready cash for radical fighters in Mogadishu.

but that is for another post...

See the article below..

-Shimron Issachar

Nairobi - Kenya has been sucked into the Somali conflict after a key radical on the US terror watch-list used a Nairobi-based airline to fly to Mogadishu from Eritrea.

The Somali government has written a protest note to Nairobi after Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys flew on a plane owned by Capital Airlines, which is based at Wilson Airport.

Sheikh Aweys and six other Somali nationals took the flight on April 22, 2009, and now the government in Mogadishu is accusing Kenya of aiding one of the men on the US list of wanted terrorists, who is also accused of links to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network.

• Sheikh Aweys’ Hizb-al-Islam together with fighters from the Al-Shabaab movement threaten to take over the capital, Mogadishu.
• “It is true that the said Kenyan aircraft flew Sheikh Aweys into Mogadishu and the Somali government has written to Kenya through the Foreign Affairs ministry to complain about it,” a source privy to the letter but who sought anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter said.
• The United Nations has placed Sheikh Aweys on a list of people “belonging to or associated with” al Qaeda while Washington has ruled out contact with Sheikh Aweys, who denies links to al Qaeda.
• Fighters from Hizb-al-Islam and Al-Shabaab are reported to be within 50 kilometres of the Somali capital.
• Sheikh Aweys has in the past called for the unification of all Somali-inhabited lands, including Kenya’s North Eastern Province, into a Greater Somalia.
• In the 1990s, Sheikh Aweys headed al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, an Islamist group that was responsible for terrorist attacks on hotels and markets in Addis Ababa and was originally funded by bin Laden and was linked to the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
• On November 7, 2001, Sheikh Aweys was named a “supporter of terrorism” and is also on the terrorist list of the United States.
• The fall of the Transitional Government in Mogadishu would see the return of an extremist Islamist administration in Somalia led by figures accused of being close to global terrorist networks.
• Sheikh Aweys was the leader of the Islamic Courts Union that ruled Somalia briefly in 2006 and 2007 before it was dislodged by Ethiopian forces supporting the Transitional government.
• The Ethiopian forces withdrew after the arrival of a token African Union force in Mogadishu, but since then renewed fighting that threatens to topple the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has sent jitters in the region.

Kenya and Ethiopia are particularly concerned by the deteriorating situation and the rebound of radical Islamist forces.

• According to documents seen by the Nation, the flight from Eritrea to Mogadishu cost Sheikh Aweys and his compatriots $25,000 and was paid for by a firm known as Farah Transport.The names of th(Sh1.9 million) e pilots in charge of the flight are given in the manifest as Mr S. Khan and R. Parmar.

The other passengers on the flight are named as:

• Osman A. Hassan
• Aden W. Diriye
• Ali O. Mohamed
• Kheyre A. Ali
• Mohamed S. Ali
• Idris J. Abdi

When the Nation called Capital Airlines offices at Wilson airport, a woman who identified herself only as Jackie declined to comment and instead referred us to the operations manager.

The manager said he was not aware of the Asmara-Mogadishu flight.“I am not aware of such a flight but we will call you back in 10 minutes. Our MD is not in at the moment,” the manager said. They did not, however, call back.

• Captain Khan and flight officer Parmar were said to have been out of the office.
• The flight was allegedly booked in Nairobi by an unidentified man who claimed to work for Farah Transport.
• On Wednesday, a Kenya Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in the Horn of Africa Division, who could not be quoted because he is not authorised to talk to journalists, confirmed the receipt of the complaint letter from the UN backed Somalia government and said appropriate action would be taken.
• Ethiopia was on Wednesday hosting an Igad meeting that was also attended by Kenya’s Foreign minister Moses Wetang’ula.

Should Al-Shabaab and Hizb-al-Islam take the Somali capital, African Union’s peace-keeping operation, Amisom, would have to evacuate its 4,300 soldiers.

The token force of mostly Uganda soldiers has been frequently targeted by radical fighters.The force is commanded by Ugandan Major-General Francis Okello who has finalised evacuation plans, but the AU’s special representative for Somalia Nicholas Bwakira says the troops will remain in Mogadishu as long as they have the backing of the Transitional government.

He said at a press conference:“Our mandate is given by the international community. We are in Somalia at the invitation of the government. We intend to continue our work despite the position of Al-Shabaab.”

Already, reports from Mogadishu say that there are 250 foreign fighters who are leading the attack on the capital.

• The fighters are from Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Arab countries.
• Meanwhile, security sources in Nairobi suspect that there is stepped up fund-raising by Somali radical groups in Nairobi believed to operate from a hotel in Eastleigh.
• One top fundraiser is known as Sheikh Umal. The operation in Eastleigh is part of a network that extends to Europe and provides ready cash for radical fighters in Mogadishu.

The Rest @ Inside Somalia.org

Muktar Abdirahman Godane Wounded 17 May

According to this 18 May report from Garowe Online, a media group with al Shabaab links, There was a mysterious explosion at a house was located in Daynile district, in the outskirts of Mogadishu on Sunday. Neighbors were forced to stay inside their homes and onlookers were prevented from coming anywhere close to the house by Al Shabaab gunmen.

It turns out that Godane was there when the explosion occured and was wounded. 17 others were killed, including 4 "foreign fighters"

See the following Report published on 20 May

-Shimron Issachar

MOGADISHU, Somalia May 20 (Garowe Online) - The leader of Somalia's Al Shabaab guerrilla group was wounded during a recent accidental explosion, inside sources tell Garowe Online.

Sheikh Muktar Abdirahman "Godane," one of the founders of Al Shabaab and the group's current leader, was wounded when an explosive device "went off accidentally," the sources said.

"The explosive device was being used for training [purpose] but it went off accidentally," said a source close the secretive guerrilla group, adding that Godane was being treated at a private hospital in the northern outskirts of the capital Mogadishu.

On Sunday, an accidental explosion at a house where Al Shabaab fighters were lacing vehicles with explosives killed 17 people. READ: Mysterious explosion kills 17, including 'foreign fighters'

Godane recently issued an audio tape where he spoke about the anti-government insurgency being spearheaded by Al Shabaab fighters in Mogadishu and other parts of south-central Somalia. READ: Al Shabaab leader speaks, more fighting in Mogadishu


The Rest @ Garowe Online

Sufi Muhammad Update

Sufi Muhammad was reported to have left his home in Lower Dir on May 4 after it was hit by mortar fire in the opening phases of Operation Rah-e-Haq 4. He is now believed to be in the TNSM stronghold at Aman Darra (Pakistan Observer, May 5). His son, Maulana Kifayatullah, was killed in the shelling of his home in Lower Dir (The News, [Islamabad], May 8).

The Rest @ syedmdasadullah

Shabaab Ransack United Nations and UNICEF Offices in Jowhar

Keep in mind that Garowe has historically had intimate access o Shabaab Leaders and has been a "friendly" voice for their cause"

-Shimron Issachar

19 May (Garowe)

There were no U.N. personnel present at the offices in Jowhar, the capital of Middle Shabelle region that was overtaken by Al Shabaab on Sunday. U.N. officers were evacuated from Jowhar before the Al Shabaab takeover, sources added.

• "Al Shabaab fighters armed with weapons broke down the doors and took equipment," a security guard at a U.N. compound in Jowhar said on the condition of anonymity.
• Offices raided include the UNICEF compound and MSF offices in Jowhar, local sources reported.
• No one was hurt during the raids and Al Shabaab commanders did nothing to stop the raids, locals said.
• Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, who was asked about the raids by the BBC Somali Service, declined to comment but stated that Al Shabaab would "return the equipment."
• He called on U.N. and other aid agencies to "calm down and to continue working" in Middle Shabelle region.

The Rest @ Garowe Online

The Head of Shabaab Abu Zubayr - a Profile

This is an unverified profile pulled from Free Somaliland. I have found the source to be accurate on BDA, and an apparent supporter of Somliland separatism.

I have never contacted them directly.

Shimron Issachar

Axmed Cabdi Godane (Abu Zubayr), aka ahmad abdi (godane ) aka Mukhtaar C/raxmaan, Ahmed Abdi Ow Mohamud Godane was born in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland SOMALIA: 10 July 1977.

• He is from Arab sub-clan in Isaq clan, one of the dominant clan in northern Somalia.
• He had received a scholarship in Pakistan funded by Saudi blind millionaires.
• He used to visit in Afghanistan during holidays
• In 2001, physically t[h]in, Godane returned to Hargeisa, Somaliland .
• He began preaching in Abu-Bashir mosque in central Hargeisa between 2002 and 2003.
• During that time, Mr. Godane organized some terror attacks against Somaliland security.
• September 19 2002, a group loyal to Godane kidnapped a car owned by WFP.The terror mission led by Jama Kutiye who late caught Dhoqoshley by the Terrorism in Pseudo-State Somaliland security forces.
• December 30, 2000, Godane’s men assassinated Martin in front of his Hotel in Hargeisa.
• Also May 10, 2003, he was responsible for the killing against Analena Tonelli who was an Italian aid worker operating in Borame hospital.
• November 8, 2003, Godane was the master minder of the killing on British couple who were teachers in a school located in Sheekh.
• He was working for El-Barakat Telesom, Somaliland
• Later Godane escaped from Somaliland follwing a row with some of his group over a large amount of money they roped from an Ethiopian businessman.
• They then fled southern Somalia after committing several criminal acts.

His escape was facilitated by his brother who was police officer. Godane was doing the terror operations along with a Somalilander man who was holding a US citizenship and called Ibrahim Hajji Jama known as ‘Ibrahim Afkhani’Godane and Afkhani both had trainings in Afghanistan and made friends in southern Somalia where they diverted their mission and doubled it.

• April 27, 2006, the security forces foiled a terror attack by Godane’s men aimed to kill foreign observers who were monitoring the election in Somaliland . The forces found explosives after the raid. When the Islamic Courts Union came to power in southern Somalia in 2006 Mr. Godane who gave himself the name ‘Abu-Zubeyr became the general secretary for ICU.
• During the start of the war with Ethiopia late 2006, Godane got wounded and flown to Sudan for medical treatment.
• He was brought back in southern Somalia February 20 07 where he continued his terror mission .

Terrorist Ahmed abdi Godane (Abu Zubayr)aka Mukhtaar C/raxmaan , closest friends, includ[e]:

• Abubakar Al-Zaylici,
• lahi Cali Xaashi aka abdulahi ali hashi,
• Xasan Mahdi aka hassan mahdi ,
• qaadir Komaandos aka abdulkadir kumanos
• Maxamud Mire aka mahamud mire,
• samad
• lahi aka abdi samad abdulahi
• Ibraahim Afgaani aka ibrahim afgani
• Fu'aad Shongole aka fuad sangole
• Maxamed Aden Koofi aka mahamad adan kofi.

The Rest @ Terror Free Somalia

Shabaab' s Muktar Abdirahman Godane Threatens Media

On May 13th, 2009 Muktar Abdirahman “Godane”, leader of Al Shabaab Islamist faction has spoken via an audio recording where he urged fighters to continue the ‘jihad,’ as a Major Battle was unfolding in Mogadishu (Radio Garowe).

Godane and the Shabaab, who have assassinated numerous leaders of the Transitional Federal Government, local city leaders, kidnapped aid workers, and most recently video taped sawing off the heads with the serrated back edge of a survival knife of three live prisoners. In short they have shown their willingness to commit and record atrocities.

here is the quote threatening the media:

“I tell the media to report the facts and the truth and to play their role in the jihad…if the journalist cannot tell the truth, he should be silent and not confuse the public,” Godane warned.

Islamists believe they are bound to warn their enemy prior to an attack, and have systematically done so, including a warning before 9-11. This may be such a warning to Media sources in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia.

The audio tape, which can only be described as "media spin" keeps trying to tie the current government with Ethiopia. This is a strong indication that he knows he is losing the support of the Somali public, now that Somalia's traditional enemy, Ethiopia, has left.

- Shimron Issachar

Majlis of the Emirs of the Islamist Emirate of the Caucuses

Majlis of the Emirs of the Islamist Islamic Republic of the Caucuses

this may be a reprint of a post Published in:
Muslimson May 15, 2009 at 11:51 am (unverified)

Here is a wave Media File

http://blip.tv/file/get/Kavkazcenter-dokka204.wmv

from Kavkaz TV

-Shimron Issachar

"And today Majlis of Mujahideen commanders, which is taking place here, is taking place under the leadership of the Amir of Caucasus Abu Usman Dokka Umarov.

Among those who are present here:

• Military Amir of Caucasus, Magas,
• the next is Amir of Mujahideen of the Eastern direction of Wilayah Nokhchicho of the Emirate of Caucasus, Aslanbek,
• Amir of Mujahideen of Wilayah Ghalghaycho, Abdul-Aziz, is also present here,
• Na’ib (representative ) of the Amir of Caucasus, Abu Supyan,
• Na’ib of Amir of Mujahideen of the Eastern direction of Wilayah Nokhchicho, Huseyn, also Islam,
• Amir of Jamaat of Urus-Martan district,
  Hamzat,
• Na’ib of Amir of Mujahideen of the South-Western direction of Wilayah Nokhchicho, Hadis,
• Amir of Itum-Kali district of Wilayah Nokhchicho, Asad,
• Amir of Mujahideen of Shali, Muhammad,
• Amir of Mujahideen of Naur district

also, other commanders of military Jamaats of different directions, territories and districts of Nokhchicho are present here, like:

• Amir Abu-Bakr, Amir of Grozny,
• also other commanders are present here.

From those who are absent, who could not be present today at this Majlis due to different valid causes:

• Amir of Wilayah Dagestan,
• Amir of Wilayah Kabardino-Balkaria, and all of them could not be present here due to causes which we consider valid,

and this Majlis is taking place .... in this territory, with a purpose to work out a further plan of actions for this year, to coordinate our efforts and come to a single solution on many problems, which are faced today, which are faced by Mujahideen of the Emirate of Caucasus."

The Rest @ Anikah

Anika has archives back to March 2008.

Shabaab & Dyncorp use the same Transport - Aerolift

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Air cargo carriers used to smuggle weapons to war-torn parts of Africa have also been hired to deliver humanitarian aid and support peacekeeping operations, a leading peace think tank said Tuesday.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report that 90 percent of air cargo companies identified in arms trafficking-related reports had been used by UN agencies, European Union and NATO members as well as leading non-governmental organisations to deliver aid.

"For example, UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan have continued to use aircraft operated by (Sudan's) Badr Airlines even after the UN Security Council recommended an aviation ban be imposed on the carrier in response to arms embargo violations," the SIPRI report said.

The report also singled out other African carriers such as Astral Aviation, African International Airlines and the Sudanese-registered Trans Attico as being named in arms trafficking reports.

It also said several US private security firms hired air cargo carriers and aircraft which have been "involved in the trafficking of arms to militias which the US government have designated 'global terrorists'."

• The report cited Dyncorp, a company that provides security services for the US government, as having contracted Aerolift, a firm accused by the UN Security Council in 2006 of being involved in arms trading, to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia.

The militant group, Al-Shabab, was added by the US government to its list of terrorist organisations in March 2008 over alleged links to Al-Qaeda.

SIPRI's report added that air carriers involved in aid and peacekeeping operations were also used to transport "conflict-sensitive" goods such as cocaine, diamonds and other precious materials.

One of the report's authors, Mark Bromley, said that a more rigourous application of the EU's existing air safety regulations could play a crucial role in stemming the flow of weapons to Africa's conflict zones.

"Air safety enforcement could put hard core arms dealers out of business," Bromley said in a statement.

"Our research shows that companies named in arms trafficking-related reports have poor safety records. Safety regulations represent their Achilles heel, and can do to them what tax evasion charges did to Al Capone," he added.

The Rest @ AFP













US Dyncorp contracted Aerolift to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia

US private security firms hired air cargo carriers and aircraft which have been "involved in the trafficking of arms to militias which the US government have designated 'global terrorists'.

"The report cited Dyncorp, a company that provides security services for the US government, as having contracted Aerolift, a firm accused by the UN Security Council in 2006 of being involved in arms trading, to supply weapons to an Islamist militia that controls much of southern Somalia.

Source: AFP report Tuesday, 12 May 2009 - copy

More Bank Mellat, Sadert Branches added to the OFAC List

Effective May 12th, 2009 (US Treasurey OFAC)

More Branches of the Iranian State Controlled Banks such as Bank Mellat appear to have been added to the OFAC SDN List , for Reason of Non Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destructon. (NPWMD)
any funds that pass through a US bank to being frozen.

• This means any listed bank, listed anywhere in any business transaction will be flagged by complaince companies such as Accuity, SAP, Lexis Nexis and WorldCompliance.

All US businesses and citizens are prohibited by law from duing business with companies on the list.

Many internationl businesses, including insurance underwriters, use these complaince companies to avoid business with people and businesses on the list because of added expense. This is because business transactions can be slowed or halted.

Any link in an interantional business transaction that includes these entities may subject loans , shipping agreements, or insurance to slowdown or denial.

Also, business flowing through any US bank may be subject to being frozen at any time.

-Shimron Issachar


-Shimron Issachar


The following changes have been made to OFAC's SDN list:BANK MELLAT, P.O. Box 11365-5964, Tehran 15817, Iran; 327 Taleghani Avenue, Tehran 15817, Iran; all offices worldwide [NPWMD]-to- BANK MELLAT,

Head Office Bldg, 327 Taleghani Ave, Tehran 15817, Iran; 327 Forsat and Taleghani Avenue, Tehran 15817, Iran;

• PO Box 375010, Amiryan Str #6, P/N-24, Yerevan, Armenia;
• Keumkang Tower - 13th & 14th Floor, 889-13 Daechi-Dong, Gangnam-Ku, Seoul 135-280, Korea, South;
• PO Box 79106425, Ziya Gokalp Bulvari No 12, Kizilay, Ankara, Ankara, Turkey;
• Cumhuriyet Bulvari No 88/A, PK 7103521, Konak, Izmir, Turkey;
• Buyukdere Cad, Cicek Sokak No 1 - 1 Levent, Levent, Istanbul, Turkey;

all offices worldwide [NPWMD]BANK MELLI, Ferdowsi Avenue, P.O. Box 11365-171, Tehran, Iran; all offices worldwide [NPWMD]-to- BANK MELLI IRAN (a.k.a. BANK MELLI; a.k.a. NATIONAL BANK OF IRAN),

• PO Box 11365-171, Ferdowsi Avenue, Tehran, Iran; 43 Avenue Montaigne, Paris 75008, France;
• Room 704-6, Wheelock Hse, 20 Pedder St, Central, Hong Kong;
• Bank Melli Iran Bldg, 111 St 24, 929 Arasat, Baghdad, Iraq;
• PO Box 2643, Ruwi, Muscat 112, Oman;
• PO Box 2656, Liva Street, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 248, Hamad Bin Abdulla St, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1888, Clock Tower, Industrial Rd, Al Ain Club Bldg, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1894, Baniyas St, Deira, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 5270, Oman Street Al Nakheel, Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 459, Al Borj St, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; PO Box 3093, Ahmed Seddiqui Bldg, Khalid Bin El-Walid St, Bur-Dubai, Dubai City 3093, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1894, Al Wasl Rd, Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates;
• Postfach 112 129, Holzbruecke 2, D-20459, Hamburg, Germany;
• Nobel Ave. 14, Baku, Azerbaijan;
• Unit 1703-4, 17th Floor, Hong Kong Club Building, 3 A Chater Road Central, Hong Kong;

all offices worldwide [NPWMD]BANK SADERAT IRAN (a.k.a. BANK SADERAT PLC; a.k.a. IRAN EXPORT BANK),

• Alghobeiri Branch - Aljawhara Bldg, Ghobeiry Blvd, Beirut, Lebanon; Aliktisad Bldg, 3rd floor, Ras El Ein Street, Baalbak, Baalbak, Lebanon;
• PO Box 4308, 25-29 Venizelou St, GR 105 64 Athens, Attica, Greece;
• Postfach 112227, Deichstrasse 11, 20459 Hamburg, Germany;
• Postfach 160151, Friedenstr 4, Frankfurt am Main D-603111, Germany;
• PO Box 15745-631, Bank Saderat Tower, 43 Somayeh Avenue, Tehran, Iran; 1
• 6 rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris, France;
• PO Box 5126, Beirut, Lebanon;
• Khaled Bin Al Walid St, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 4182, Murshid Bazar Branch, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1140, Al-Am Road, Al-Ein Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 16, Liwara Street, Ajman, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 700, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; No 181 Makhtoomgholi Ave, 2nd Floor, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan;
• PO Box 2256, Doha, Qatar; Sida Riad Elsoleh St, Martyrs Square, Saida, Lebanon;
• Borj Albarajneh Branch - Alholom Bldg, Sahat Mreijeh, Kafaat St, Beirut, Lebanon;
• PO Box 15175/584, 6th Floor, Sadaf Bldg, 1137 Vali Asr Ave, 15119-43885, Tehran, Iran;
• Alrose Building, 1st floor, Verdun - Rashid Karame St, Beirut, Lebanon;
• 5 Lothbury, London, EC2R 7HD, United Kingdom;
• PO Box 316, Bank Saderat Bldg, Al Arooba St, Borj Ave, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 4182, Almaktoum Rd , Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1269, Muscat 112, Oman;

all offices worldwide [SDGT]-to- BANK SADERAT IRAN (a.k.a. BANK SADERAT PLC; a.k.a. IRAN EXPORT BANK),

• Borj Albarajneh Branch - 20 Alholom Bldg, Sahat Mreijeh, Kafaat St, Beirut, Lebanon;
• 1st Floor, Alrose Bldg, Verdun - Rashid Karame St, Beirut, Lebanon;
• PO Box 5126, Beirut, Lebanon; 3rd Floor, Mteco Centre, Mar Elias, Facing Al Hellow Barrak, POB 5126, Beirut, Lebanon;
• Alghobeiri Branch - Aljawhara Bldg, Ghobeiry Blvd, Beirut, Lebanon;
• PO Box 1269, Muscat 112, Oman;
• PO Box 4425, Salwa Rd, Doha, Qatar;
• PO Box 2256, Doha, Qatar;
• 2nd Floor, No 181 Makhtoomgholi Ave, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan;
• PO Box 700, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 16, Liwara Street, Ajman, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 1140, Al-Am Road, Al-Ein, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates;
• Bur Dubai, Khaled Bin Al Walid St, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• Almaktoum Rd, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 4182, Murshid Bazar Branch, Dubai City, United Arab Emirates;
• PO Box 316, Bank Saderat Bldg, Alaroda St, Borj Ave, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates;
• Ground Floor Business Room, Building Banke Khoon Road, Harat, Afghanistan;
• No. 56, Opposite of Security Department, Toraboz Khan Str., Kabul, Afghanistan;
• 5 Lothbury, London EC2R 7HD, United Kingdom;
• Postfach 112227, Deichstrasse 11, 20459, Hamburg, Germany;
• PO Box 4308, 25-29 Venizelou St, Athens, Attica GR 105 64, Greece;
• PO Box 15745-631, Bank Saderat Tower, 43 Somayeh Avenue, Tehran, Iran;
• 16 rue de la Paix, Paris 75002, France;
• Postfach 160151, Friedenstr 4, D-60311, Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
• 3rd Floor, Aliktisad Bldg, Ras El Ein Street Baalbak, Baalbak, Lebanon;
• Saida Branch, Sida Riad Elsoleh St, Martyrs Sq, Saida, Lebanon;

all offices worldwide [SDGT]BANK SEPAH, Imam Khomeini Square, P.O. Box 11364-9569, Tehran, Iran; all offices worldwide [NPWMD]-to- BANK SEPAH, Imam Khomeini Square, Tehran 1136953412, Iran;

• 64 Rue de Miromesnil, Paris 75008, France;
• Hafenstrasse 54, D-60327, Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
• Via Barberini 50, Rome, RM 00187, Italy;
• 17 Place Vendome, Paris 75008, France;

all offices worldwide [NPWMD]PERSIA INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC, #6 Lothbury, London EC2R 7HH, United Kingdom [NPWMD]-to- PERSIA INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC,

• 6 Lothbury, London EC2R 7HH, United Kingdom;
• Dubai International Financial Centre, Level 4, The Gate Building, P.O. Box 119871, Dubai, United Arab Emirates;

all offices worldwide [NPWMD]

The Rest @ OFAC

Minnesota Money Transfer Companies

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES regsitered in the State of Minnesota as of – 4-09.

This list is neither a recommendation nor a condemnation

-Shimron Issachar

AARAN FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
2940 Pillsbury Ave S, Ste 201
Minneapolis MN 55408
612-827-3588
License Number: 52046
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/29/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
ABC Money Transactions, Inc.
12019 Garden Grove Blvd, Ste 204
Garden Grove CA 92843
714-590-8740
License Number: 51977
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/13/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ACE Cash Express, Inc.
1231 Greenway Dr, Ste 600
Irving TX 75038
972-550-5052
License Number: 52067
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/4/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ADP PAYROLL SERVICES, INC.
ONE ADP BLVD, M/S 325
ROSELAND NJ 07068
909-592-6411
License Number: 52073
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/20/2009
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Amaana Money Transfer Co.
2940 Pillsbury Ave S, Ste 205
Minneapolis MN 55408
612-825-2992
License Number: 52049
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/28/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Amal Money Wire, LLC
1806 Riverside Ave S, Ste 1
Minneapolis MN 55454
612-332-6893
License Number: 51963
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 1/17/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
AMAZON PAYMENTS, INC.
1200 12th Ave S
Seattle WA 98144
206-266-6863
License Number: 52042
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 7/31/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
200 Vesey St, World Financial Center
UMC: NY 4902
New York NY 10285-4902
212-640-5100
License Number: 51973
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ANH MINH MONEY TRANSFER, INC.
9211 Bolsa Ave, Ste 104
Westminster CA 92683
714-893-4348
License Number: 52054
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/17/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 2 of 8

BAKAAL WORLDWIDE, INC.
2910 Pillsbury Ave. So.
Suite A212
Minneapolis, MN 55408
651-353-9599
License Number: 52071
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/17/2009
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

CHECKFREEPAY CORPORATION
15 Sterling Dr
PO Box 5044
Wallingford CT 06492-7544
203-679-4400
License Number: 51991
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/11/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Coborn’s, Incorporated
1445 E Highway 23
St Cloud MN 56304
320-252-4222
License Number: 52021
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/20/2004
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

COINSTAR E-PAYMENT SERVICES INC.
dba Coinstar Money Transfer
1800 114th Ave SE
Bellevue WA 98004
425-943-8330
License Number: 52055
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/17/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Comdata Network, Inc.
5301 Maryland Way
Brentwood TN 37027
615-370-7000
License Number: 51975
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Continental Exchange Solutions, Inc.
dba RIA Financial Services dba Associated Foreign Exchange
13850 Cerritos Corporate Dr, Ste E
Cerritos CA 90703
562-345-2128
License Number: 52050
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/19/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

COSTAPOLIS TRAVEL, INC.
622 Central Ave SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
612-623-1116
License Number: 51982
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/25/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

CUSTOM HOUSE (USA) LTD. DBA CUSTOM HOUSE
517 Fort Street, 2nd Floor
Victoria, BC V8W1E7
250-220-1015
License Number: 52070
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/11/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 3 of 8

DAHAB-SHIL, Inc.
2025 Nicollet Ave S, Ste 206
Minneapolis MN 55404
612-871-4413
License Number: 51957
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/3/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Dar al Tawakul General Trading, LLC
dba Tawakul Money Express
2200 Franklin Ave E, Ste 204
Minneapolis MN 55404
612-408-2379
License Number: 52016
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 6/11/2003
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
"Envios de America," INC.
3455 4th Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55408-4527
612-824-2524
License Number: 51965
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/20/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ENVIOS RAPIDOS INTERNATIONAL2 CORPORATION
101-04 - 43rd St
Corona NY 11368
718-397-1515
License Number: 51996
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/29/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ESPECIAL EXPRESS II CORP.
7225 NW 25th St, Ste 200
Miami FL 33122-1709
305-592-1364
License Number: 52056
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/24/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
605 E Huntington Dr, Ste 205
Monrovia CA 91016
626-775-3400
License Number: 52063
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 10/29/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
GSC ENTERPRISES, INC.
dba FIDELITY EXPRESS
1301 Main Street
Sulphur Springs TX 75482
903-885-1283
License Number: 52059
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 7/18/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Hafez Group, Inc
2310 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis MN 55418
612-388-3300
License Number: 51974
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

HAJIE FINANCIAL SERVICE INC
4429 Nicollet Avenue, Apt. #204
Minneapolis MN 55419
612-227-3369
License Number: 52039
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 6/15/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 4 of 8

HAMDI EXPRESS, INC.
413 Cedar Ave S, Ste 4
PO Box 582162
Minneapolis MN 55458-2162
612-333-1172
License Number: 52053
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/10/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
HASHI MONEY WIRING LLC
15211 International Boulevard South
Seatac, WA 98188
206-246-5048
License Number: 52061
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 6/27/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Hodan Global Money Services, Inc.
2910 Pillsbury Ave S, Ste 208
Minneapolis MN 55408
612-822-6800
License Number: 51988
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/21/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

HONG LAN SERVICES INC.
9113 Bolsa Ave, Ste 122
Westminster CA 92683
714-891-8939
License Number: 52057
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/24/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
I. B. Xpress, Incorporated
7046 Brooklyn Blvd
Brooklyn Park MN 55429
612-585-9807
License Number: 51969
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/31/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Iftin Trading, LLC
1817 Nicollet Ave., Ste. 300
Minneapolis MN 55403
612-879-1032
License Number: 52060
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 7/18/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

INTEGRATED PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC.
12500 E Belford Ave, M18U
Englewood CO 80112
303-967-5529
License Number: 51958
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Intercambio Express, Inc.
dba Rayo Transfers
201 Clinton Ave E
Goshen IN 46528
574-534-8020
License Number: 52032
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 8/31/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Intermex Wire Transfer, LLC
9480 Dixie Highway S
Miami FL 33156
305-270-6855
License Number: 51990
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 4/3/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

International Business Group, LLC
2400 Minnehaha Ave S, Ste 207
Minneapolis MN 55404
612-724-1313
License Number: 52041
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 7/13/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 5 of 8

IPP OF AMERICA, INC.
330 Passaic Ave, Ste 100
Fairfield NJ 07004
973-830-1575
License Number: 52040
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 7/5/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
ITC Financial Licenses, Inc.
5617 Princeton Avenue, Ste B
Columbus, GA 31904
706-645-9482
License Number: 52028
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/5/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Jallow Express Inc.
123 W. Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-388-0474
License Number: 52033
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 8/31/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Kaah Express, F.S. Inc.
611 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55454
612-332-6200
License Number: 52045
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/29/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
L.G. Money Transmitter Corp.
420 Hennepin Ave E
Minneapolis MN 55414
612-617-1039
License Number: 52012
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/28/2003
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Maniflo Money Exchange, Inc.
1442 Highland Ave
National City CA 91950
619-474-1547
License Number: 51989
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/3/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Metavante Payment Services, LLC
4900 Brown Deer Rd W
Milwaukee WI 53223-2459
414-357-3543
License Number: 52030
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 6/16/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MoneyGram Payment Systems, Inc.
1550 Utica Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55416
952-591-3000
License Number: 51970
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/31/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
nFinanSe Payments, Inc.
3923 Coconut Palm Drive, Suite 107
Tampa, FL 33619
813-367-4400
License Number: 52068
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 6/12/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
North American Money Transfer, Inc.
5405 Memorial Dr., Bldg. A, Suite 104
Stone Mountain GA 33083
404-704-0273
License Number: 51987
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/7/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 6 of 8

NoteWorld LLC dba NoteWorld Servicing Center
1001 Pacific Aenue, Suite 200
Tacoma WA 98402
253-620-7114
License Number: 52072
License Type: LLC
License Start Date: 4/20/2009
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Obopay, Inc.
275 Shoreline Dr, Ste 400
Redwood City CA 94065
650-264-2000
License Number: 52064
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 10/29/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
Omnex Group, Inc.
dba Giromex and dba UNO Money Transfers
580 Sylvan Avenue, Suite M-A
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
201-568-5209
License Number: 52025
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/22/2004
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

ORDER EXPRESS, INC.
dba MEXI DOLLAR INC
685 W Ohio St
Chicago IL 60610
773-257-0027
License Number: 52038
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/16/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE
PayPal, Inc.
2211 First St N
San Jose CA 95131
408-967-1068
License Number: 52006
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 9/5/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

PreCash, Inc.
1800 W Loop S, Ste 1400
Houston TX 77027
713-600-2200
License Number: 52043
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 10/11/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

QARAN EXPRESS US INC.
2003 10th Avenue, #2
Minneapolis MN 55404
612-250-5524
License Number: 52044
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/27/2006
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Qaran Financial Express, LLC
3819 D.S. George Mason Dr
Falls Church VA 22041
571-218-7778
License Number: 52048
License Type: Limited Liability Corporation
License Start Date: 1/17/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Olympic Financial Group, Inc.
325 Cedar Ave., #7
Minneapolis MN 55454
651-274-3640
License Number: 52027
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/29/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 7 of 8

Ritmo Envia, Inc.
197 Concord St
St Paul MN 55107
651-222-8036
License Number: 51976
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/13/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Ruesch International, Inc.
1152 15th Street NW, 7th Floor
Washington DC 20001
202-408-1200
License Number: 52034
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 9/18/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Saigon Central Post, Inc.
9455 Bolsa Ave, Ste E
Westminster CA 92683
714-530-6660
License Number: 52019
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/15/2004
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Samso’s Express Money Transfer, Inc.
11168 Whitehawk St
Plantation FL 33324
954-382-5948
License Number: 52014
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 4/30/2003
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Sankhar Forex, Inc.
5808 Xerxes Ave No
Brooklyn Center MN 55430
763-503-7732
License Number: 52031
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 6/23/2005
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Servicio UniTeller, Inc.
218 Route 17 N, Ste 402
Rochelle Park NJ 07662
201-345-2000
License Number: 52001
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 5/29/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Sigue Corporation
13291 Ralston Ave.
Sylmar, CA 91342
818-493-5101
License Number: 51956
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 12/31/2001
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

T-Chek Systems, Inc./Les Systemes T-Chek Inc.
14800 Charlson Road, Suite 100
Eden Prairie MN 55347
952-974-7260
License Number: 51985
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 3/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Tempus Consulting, Inc.
1225 New York Ave NW, Ste 200
Washington DC 20005
202-785-5534
License Number: 52058
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 7/18/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Trans-Fast Remittance LLC
16 W. 46th St., 4th Floor
New York NY 10036
212-382-2828
License Number: 52051
License Type: Limited Liability Company
License Start Date: 4/19/2007
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

MONEY TRANSMITTER COMPANIES – 4-09 ACTIVE STATUS Page 8 of 8

Travelex Currency Services Inc.
C/O Travelex Canada Ltd, Scotia Plaza, 100 Yonge St, 14th Floor
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5C 2W1
416-981-2192
License Number: 51979
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 2/13/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

UNIDOS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
1250 Broadway, 30th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212.931.8683
License Number: 52069
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 10/31/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

VIAMERICAS CORPORATION
4641 Montgomery Ave, Ste 400
Bethesda MD 20814
301-215-9294
License Number: 52066
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/2/2008
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

WESTERN UNION FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
12500 E Belford Ave, Ste M12K3
Englewood CO 80112
866-959-9898
License Number: 51959
License Type: Corporation
License Start Date: 1/4/2002
License Expiration Date: 12/31/2009
License Status: ACTIVE

Source: Minnesota Department opf Commerce Database