Italian Nuns Captured By Shabaab, Ransome Paid By The Vatican

This interesting and useful account of the abduction of Two Italian Nuns in Kenya by Shabaab, and their subsequent release comes from a February 2009 Newsletter.

-Shimron Issacahr


NAIROBI – Sister
Rinuccia Giraudo, 67, and Sister Maria Teresa Olivero, 61, two kidnapped Italian nuns belonging
to Fr Charles Foucauld’s Missionary Contemplative Movement, have been released.

They had been seized on 9 November at El Wak, a Kenyan town on the
border with Somalia. The news came directly from the Italian foreign ministry. Freedom came
during a confused military action as about 200 Somali militiamen in at least ten trucks entered the town around midnight.

At the head of the attack was Adbulkadir “Kommando”, a Muslim leader known to western
intelligence services. The raiders were looking for two Americans, officially employees of a human rights agency but in all likelihood intelligence agents on a mission to El Wak.

However, a radio warning signal had enabled the two to escape to safety as all hell broke loose in the town. When the raiders realised that their targets had got away, they attacked the police station, seizing weapons and three trucks.

The raiders were Somalis from the Garre and Habergidir clans. The Garre, who live in the border country and know El Wak well, were able to lead their companions to the judge’s home, wherethey stole everything they could, including documents and computers, and abducted the judge himself before continuing their noisy progress to the accompaniment of automatic weapon fire.

At a certain point, someone suggested looking for the two nuns. But Sister Rinuccia and
Sister Maria Teresa are prominent, well-regarded figures in El Wak who for many years have
been tending the sick, the hungry and the needy. Some attackers made protests, which were
overruled as it would have been unthinkable to return to Somalia empty-handed, which is why the two nuns were abducted.

Next morning, the furious Kenyans started organising a task force to
cross the border and get the nuns back. Intelligence sources in Nairobi say the Italian ambassador, Pierandrea Magistrati, rightly strove to cool their ardour. At a highly confidential meeting, he pointed out: “That’s the best way to get them killed. When the troops attack, the abductors will execute them”.

Negotiations between the Kenyans and Somalis got under way through the good offices of the elders, who know each other well. Talks eased tensions but failed to produce any results. One negotiator told the Corriere: “It’s true that some of the abductors were Garre but the group’s hard core came from Coriolei, near Merca, 40 kilometres south of Mogadishu”.

The name Abdulkadir “Kommando” emerged. He is a former Somali army officer, businessman, Islamist and military commander of the militant Sunni fundamentalists of the Jabhadda Islaamiga Soomaaliyeed (JABISO), theSomali Islamic Front. The group,
under the political guidance of Sheik Ahmed Abdillahi Omar, has been known since 2007 as
the armed wing of Al-I’tisaam Bil Kitaab Wa Sunna, the organisation
that took the place of the better-known Al-Itihaad Al-Islaami (AIAI). JABISO is closely
linked to the United Western Somalia Liberation Front (UWSLF), an Ethiopian group that opposes the Addis Ababa government in Ogaden, the Abyssinian province inhabited by Somalis.

There are UWSLF forces stationed in the former Italian-held Somalia to fight Ethiopian troops
that invaded the country in 2006 in support of the extremely weak federal transition government. Their base is Bardere, on the road from El Wak to Mogadishu, and that is where they took the nuns. To get to Bardere, you have to cross the Giuba river and there are at least three bridges. The Americans keep a discreet eye on them via satellite but a barge can slip across the river at night. A few days later, the group was off again, this time heading for Mogadishu, where Kommando’s Muslim guerrillas mingle on the southern outskirts of the
capital with the Shabaab (“youth” in Arabic), an ill-defined Muslim militia who are part bandits and part holy men.

WAS THERE A RANSOM?
– Political management of the abduction passed to Hassan Abdullahi Hersi, aka “Turki”,
and the ransom demand came as Italian intelligence sent a task force from Rome to liaise with
the Kenyans (the network of informers that Italy was envied for 20 years ago has been broken up).

The asking price was two million dollars and the release of several – probably four – terrorists arrested in two Kenyan operations, to which the Americans had contributed information.

• The first took place last summer, when the Kenyans, backed up by American aircraft,
  penetrated Somali territory at Doblei and captured three Arabs.
• Then in October and November, a second anti-insurgency operation in the El Wak area led to the arrest of another three alleged terrorists.

Negotiations were conducted in secret but sources at the American embassy told the Corriere that cash was not the only “currency” involved. American agents warned their Italian colleagues that you don’t cut deals with terrorists and the Vatican also stepped in. The rest is today’s news.

The two nuns have been released but what, and how much, was paid remains cloaked in mystery.

The Rest @ Giamando Italian American Newsletter

originally published in yahoo news:

Massimo A. Alberizzi 20 febbraio 2009
English translation by Giles Watsonwww.watson.it

Article in Italian

http://www.corriere.it/english/09_febbraio_20/nuns_freed_c6707708-ff51-11dd-a1d5\-00144f02aabc.shtml

Somalia Civil War Update

The following is an summary of Ted Dagne's own testimony to The US House of Representatives in Congress, published on June 26, 2009 by all Africa , concerning prospects for Somali peace.

I support most of his conlcusions, especially his statement that only a Somali -Muslim led solution will be supported by the people.

I believe the Pirate Issue should be kept separte from the civil war issue, except for the Shabaab units that are getting paid for training the Pirates.

I believe Aweys is trying to become the leader of all the opposition. If he succeeds and comes into power in the TFG, or wins out by force of war, He will use Sudan as a model and launch a jihad into Ethiopia, Kenya and continue to assassinate politacl moderates. He will continue to play games, practicing Taqiyaa borrowed from the Shiia, about his inttentions, including his connections with al Qaeda.

One more Question... where is Zubayr, (Godane)? anyone seen him?

-Shimron Issachar

The following is the prepared testimony of Ted Dagne of Congressional Research Service before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health on June 25, 2009 in Washington, DC. The hearing was entitled, "Somalia: Prospects for a Lasting Peace and Unified Response to Extremism and Terrorism."

Chairman Payne, Ranking Member Smith, and members of the sub-committee, let me first express my appreciation for the opportunity to testify before your sub-committee. I am sure some of you have seen the images on TV, read about it in the newspapers, and some of you have witnessed the untold suffering of many Somalis over the years. I have stopped counting how many innocent civilians have been killed, maimed, or how many more people displaced from their homes because of fighting. Unfortunately and sadly, many more people will die in the coming weeks and months. A Somali friend recently told me that he has given up dreaming about a better future for his family.

In April, Chairman Payne and I traveled to Mogadishu to obtain a firsthand account of conditions in Mogadishu. Some questioned the delegation’s decision to go to Mogadishu, while others praised it. An important thing to remember is the fact that children and the most vulnerable live in these conditions everyday. The day we arrived in Mogadishu five innocent civilians were killed and over a dozen injured.

Almost three years ago this week in a testimony before this sub-committee, I read a short Somali proverb in an attempt to describe conditions on the ground. The proverb: “Sorrow is like rice in the store; if a basketful is removed everyday, it will come to an end at last.” I stated then that Somalia’s tragedy would come to an end, we just don’t know how soon. Three years later, I still cannot tell you with certainty what the future hold for the millions of Somalis.

One thing is clear: the determination and commitment I saw 15 years ago at the height of the civil war by Somali women, human rights advocates, and Somali nationalists, is still very much alive. The leadership of the current government is not staying at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. They are in Mogadishu facing the challenges and risks everyday with their people. Some left family members, friends, and safe environment here in the U.S. so that they can help their people and help secure a lasting peace in Somalia.

Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have died due to factional fighting, famine, or disease over the past decade. I have witnessed the untold suffering of the people of Somalia over the past decade in the refugee camps in Kenya and in Somalia. A generation of Somalis is growing up surrounded by violence, poverty, and face a very bleak future. Many have been internally displaced or forced to flee their country. In the refugee camps in Kenya, you find Somali teenagers, some of them born there, who have never been able to see their country or the opportunity to live a normal life.

Indeed the most affected by the violence and chaos in Somalia are women and children. Many Somali girls have been raped and violated by the so-called militia. And even a rape victim is stoned to death for reporting what happened to her. If the extremists waging the war against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) succeed, we are likely to see more of these acts by Al-Shibaab.

Recent Developments

In early May, Somali extremist groups backed by foreign fighters launched a major offensive against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the African Union peacekeeping forces (AMISOM).

• Over the past six weeks, more than 300 people have been killed and many more wounded. The primary objective of this offensive is to oust the TFG from power and force AMISOM to leave Somalia.
• Several Al-Shibaab factions, Hizbul al-Islam, and foreign fighters have been engaged in a series of battles against government forces.
• Al-Shibaab has also carried out a number of assassinations, including the police Chief and the Minister of Interior, who were killed last week, in an attempt to create a leadership crisis.
• More than 400 foreign fighters reportedly from Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, the United States, Canada, Britain, Kenya, and several other countries have been engaged in the fighting in support of the Al-Shibaab forces.
• More than 290 fighters reportedly entered Mogadishu in early May, while an estimated 50 fighters were in Mogadishu for much longer.
• Some of these fighters have been killed in battles in Mogadishu.
• Some of the fighters characterized as foreign fighters are actually Somalis who look like foreigners.

The insurgents receive support from the outside and from some Somali businessmen, who are unhappy with the TFG leadership.

• In May 2009, the spokesman of Al-Shibaab admitted that foreign fighters have joined the fighting.
• In early June 2009, Al-Shibaab and Hizbul Islam made important gains in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia, in large part due to defections to the insurgency and lack of resources.
• The TFG forces regrouped, and by mid-June managed to regain some lost grounds in Mogadishu. But the TFG remains vulnerable and its ability to defeat the insurgents depends on resources, including Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), mobility, and a well organized and sustainable military operations.
  

The presence of the African Union force has helped prevent the takeover of Mogadishu by the insurgents. But the African Union force does not have a Chapter 7 mandate, requiring the force to be on the defensive rather than taking offensive measures against the insurgents.

The African Union force has used its long range artilleries against the insurgents. These measures have weakened and forced the insurgents to remain outside the range of these weapons. But the most serious challenge facing the TFG forces and those of the AU is that the insurgents are highly decentralized and move in small units, and operate independently of one another.

The Leadership of Al-Shibaab and other Factions

Who are the leaders of the insurgents? The leaders of Al-Shibaab are not well known, with the exception of a few. Some of the key commanders and leaders of Al-Shibaab come from Somaliland.

• Ahmed Abdi Godane, who is on the U.S. terrorism list and who trained and fought in Afghanistan, is a key commander from Somaliland.
• Mukhtar Robow, who is also on the U.S. terrorism list, is considered one of the key leaders of the Shibaab and a former spokesman, although in recent weeks he has been marginalized and has been at odd with the other commanders, especially Godane.
• Another key leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama, who is on the U.S. terrorism list, reportedly trained and fought in Afghanistan.
• Hassan al-Turki, a member of the Ogaden clan from Ethiopia, has openly called for Jihad, and works closely with foreign fighters.
• Indha Adde is another commander, who fought against the Ethiopian occupation and worked closely with Sheik Hassan Aweys, a former leader of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS-Asmara).

In February 2008, then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice designated Al-Shibaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.

The TFG was able to win over some Al-Shibaab fighters to join the government side. However, several hundred fighters who recently joined government forces were sent by the extremist groups to infiltrate the government security force.

In May 2009, at the height of the recent fighting in Mogadishu, most of these fighters went back to rejoin the militia groups they left earlier, Sheik Sharif Hassan Aweys.

In late April, Sheik Sharif Hassan Aweys, who is on the U.S. terrorism list, returned to Mogadishu from Eritrea. Sheik Aweys had remained in Eritrea and formed his own faction after the top leadership of the ARS signed an agreement in Djibouti with other Somali parties, which led to the formation of the current government.

ARS-Asmara, under the leadership of Aweys, did not garner significant support, although Aweys intensified his support for extremist groups inside Somalia. ARS-Asmara leaders were not in full agreement with Aweys and his support for the extremist groups inside Somalia.

They provided written documentation to this effect to a visitor in April 2009. These leaders stated that they formed their own organization and would disassociate themselves from Aweys. These leaders left Eritrea in May.

In late April I met with Sheik Aweys in Eritrea. He seemed confused at times and several times contradicted himself.

• When asked if he was prepared to state publicly his support for a peaceful participation in the current political process, Aweys responded positively.
• However, when he was asked whether he would renounce terrorism and call for an end to violence against civilians, Aweys stated that since he considers the American interpretation of terrorism as anti-Islam, he “cannot condemn terrorism.” Doing so, he asserted, is “denouncing his own religion.”
• When asked if he wished to be removed from the terrorism list, Aweys stated that he will not seek to be removed because that would be going against his religion.
• When confronted about his role in support of terrorism and violence in Somalia, he characterized these acts as a struggle against the enemies of Somalia.

Upon his return to Mogadishu in late April 2009, Sheik Aweys discovered that the clan elders and militia who had supported him in the past now wanted him to work with the government and end the violence. The militia group he helped create, Hizbul al-Islam, also was split and some have joined Al-Shibaab.

Some of the top leaders of the Al-Shabaab also want him to declare an alliance with Osama Bin Laden. Aweys is unlikely to emerge as the leader of the insurgency and he seems to be losing support even within his own inner circle.

Human Rights and Humanitarian Conditions

In 2008, humanitarian and human rights conditions became worse than in previous years.

The recent fighting in Mogadishu has added more challenges to already poor conditions on the ground. An estimated 1.1 million people have been displaced and more than 475,000 have fled to neighboring countries in the past two years.

Human rights groups and Somali observers estimate more than 22,000 people have been killed over the past two years. Civilians, humanitarian workers, journalists, and human rights advocates have been the primary targets of the insurgents, TFG, and Ethiopian security forces. According to Amnesty International, “rape, killings and looting have become widespread. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed.” A number of Somali journalists covering the crisis in Somalia have been assassinated by insurgents and security forces over the past eighteen months.

Dozens of humanitarian and human rights advocates have been killed, injured, or imprisoned. Because of these targeted attacks, many human rights advocates and journalists have fled Somalia to neighboring countries for safety.

Somalis working for international NGOs and foreign media have also been attacked by insurgents and TFG/Ethiopian security forces.

According to the May 2009 Complex Emergency report by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an estimated 3.2 million people are in need of emergency assistance. In the first two weeks of May 2009, an estimated 27,500 people have been displaced due to the recent fighting in Mogadishu.

The United States has provided an estimated $177.6 million in humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance to Somalia in FY2009.

In FY2008, the United States provided $318 million in assistance to Somalia. The Obama Administration has requested $103 million for FY 2010.

The United States has also provided material support in support of TFG forces.

Somali Piracy in the Horn of Africa

I will now speak briefly to the issue of piracy in the Horn of Africa.

Somali pirates have intensified their attacks in the Gulf of Aden, carrying out attacks on over 111 commercial ships, and successfully hijacked an estimated 40 ships in 2008.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), piracy in the first quarter of 2009 has surpassed that of 2008. According to IMB, “in 2008, there were 111 incidents including 42 vessels hijacked. So far in 2009, there have been 29 successful hijackings from 114 attempted attacks.” In January-February 2009, Somali pirates released several ships, including a Japanese-owned ship, MV Chemstar, and the MV Faina.

• The pirates have reportedly earned more than $120 million in ransom payments, and in return have released a number of ships and crew members.

On December 16, 2008, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of “all necessary measures” by foreign military forces to stop piracy in Somalia.

• The resolution authorizes military operations inside Somalia and in its airspace for one year, with the consent of the TFG.

The United States, Russia, India, and several other countries have deployed warships to tackle piracy in the Horn of Africa region. In February 2009, the U.S. Navy arrested 16 suspected Somali pirates.

In December 2008, the Indian Navy reportedly arrested 23 Somali and Yemeni pirates. Moreover, the Russian Navy also arrested a number of suspected Somali pirates. In January 2009, the United States and Britain signed legal agreements with the Government of Kenya to extradite suspected pirates to be prosecuted in Kenya. Some insurgent leaders have warned the pirates to end the piracy and to release crew members and ships currently controlled by the pirates.

Who Are the Pirates?

The number of Somali pirates is unknown. While there are more pirates now than previous years, the pirates do not seem to have a unified organization with clear command structure. Many of these pirates are reportedly fishermen and former militia members of the Somali warlords. The pirates primarily come from Puntland region of Somalia and are members of different clans.

Some press reports have suggested that the pirates are being controlled and directed by the Islamic insurgents in south-central Somalia. I am not aware of any evidence, however, to support this assertion.

What do Somalis say about the piracy problem? Some Somalis view the piracy crisis as a foreign problem with little impact on their daily life. Some argue that the piracy problem will continue as long as the ship-owners are willing to pay the pirates ransom.

In the face of difficult economic conditions and growing humanitarian crisis, many Somalis resent the fact that the piracy problem has received a great deal of international attention. Some Somali community leaders contend that some Somalis get involved in criminal activities in order to survive, while many others have made these kinds of criminal activities a lifetime profession. Many Somalis contend that in the absence of a better alternative, they have come to accept life with all the difficulties they face daily.

Some Somalis argue that the fishermen have become pirates because their way of life was destroyed by illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping that has been ignored by foreign governments.

In 2005, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released a report documenting the damages resulting from toxic waste dumping on Somalia’s shores. According to a UNEP spokesman, “there’s uranium radioactive waste, there’s lead, there’s heavy metals like cadmium and mercury, there’s industrial waste, and there’s hospital wastes, chemical wastes, you name it.”

According to the report, the primary reason for toxic dumping in Somalia is cost. The report states that it costs $2.50 per ton to dump toxic waste in Africa compared to $250 per ton to dump waste in Europe.

Policy Options in Dealing with Political and Security Problems

The current government in Mogadishu is generally seen as the last defense against the extremist and terrorist groups currently waging war in south-central Somalia. Effective policy options available to deal with these threats are limited.

The international community may consider engagement with the Islamic insurgents and clan elders to deal with the political and security problems facing Somalia. Regional and U.S. officials are convinced that it is pivotal to strengthen the moderate elements of the Islamic movements. Most observers believe that the Al-Shabaab can only be contained by another Islamic movement supported by clan elders.

• Some Al-Shabaab leaders are determined to continue their military campaign and are not inclined to participate in negotiations. Targeted measures, including sanctions and other measures against the most extreme elements of Al-Shibaab, might pave the way for other moderate leaders to emerge.
• However, others believe that harsh or violent measures are likely to backfire in the short term and increase anti-western violence.

A more effective option for containing the extremists may be to look for a Somali-led solution. The TFG, Somaliland, Puntland, and other moderate Somali forces could possibly form a coalition to contain the advances of the most extreme elements of the Al-Shabaab politically and militarily.

Such a coalition is likely to get the support of the Somali population. A Somali-led initiative would take away one of the most powerful justifications used by the Al-Shabaab to wage war, the presence of foreign forces. Most observers agree, however, that a unified regional approach is pivotal, however.

In conclusion, there appear to be no easy solutions or options to bring a lasting peace in Somalia. Somalis continue to make great sacrifices to achieve this objective. There is a very telling Somali proverb: The best bed that a man can sleep on is peace. Thank You.

The Rest @ All Africa.com

U.S. Ships Weapons to GovtSomalia: U.S. Ships Small Arms, Munitions to Govt Somalia: U.S. Providing Govt With Arms, Ammunition Somalia: Background Briefing on U.S. Assistance to the Transitional Federal Government Eritrea: Govt Reacts to U.S. Arms Shipment to Somalia

Aweys and Turki Reported Dead in Mogadishu Fighting

MOGADISHU: A Somali Islamist rebel leader on US and UN terrorism lists is seriously injured from fighting between rival Islamist groups and may be dead, a family member and a militia opposed to him said yesterday.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys’ own insurgent movement, Hizbul Islam, denied the reports of his death as “propaganda”.

If true, Aweys’ death would be a major blow to the Islamist rebels and a boost for President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed’s Western-backed government, which had tried unsuccessfully to broker peace talks with the 62-year-old cleric.

Aweys, whom western security services say is close to Al Qaeda, is a father figure to the insurgents in Somalia, where he has headed various Islamist groups since the 1990s. “We understand that Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys was brought yesterday to his brother’s house,” a family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

“We were denied access but confirmed there were doctors in the area ... The mood looks like he is dead.

• The whole area is surrounded by gunmen and there is no access,” he added, of the house close to Mogadishu’s football stadium.
• The government-allied moderate Islamist militia Ahla Sunna Waljama’a said its fighters shot Aweys during battles in Wabho town on Friday, and that he died of wounds later.
• There were also rumours among militia fighters that another rebel leader, Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Hersi Al Turki, was among the 123 combatants who died in the fighting around Wabho.

An Islamist insurgency since early 2007, the latest cycle in 19 years of conflict in the Horn of Africa nation, has killed around 18,000 civilians and thousands more fighters. It has also drawn foreign jihadists into Somalia, enabled piracy to flourish offshore and unsettled the whole of East Africa, with neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia on high alert.

journalist killed

In Mogadishu, where hardline insurgents Al Shabaab have been battling the government’s security forces, three people died yesterday when a remote control mine meant for a police car struck another vehicle.

“The police car was driving at high speed and the bomb missed it and struck a civilian car which was behind the police car,” witness Abdullahi Farah Nour said..

Gunmen in the capital also shot and killed Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, a director of privately-owned radio station Shabelle, and injured a collegue. “They shot the director in the head and he died on the spot,” a witness said.

Hirabe, 48, was the fifth journalist murdered this year in Somalia, one of the most dangerous places in the world for reporters to operate. Colleagues suspected that a broadcast on Aweys’ battle injuries may have prompted the attack. “God knows who attacked us, but we suspect the news we aired this morning,” said Ahmed Omar Tajir, a reporter who suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach when Hirabe was killed.

Somali president Ahmed, in an interview published yesterday in Italy’s Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, said Al Qaeda was targeting Somalia as a strategic base for operations.

“Today there are Al Qaeda cells in the country. So this isn’t Somalia’s problem but the world’s,” he said.

“Al Qaeda is looking at Somalia as a strategic post, different from Afghanistan, to create its network. Somalia has become their priority. We have a very long coast.”

The president said his government needed another six to eight months to build a security force capable of beating rebel groups al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam.

“We want dialogue but they oppose it,” he added, saying Eritrea was backing Hizbul Islam, while al Shabaab was linked to al Qaeda. Underlining the consequences at sea of the lawlessness onshore, the French navy handed four injured pirates over to authorities in the north Somali region of Puntland for trial. The four were originally captured by an Indian warship.

The Rest @ The Peninsula (Qatar)

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

How is Pirate Money Transferred?

Shabaab and Pirates collaborate



al Shabaab provides intelligence, weapons and tactical training. In Exchange, Shabaab gets a cut of the ransom or captured goods.

Shabaab's Senior logistician, al Turki, trained as an al Qaeda operative, takes the goods and turns them into a business:

Shabaab uses the stake to invest in a smuggling ring

A black market ring into their next target country, Kenya. They smuggle the goods across the border, paying friendly Muslims with the jobs from the smuggling ring, extending friendships and contacts in Kenya and creating a lucrative business supporting locally developed battle tactics, at the same time, they undermine the tax collection and economy of Kenya.

Bags of Sugar Stamped from Dubai?
cheap electronics
fake designer clothes
Stolen Relief goods like Rice, Pasta Maize

How is the Money is Laundered

• Cash is deposited with Halawas in Kenya,
• and transferred to Hawalas in Dar Es Salam, Uganda and The Sudan, San Marino.
• From there, Hawalas send remittances for agents to pick up in Dubai, Italy Romania.
• From there, They place orders for heavier arms from Beltech export in Belorus, AKs from Venezuela.
• All these orders are made in small amounts with many different agents; only Turki and a few others know all the players.

Here is how Hawalas work

Intelligence objectives:

• Inventory shipping manifests of ships captured by Pirates sitting in Somali Ports
• Compare goods to products being smuggled into Kenya
• Identify the banks who hold the funds for the Hawalas
• Identify the banks where two or more Hawaladars have joint access to funds

Shabaab's Kenyan Smuggling Ring Run by Hassan Turki

Truckloads of sugar smuggled in daily from Somalia are enriching warlords who control the lawless country.

So rampant is the illegal trade that a kilo of sugar retails at between Sh40 and Sh50,almost half of what it costs elsewhere in the country. Among the kingpins of the illegal trade is a man described by American intelligence as the key sponsor of Somalia’s main militia group, Al Shabaab.

Could you be enriching a fast-rising terrorist group, which has repeatedly attacked Kenya, every time you sweeten your cup?If the white sugar is not branded or comes at a price that is significantly lower than the prevailing market prices, then you probably are.

Today the Saturday Nation reveals how truckloads of sugar smuggled in daily from Somalia are enriching warlords who control the lawless country. The massive racket in not just sugar but:

• cheap electronics
• fake designer clothes
• Rice
• Pasta
• Even maize is documented in week-long interviews with the local administration, MPs, Customs and government intelligence officials on the ground.

Impassable

• A senior Customs official in North Eastern Province estimates that about 10,000 bags of smuggled sugar may be entering Kenya from Somalia daily.
• They are ferried in by lorries, 4x4 vehicles and even donkeys.
• Much of it finds its way into Nairobi and other major urban centres.

The smuggling is currently at its peak as the traders seek to beat the onset of rains, which render most of the smuggling routes impassable.

• Last month, police seized 200 bags of sugar at Wajirbor, about 70 km east of Wajir Town.
• A week earlier, another consignment was seized in Isiolo, hundreds of kilometres from the Kenya/Somalia border.
• Yet another consignment in Mandera uncovered six pistols concealed in the sacks of sugar. The case is before a Wajir court.

Among the kingpins of the illegal trade is a man described by American intelligence as the key sponsor of Somalia’s main militia group, Al Shabaab, which controls large swathes of Somalia – and, therefore, the sea and land corridor for the illegal trade into Kenya.

The alleged sponsor, Hassan Abdullah Hersi Al-Turki (also known as Hassan Al-Turki), is rumoured to shuttle between Kismayu, Somalia and Garissa Town, from where he directs the multi-million dollar smuggling ring, according to a Kenyan intelligence source based in the province.

“The information we have is that he has a Kenyan ID,” provincial commissioner Kimeu Maingi told this writer last Monday. “But we are yet to establish that. We will liaise with the Immigration Department (to confirm the reports).”

Al Shabaab, which means “youth” in Somali language, rakes in about $250,000 (about Sh20 million) daily from smuggling sugar and other commodities, according to Customs and Intelligence officials Garissa. Somalia has about 11 militia groups, all intent on toppling the current government.

However, what separates Al Shabaab from the rest is its viciousness. It has uploaded videos on the Internet showing how it kills those who run across its philosophy of introducing an extremist Islamic state in Somalia, which has been reduced into warring factions in the void left by the collapse of strongman Siad Barre in 1991.In two recent forays,

Al Shabaab kidnapped two Italian nuns in a daring raid on El Wak and more recently militiamen captured Kenyan district officers, in both cases demanding ransom. During the raids they also killed security personnel.Last October, Al Shabaab units crossed the border and reportedly helped the 1998 US Embassy bomb suspect Al Fazul to escape from the hands of Kenya police.

The government is concerned Al Shabaab is infiltrating Kenya, according to deputy Speaker Farah Maalim Mohamed. “The fear is grounded,” he told this writer in Garissa Town last week. “It is a massive fear both at political and government level.”The government is concerned about the development.

“We are taking (the Al Shabaab issue) seriously,” the PC told this writer. Also, there are reports that Kenyan youths are being recruited into the ranks of Al Shabaab ranks.

Kenya closed its border with Somalia about two years ago, in effect outlawing any cross-border trade and movement of people. Yet, the illicit business is flourishing. The sugar is imported from as far afield as Dubai, Pakistan and Brazil.

So rampant is the illegal trade that a kilo of sugar retails at between Sh40 and Sh50 – almost half of what it costs elsewhere in the country. The sugar enters Somalia through Kismayu port, and onwards to the frontier areas of Geriley, Diff and Dadajabula.

• Dealers communicate by satellite phones and VHF radios.
• Most of the border points, especially in El Wak, lack even a security patrol vehicle while in other places, they have been grounded by the lack of fuel.
• Even the Army’s Rapid Deployment Unit in Liboi cannot use its Land Rover and truck because both the vehicles have broken down, investigations revealed.
• Sugar godowns exist in Wajir, Mandera, El Wak, Daadab, Modogashe, Habaswein and other trading centres across North Eastern Province.

In fact, the smuggled sugar is barely concealed. In Leheni, a few kilometres from Wajir Town along the way to Garissa, it is sold in the open.

“The main border is closed and manned by the Army, police and Administration Police,” says Mr Titus Murugu, the district commissioner of the 13,297 sq. km Lagdera, a region bordering the war-torn Somalia.

“But there are so many (undesignated) routes used by donkeys and four-wheel drive vehicles to smuggle sugar, even guns.”

His boss, Mr Maingi, is concerned too. “Sometimes we are overstretched (in trying to curb this illicit business). The problem is that when we arrest and prosecute these people, the Kenya Revenue Authority will take its tax and allow the sugar into the country.”

Whereas the vast Somali-Kenya frontier is hard to police, the smuggling appears to benefit hugely from corruption among police, KRA personnel and the unscrupulous traders.

• In Wajir Town, elders spoke of the high frequency of bribery and why it has been difficult to have long-serving police officers moved from the area.
• Proceeds from sugar smuggling are wired back to Somalia through the age-old informal money transfer system called hawallah – which is based on honour and trust. Hawallahs charge a mere five per cent to transfer money compared to the 17 per cent generally charged by some of the known money transfer institutions.
• According to a US State Department report last year, hawallahs transfer a big portion of the $100 million (about Sh8 billion) laundered through Kenya every year.
• In fact, a hawallah suspected to have remitted the money used in organising the bombing of US Embassy in Nairobi, has a branch in Wajir Town. This business thrives freely in towns across the country because Kenya is yet to come up with an anti-money laundering law.

The government is concerned about the flood of sudden money in an area officially classified poor. Mr Maingi, the provincial commissioner, says he has launched investigations into the possibility that the $150 million (about Sh12 billion) Somali pirates reaped in the seas last year may have found its way into his area, pushing up property values.

Blood moneyWe have instructed them (local authorities) to watch out for the blood money.”

• In Wajir Town alone, close to 30 lorries carrying sugar from Somalia pass through en route to other parts of the country.
• More sugar enters through Liboi, Mandera and El Wak in the north.
• Local traders buy a 50-kilo bag of sugar at between Sh1,800 and Sh2,000.

“The country is losing so much revenue to this illegal business,” says Dagane Siyat Ali, a former chairman of Wajir County Council and who comes from Diff, an area bordering Somalia and a key smuggling route.

“There is corruption everywhere. There is so much business despite the fact that the border is closed,” he added.

Abdi Noor Abdi Gaamey, a politician in Wajir Town, said he was threatened by a police officer when he complained about the influx of smuggled sugar into the area.

“He told me to my face that he will kill me if I didn’t I stop talking about corruption.”

• Some sugar can be seen stacked in open fields along the Wajir Garissa Road, in full view of everybody, even security personnel, especially at Leheni, a small trading centre a couple of kilometers from Wajir Town towards Garissa Town.
• The sugar is picked up by passenger buses that ply the route as well as heavy trucks from Mandera and El Wak.
• This writer witnessed almost 20 bags placed in the bus he used back from Wajir on Sunday.
• The inscriptions on the sacks indicated the sugar originated from Dubai.
  
• Posted by Africa News Online at 8:19 AM

The Rest @ Africa News Online

Hassan Turki, Dahir Aweys, Omar Iman, and Others Join to Form Hisbal Islam

february 7th, 2009

A newly formed group known as Hisbal Islam (Islamic Party) vowed Saturday fighting against Somali’s new government led by president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and the AU forces in Mogadishu.

• Four insurgent factions agreed Wednesday to merge and continue fighting against the anticipated unity government of Somalia.
  

“The so-called government led by Sharif SheikAhmed is not different from the one of Abdulahi Yusuf,” said Dr. Omar Iman, who chairs Hisbal Islam.“The country was not freed from the enemy and Sharia law was not imposed, how we can stop Jihad (holy war),” Mr Iman added.

Somali’s new president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed arrived in Mogadishu on Saturday for the first time since he was elected president in Djibouti by the Somali Parliament last Saturday.

President Sharif briefed reporters and said he came to Mogadishu to form unity government in Mogadishu and to work for the peace.


The new, anti-government Islamic Party is composed of four factions –

• the Asmara wing of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia led by Hassan Dahir Aweys,


• Ras Kamboni Brigade, a southern Somali Islamist group affiliated with radical military leader Hassan Turki, (Shimronletters Editor's note: Turki was a senior leader in the Islamic Courts and its predecessor, al Itihaad al Islamiyah, was believed to be running a military training camp on the Kenyan-Somali border in March of 2008.)
  
• the Islamic Front, an insurgent group formed in 2007 to oppose Ethiopian troop presence in Somalia,


• and a little-known, clan-based group called Anole, which is said to have been founded just weeks ago.

Al-Shabab group which controls the port town of Kismayo is not a member of the new Islamic Party.

The Rest f@ Anikah

(editor's note: they claim their source is mareeg.com but I cannot find this news anywhere there)

Robow Threatens to Kill Any US Citizen Found

Residence city of kismayo are outraged by what appears to be an organized attack resulting in the killing of humanitarian worker at one pm local time in his house in city of kismayo .

humanitarian worker was from gedo region. jubbaland state of somalia .. Civil society groups and the local are organised protest, according to Hawo Ugas Farah, leader of a women's group and one of the organisers. "We are demonstrating to show our anger and dismay at the murder of people who had came to help us," Farah said. She said it was also meant to show the families and friends of the victims that "the people of Kismayo were grieving with them".

The al shabaab Terrorist are in controlling the town. Al-Shabab is an armed group, once connected to the Islamic Courts Union, which is now in conflict with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Ethiopian military forces supporting them.

On Thursday 8 May 2008, Muqtar Robow now in kismayo with hassan turki was reported in Somali press as saying that Al Shabab “will kill American citizens in Somalia, even if they are journalists and aid workers”. [ in Kismayo ]

This threat was issued the day after a driver contracted by the World Food Program was killed by members of a militia after being stopped at a roadblock 30 kilometers north of Galkayo in Mudug region.

This is the second driver contracted by the WFP to have been killed during a militia attack in Somalia this year. None of the militia is considered to be linked to Al-Shabab.

The Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia has recently warned that the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to worsen. The combination of drought and rising food prices, in addition to persistent insecurity and armed conflict, has pushed 2.6 million Somalis to the point where they require essential humanitarian assistance.

There is no excuse for attacks on humanitarian workers in any conflict, regardless of their nationality. Amnesty International calls on all armed groups to end attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers, and to give assurances that their status as neutral non-combatants will be respected. Armed groups that are preventing humanitarian access during this period would be contributing to, and increasing, the risk of widespread starvation among the Somali people.


In Memoriam http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/release.cfm?id=2490

The Rest @ Terror Free Somalia