AQAP The Most Successful al Qaedea Franchise

Yemen has become one of al Qaeda's most secure bases and a hub for its activities on the Arabian Peninsula and on the Horn of Africa. AQAP maintains safe havens in various parts of the country and is also known to operate terror camps in Aden, Marib, and Abyan, and in the Alehimp and Sanhan regions in Sana'a. The terror group has conducted attacks on oil facilities, tourists, the US embassy in Sana'a, and Yemeni security forces.

AQAP's base in Yemen serves as a command and control center, a logistics hub, a transit point from Asia and the Peninsula, and a source of weapons and munitions for the al Qaeda-backed Shabaab in Somalia.

AQAP has also used its Yemeni base as a hub for attacks against the West. The 2009 Fort Hood shootings and the Christmas Day airline plot, as well as an airline parcel bomb plot in 2010, have all been traced back to Yemen.

"Yemen is Pakistan in the heart of the Arab world," a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal in 2009. "You have military and government collusion with al Qaeda, peace agreements, budding terror camps, and the export of jihad to neighboring countries."

The Rest @ The Long War Journal

Turkish Pistols Bound for Yemen Caputures in Dubai

Dubai police have seized 16,000 Turkish-made pistols hidden in a sea cargo shipment bound for Yemen, officials said Thursday. Authorities said the guns were headed to Yemen's restive Saada region, where Shiite rebels have fought government forces for years. Dubai's government described the find as the largest arms shipment of its kind discovered in the region. Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai's police chief, said authorities found the weapons in a red cargo shipping container, hidden behind boxes of furniture wrapped in plastic in a Dubai warehouse about two weeks ago. Police showed photos and a video of thousands of metallic black, silver and gold colored handguns laid out on a concrete parking lot. It was unclear who ordered the shipment. Tamim told reporters it was unlikely the weapons were destined for the Yemeni government because they were counterfeit knockoffs of legitimate brands. He speculated that they might have been bound for Hawthi rebels, a group of Shiite tribesmen that has waged an on-and-off struggle against the government for the last six years. They also could have been ordered by middlemen who planned to sell them one by one, he said. The central government in the capital Sanaa is struggling to exert its authority over Yemen's remote provinces, providing fertile ground for smugglers, al-Qaida militants and other criminals to operate. Tamim said Yemen had a market for illegal firearms. "If you want to sell it, people will buy," he said.

• The shipment originated in Turkey and passed through an Egyptian port before reaching Dubai's Jebel Ali port, police said.


• The smugglers had intended to transport the weapons through another Gulf country instead of Dubai but changed their plans to secure a more convenient shipping route, police said.


• Tamim declined to name the other Gulf country meant to serve as a transport point but said it wasn't Saudi Arabia.


• He said a number of suspects have been arrested with help from the countries involved.

Jebel Ali is by far the busiest port in the Middle East. It and other Dubai docks serve as major transshipment hubs for cargo traveling between Asia, Europe, Africa and the rest of the Middle East.

Yemen has been embroiled in a month of protests seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years. A government crackdown on the opposition has killed dozens. Saleh has been under American pressure to curb weapons trafficking in Yemen, where al-Qaida is known to operate.

Emirati authorities last year intercepted one of two mail bombs sent from Yemen to the U.S. in a cargo shipment transiting through Dubai. The other was discovered in Britain.

The Rest @ SIFY News

Somali Refugees Becoming Mercenaries in Yemen?

It is roumered that Somali Refugees are becoming mercenaries in Yemen. Though I think this is not yet wide spread, if true. However, both Yemen government and al Qaeda mercenary recruiters will likely target Somali refugees. Somali refugees have been paying a high price in money and risk of death to cross fromSomalia into Yemen in consistent numbers for many years. Their motivations have been both economic and avoidance of war. It is my belief that it is unlikely that first generation refugees will become mercenaries, except as a last financial resort; however, second generation Somali refugees, aged 9-18 may be motivated to cultivate their prowess as fighters by becoming mercenaries. And their numbers in Yemen are growing. Therefore, it is likely that Somali refugee communities in Yemen will be targeted by both government and al Qaeda organizations. -Shimron *************** Aden — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it is concerned by opposition media reports alleging the Yemen government is recruiting Somali refugees as mercenaries to help put down a growing protest movement demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Hala al-Horany, UNHCR protection officer in the southern city of Aden, said the agency had investigated and talked extensively to refugee leaders, but was unable to find even a single anecdotal case of government recruitment among the large Somali refugee population. "We are concerned about this situation and are still following up as this has serious implications for the protection of refugees in the short and long term," Horany told IRIN. "We have also conducted awareness-raising in the communities and warned them against even participating in demonstrations, let alone mercenary activity." The mercenary allegations were reported in opposition media, including TV channel Aden Live, and according to UNHCR had also surfaced on social networks like Facebook. They echo reports from Libya that embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi had recruited foreign fighters, resulting in the persecution of migrants and workers from sub-Saharan Africa accused - by Gaddafi opponents - of supporting the regime. Hali Mahaji Abdi, a community service worker with the development agency ADRA in Basateen, a predominantly Somali-populated district of Aden, told IRIN she had not heard any rumours of recruitment, but dismissed the idea: "There is war in Somalia and we have found freedom in Yemen, how can Somalis come and fight in Yemen?" There are an estimated 181,561 Somali refugees in Yemen, most of them urban-based and granted prima facie refugee status by a government that has adopted an open door policy. Somalia has been riven by conflict since the ousting of former president Siad Barre in 1991. While anti-government protesters in Aden complain bitterly over the alleged heavy-handedness of the security forces in clashes that have left over 20 dead since 16 February, nobody IRIN spoke to mentioned the threat of Somali mercenaries. There was consensus that if recruitment and training was under way it would happen in the remote and mountainous Abyan region in the south, where al-Qaeda is active, and the government has several military bases. Protests threaten Somali livelihoods Saleh is facing growing countrywide opposition to his 32-year rule, particularly among the youth demanding more jobs, a fairer distribution of wealth, and an end to corruption. In Aden, protesters have occupied streets in several districts, throwing up barricades during disturbances, paralysing large parts of the city. That poses problems for Somali refugees who are allowed to work in Yemen, but typically rely on day-to-day earnings as car washers, housemaids or beggars. "Six or seven people rent one room and they try and manage, but rent is expensive [about US$35 per month]. Some women can't go out to work, or come back early for fear of the demonstrations," said Nasiha Omar of INTERSOS, an NGO that runs a drop-in centre for refugees in Basateen. Relevant Links East Africa Somalia International Organisations Refugees Arms and Armies Middle East and Africa Conflict Al-Horany said ADRA has been asked to "be more inclusive" in terms of the targeting of its financial support to refugees, to help deal with any increase in needs. " As anything could happen, we are updating our contingency plan and training the refugees and helping them establish joint committees with our [NGO] partners to run essential services in case the situation blows up," she added. The irony is that if political violence escalates in Aden, there could be an influx of people into apolitical Basateen, seeking stability and functioning services. "In the last few weeks, when roads to the hospitals outside have been blocked, we've seen an influx of Yemenis living in the surrounding areas into Basateen to use the primary health care clinic there," said al-Horany. The Rest @ AllAfrica

I Million Protesters in Yemen

Tue Mar 8, 2011About one million people have staged a protest in southern Yemen, as forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh have killed a boy and injured several others.

The 12-year-old Omar Atta died in hospital in Yemen's southern province of Ibb on Monday night after sustaining a gunshot injury, Reuters reported.

The incident occurred after Saleh loyalists stormed an anti-government protest camp, also wounding around 60 people in the attack.Almost one million protesters marched through the streets of Ibb on Tuesday to condemn the attack."My son sacrificed himself, this is my family's gift to the revolution in Yemen," Omar's father said in a tearful speech to protesters in Ibb on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, heavy security forces and armored vehicles were deployed across the capital to guard the Sana'a University, which has been the epicenter of anti-government protests for the last two weeks.Tanks were stationed in main streets leading to the presidential palace, while armored vehicles were deployed to guard foreign embassies, banks and governmental compounds.

On Tuesday, large numbers of security forces were also deployed in nearly all major cities rocked by protests, especially in the southern provinces, where anti-government sentiments have been on the rise.

On Monday, President Saleh called for a national-dialogue conference in an attempt to end the impasse with the opposition, which was rejected by the opposition's rotating President Yaseen Saeed Noman.

Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds more have been injured in the Yemeni government's violent crackdown on anti-regime protests.

Source: PressTV.Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168887.html.

Al Qaeda Moves Deeper into Africa

No new news... Al Qaeda is increasingly moving their efforts South and West to their outposts in the Sahel (AQIM) Yemen and Somalia....

-Shimron


Terrorism experts say the world has every reason to be concerned about terrorism in 2011 and beyond. They say al-Qaida may be slowly dying in Afghanistan, but its tentacles around the world live on in very remote areas.

They also say frustration among the poor in the Middle East and Africa could lead to new ethnic and political conflicts. The turmoil, they say, could embolden al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb popularly known as AQIM in that region. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb grew out of an Islamist insurgency movement in Algeria, merging with al-Qaida in 2006 and spreading through the Sahara and the Sahel region.

Ronald Noble, secretary-general of the police organization Interpol, has said those portions of Africa along with Somalia may become the next Afghanistan for al-Qaida.

Former CIA official and counter-terrorism expert Charles Allen says the recent turmoil in the Sahara and Sahel could further embolden al-Qaida, because it could see the unrest as a result of its own campaign.

"They have appealed continuously, whether it is in Yemen or in North Africa, that there are impoverished communities and then there are wealthy oligarchs who control the masses. This is a long standard ideological campaign that has been relatively effective," he said.He says al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb or AQIM, along with its affiliates in Yemen and Somalia, has been using this region as a breeding ground for its activities."It functions as an umbrella organization for a disparate collection of Sunni Muslim terrorist elements determined to attack what they see as apostate regimes in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco.

The bulk of AQIM forces are located in southern Algeria, northern Mali and Mauritania," he said.Morocco’s ambassador to Washington, Aziz Mekouar is more concerned about the Sahara region in particular because it is now being used by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs to Europe. He says AQIM is trying to take advantage of the situation.

• "We see these Colombian and Mexican drug traffickers using West Africa and the Sahara region to covey drugs to the European markets. That is very dangerous.
• You will see in the future a combination of al-Qaida, drug traffickers, and human traffickers," he said.
• He says the countries of the region should come together to stop this activity and prevent al-Qaida from exploiting the situation.
• Last year, Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger set up a joint headquarters in southern Algeria to coordinate anti-terrorism efforts.
• The four countries' army chiefs met to establish a joint strategy against al-Qaida.

Allen says the focus in 2011 should be to make it more difficult for the al-Qaida leaders to recruit the unemployed and frustrated youth. That, he says, will require cooperation on a global scale to push for political and social reforms and poverty reduction. It will also require, he says, a global effort to educate the younger generation what he calls the real Islam that he says teaches that killing one person means killing all of humanity.

the Rest @ VOA

Here's how they know....

When you say something is not there.....they know when its not true

Anwar al-Awlaqi Assets Frozen

US: AWLAQI HAS HAD HIS ASSETS FROZEN.

The US government on Friday approved financial sanctions against Yemeni-American Imam Anwar al-Awlaqi who has been identified as a leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The Treasury Department has now frozen Awlaqi’s financial assets.

Long War Update in The Horn and Yemen

Gulf of Aden Security Review - April 12, 2010
Yemen:

Yemen says it has not received U.S. intelligence on al Awlaki’s location; four al Houthi rebels on trial in Yemen for spying for Iran; Yemeni tribe warns U.S. against killing al Awlaki; Yemeni Foreign Minister says al Awlaki is not a terrorist; father offers deal for al Awlaki’s removal from list; protests continue in Dhale

Horn of Africa:

Bush official: President Obama’s policy towards Somalia remains the same as predecessor; Dahabshiil guards reject disarmament attempts by Hizb al Islam; BBC responds to al Shabaab censoring; hundreds of Somali refugees reach Somali-Kenyan border town; civilians arrested in Galga'o for breaking curfew

Yemen Security Brief

Yemeni authorities say they are looking for the radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki, but have received no American intelligence about his whereabouts or role within al Qaeda. The Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi did not elaborate on the steps taken to apprehend al Awlaki, but mentioned an air strike in December on an al Qaeda meeting where the cleric was reportedly in attendance.[i]

Four men associated with the al Houthi movement in northern Yemen are being tried on suspicions of spying for Iran. The men are charged with passing “photographs of security installations, military camps, ports, islands and maritime installations” to Iran. The four were also accused of “receiving funds, supplies and arms from different parties and delivering them to the Houthis.”[ii]

Anwar al Awlaki’s tribe in Yemen threatened violence against anyone who harms him. The threat by the al Awaliq tribe is ostensibly aimed at the United States, which recently placed al Awlaki on its capture or kill list. The tribe is located mainly in Abyan and Shabwah governorates in southern Yemen.[iii]

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi said in a statement Saturday that Yemen does not consider Anwar al Awlaki a terrorist. He also said that Yemeni authorities have no contact with the cleric.[iv]

Anwar al Awlaki’s father has promised the cleric will cease activity against the United States if he is taken off the capture or kill list. It is unclear whether Nasser al Awlaki, the former president of the University of Sana’a, made the statement with his son’s consent.[v]

Protests against the government continued on Monday in Dhale as a general strike shut down all economic activity in the city. Two explosions were heard near schools with no reported casualties. Gunfire was also heard sporadically throughout the city. Additional protests were held on Sunday in Dhale, Lahij, Abyan, and Aden.[vi]

Horn of Africa Brief

Jendayi E. Frazer, former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under the Bush Administration, stated President Obama is applying the same policies towards Somalia as President Bush. Frazer also commented on the upcoming TFG offensive in Mogadishu stating she does not anticipate any significant changes to occur.[vii]

Security guards at the Dahabshiil Bureau in Mogadishu's Bakara market have resisted disarmament attempts by Hizb al Islam forces. Dahabshiil officials stated fighters from Hizb al Islam “stormed” the bureau on Saturday in attempt to disarm the guards; however, the Islamist forces were met with such strong resistance, business were forced to close for an hour.[viii]

In response to al Shabaab’s BBC ban, BBC Africa head, Jerry Timmins, stated BBC always addresses all sides in the conflict, including al Shabaab, and adheres “to strict standards of impartiality and editorial independence” and rejects anything which suggests otherwise. Timmins also stated, “It is essential for the people of Somalia that the BBC is allowed to continue to report accurately and impartially on the situation in the country without undue interference from anyone.”[ix]

Hundreds of Somali families who fled the fighting in Mogadishu and southern Somalia have reached the Somali-Kenyan border town of Dhobley, which is controlled by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab.[x]

Four civilians from the Hormar neighborhood, in the town of Galga'o in the Mudug region, have been arrested by Mudug police forces for violating the imposed night curfew, which was put in place to assure the “security of the towns, districts and villages under the control of Galmudug State.” Mudug police forces stated the detained civilians will be brought before a court and sentenced.[xi]

The Rest @ Critical Threats




Shimron Issachar
On Twitter

Mohammed Abdu Saleh al-Haudali Captured in Yemen

CNN) -- A man described as "one of al Qaeda's most dangerous members" was arrested in Yemen, the Yemeni military, an embassy official and state-run news agency Saba said.
Mohammed Abdu Saleh al-Haudali, 35, is "one of the most dangerous terrorists wanted by the security forces," according to a Yemeni military Web site, citing a security source.

Al-Haudali was arrested Wednesday in the village of Deer Jaber in the Bajel district, northeast of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, said Mohammed Albasha, spokesman for the Yemen Embassy in Washington.

Al-Haudali exchanged fire with security forces before his arrest, Saba reported, citing Hodeidah province security officer Abdul-Wahab al-Radhi. However, the Yemeni military site quoted the security source as saying al-Haudali was caught when he attempted to open fire on authorities.
In addition, Albasha told CNN, Mohammed Ali Al-Henk, "a wanted al Qaeda operative," was captured in the Arhab district north of Sanaa.

Yemeni air forces have raided al Qaeda hideouts in Sanaa along with Abyan and Shabwa governorates, killing dozens of al Qaeda suspects, Saba reported. It did not say when the raids took place.

Following the raids, the Interior Ministry told its offices to raise security alerts and tighten defense procedures nationwide in anticipation of operations, Saba said.

The arrests come after a Nigerian man allegedly attempted to detonate an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, December 25. Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack.

Suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab spent time in Yemen, sources have said. His father, Umaru AbdulMutallab, contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria several weeks ago to report his son had "become radicalized," and had gone to Yemen to participate in "some kind of jihad," a family source said.

A federal security bulletin obtained by CNN says the explosives used in the incident were obtained in Yemen.

A U.S. government official said that between August and October, extremists in Yemen were discussing operations and mentioned a person called "the Nigerian." The source said that U.S. intelligence officials also had a partial name for the person: Umar Farouk.

The Rest @ CNN







Shimron Issachar

Sunni Chiefs Declare Jiahd on Shiite Rebels in North Yemen

SANAA, 24 Oct — The military online website, 26-September Saturday said a number of social and tribal figures in Yemen “have urged the state to open up the door of Jihad to fight Zaydi Shiite rebels in north Yemen,” stressing “Jihad against the insurgents is now a religious duty upon all Yemenis.”

“The rebels are implementing a Satanic agenda for foreign powers, targeting social peace and the nation’s stability and security,” said 26-September and quoted a number of dignitaries as saying “Jihad must be declared against this group of terrorists so that citizens can join the battle.”

The Grand Sheik of Bani Hoshish tribes, Muhammad Bashir said “the rebels committed atrocious crimes in our area last year and I was among a few who talked to them in a bid to bring them back to the right path but in vain.

What they are doing in Sadaa and Harf Sufian today shows they are aiming at destroying everything. They shut down schools in north Yemen as they did in our area last year in order to teach their satanic ideology.”

Sheik Ibrahim Ali al-Maqdeshi from Dhamar said “the insurgents have corrupted on earth and the Islamic ruling must be upheld against them: their hands and legs have to be cut off and then they should be crucified as God has ordained,” adding “this cancer has to be eradicated and all the people in Dhamar are ready and willing to join the ranks of the army.”

The Rest @ Yemen Hearland Tribune

Shabaab conduct Yemen - Style Suicide Attack on Peace Keepr Compound

It appears that the new tactics of the last few months continue; it suggests that international Islamist insurgents have significant influence in a four shabaab groups. Since their offensive of a a couple of months ago, and then defensive action, non Somalis appear to be taking more and more leadership, as demonstrated by recent suicide attacks against Peace Keepers.

The report is still early, but it appeArs two vehicles with UN lgogls got inside a Ugandan Compound,

-Shimron Issachar


MOGADISHU, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Islamist Al-Shabaab group in Somalia on Thursday claimed responsibility for two suicide car bomb attacks that simultaneously targeted bases of African Union (AU) peacekeepers around Mogadishu's international airport, a local radio reported.

An unnamed official from the Islamist Al-Shabaab movement quoted by the independent Shabelle radio station in Mogadishu as saying the two suicide car bombs bearing UN logo managed to enter inside the camp where Ugandan contingent of the peacekeepers were based next to the airport in the capital.

The rebel official claimed one of the suicide car bomb attacks targeted the venue where officials from the United States, the UN and NATO were holding a meeting inside the base of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), while the other hit a meeting place for officials from Somali government security officials. He said the "attack achieved its objectives."

Neither AMISOM commanders nor Somali government forces have spoken about the attack, which came only three days after a senior Al-Shabaab commander, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, was killed in a U. S. raid in the south of Mogadishu.

But witnesses in the area say that the expositions were "massive and deafening" with black smoke pillowing from the bases in the south of the restive Somali capital.

Heavy shelling ensued targeting Mogadishu's main Bakara market following the suicide attack.

Traders and shoppers at the market busy in business fled in panic as the end of Ramadan Eid Al Fidr festival due in three days's time.

The Rest @ Xinhuanet




Update: 10 49:PM GMT

Somali rebels in Mogadishu hit an AU base on Thursday with two suicide blasts.

• The explosions killed 9 people but hospital officials stated at least 7 more people have been killed.
• Among the dead is Deputy Commander of the AU mission AMISOM.
• A spokesperson for the terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks.
• The bombing, according to Voice of America, was in retaliation for the murder of a wanted senior al-Qaeda official, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Kenyan who was killed by the United States-led military operation. “We got our revenge! We have got our revenge for our brother Nabhan.
• Two suicide car bombs targeting the AU base, praise Allah,” exclaimed the al-Shabaab spokesperson, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage.
• According to one witness, Farah Hassan, two United Nations vehicles entered the base, which was followed by two more vehicles carrying government military personnel.

“We thought they were real U.N. cars carrying white people, but moments later deafening thunder shook the ground. The area was covered with flames and clouds of smoke,” Hassan told Reuters.

Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle said that the drivers were foreigners who spoke English and identified themselves as working for the United Nations, reports Reuters.

On the same day of the attacks, al-Shabaab issued several demands for the release of a French hostage, who is a security consultant, and an immediate end to French support of Somalia’s government.

This bombing is the worst attack since February when two suicide bombers infiltrated another base.


Source Digital Journal

Al Qaeda May be Moving from Pakistan to Somalia

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Qaeda operatives are leaving the battle zones along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and heading for Somalia and Yemen, where they have set up training camps, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

Somalian President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has been targeted by al Qaeda.

• The officials believe that al Qaeda may see the Horn of Africa as its new headquarters after dozens of attacks from U.S. drones along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
  
• The officials could not be named because of the sensitive nature of the information.
  However, CIA Director Leon Panetta said the intelligence agency is keeping tabs the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives.
  

"Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa, like Somalia and Yemen, that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there," Panetta said Thursday.

"We are focusing on those countries as well in order to ensure that there is no safe haven for al Qaeda as we continue to pressure them, continue to push them and hopefully continue to make the effort to destroy them, not only in Pakistan but throughout the rest of the world."

• Residents and journalists in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city, have reported seeing foreign fighters among Al-Shabaab, the radical Islamic militia that is battling to overthrow the weak transitional government.
• Those foreign fighters have recently distributed recorded messages from al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden calling for the overthrow of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's government.

Al-Shabaab is blamed for a surge of violence in Somalia as insurgents fight the government to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or sharia.

The rebel group has said it has recruited many fighters in its battle. Al-Shabaab, also known as the Mujahedeen Youth Movement, was officially designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008.

Somalia is not new territory for the militant organization, CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen said."Al Qaeda was running training camps in Somalia in the early and mid-1990s," he said. "If this is now coming back, this is something that al Qaeda has already done, and it's worrisome for the future.

"The fact that we're seeing evidence of this already happening in both Yemen and Somalia suggests that, A, the drone program in the tribal areas of Pakistan has been effective, but, B, you know it's pushing al Qaeda into areas where they'll build up larger operations."

The Rest @ CNN

Somalia's Death Culture

MOGADISHU - Sitting on a mat at home between taking orders for arms on his two mobile phones, Osman Bare gives thanks for the riches flowing from Somalia's war.

"I have only been in the weapon business five years, but I have erected three villas. I have also opened shops for my two wives," said the 40-year-old, one of about 400 Somali men operating in Mogadishu's main weapons market.

"Peace means bankruptcy for us."

Awash with weapons

• Weapons are captured, sold and recycled constantly between both sides, experts say. Many arms have come from Ethiopian soldiers who intervened in Somalia between 2006 and early 2009.
  
• African Union peacekeepers have been accused of trafficking arms, and regional bodies say Eritrea -- among others -- is funneling weapons toward the rebels.
  
• Weapons are also said to pour across the porous borders of Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia, arriving by plane and through seas infested by pirates who are themselves armed to the teeth.

The Mogadishu arms market is just one part of an illicit global arms bazaar.

Largest stock ever

• Dealers like Bare say the main Irtogte market, within the sprawling Bakara commercial area of Mogadishu, is holding its largest stock ever, and gunrunners are rolling in money.
  
• The risks of being robbed, cheated or shot are high, however, and prices fluctuate greatly. They are at a low right now due to the abundance of supply.
  
• "The good thing is that our goods are not perishable," Bare said. "We get a lot of cash, but we are always in terror."
  
• Dealers say they can be arrested, or even beheaded by the Islamists, if caught outside the market.
  

"But inside our market, we are cocks. There are hundreds of retailers and wholesalers and each has four well-armed guards."

He said masked Islamists once picked him up, blindfolded him and took him to a well-known execution house when he was found carrying a U.S. M16 rifle ordered by a pirate.

As he was being beaten by gun-butt, a friend with good contacts in the al Shabaab insurgent movement came and rescued him.

"The government is better than Islamists -- they do not kill people. They take your property and jail you only for few days," Bare said.

While Islamists come to the market for purchases, traders said, arms are delivered to government and other buyers.

"We dismantle weapons and then secretly take them to anyone who needs to buy."

With the exception of pistols from Yemen, North Korean AK-47s, and hand-grenades from government supplies, most arms are second-hand, the dealers said.

One of the cheapest items is an Indian AK-47, at $140 each, but fighters disparage its poor quality compared to the heat-resistant North Korean version ($600) and the light Russian one ($400). At the top of the range of light weapons, the most expensive pistol, Russian-made, goes for $1,000.

Hand-grenades go for $25 each, landmines $100.

No shortage of sources
There is no shortage of sources for such weapons.

More fighting, more cash

• Somali bankers say the more the fighting, the more cash that arrives by wire transfers.
  
• "Last month has been very nice to us," said one banker, referring to the flare-up in Mogadishu.
  

The Rest @ MSNBC

Abdullah Abdul Rahman al-Harbi Arrested in Yemen

Young people, less than 18 years old, [have been recruited] to carry out terrorist attacks in the country [Yemen]. Al-Qaeda leaders trained these people inside and outside Yemen.

The announcement comes after the arrest of a most suspect wanted by Yemen and Saudi authorities, Abdullah Abdul Rahman al-Harbi who was held mid this month.

Investigations with al-Harbi revealed he has been living in Yemen for nine months and that he, during the period and while he has worked as a tailor shop manager, recruited some faces to be al-Qaeda affiliates.

A leader of an extremist group of those groups inspired by the ideology of al-Qaeda has married him to a Yemeni girl.

• Al-Aufi name was in a list of 85 wanted suspects the Saudi Interior Ministry made public in January.
• Investigations are ongoing with the arrestee to know if al-Qaeda had planned further attacks in Yemen after two recent suicide attacks against South Koreans, one of which a deadly attack that killed four South Korean tourists along with local guide and injured six others in eastern Yemen.
• A second suicide bomber blew himself up at South Korean investigators who arrived to investigate the Shibam attack but the convoy survived with no injuries.
• The Shibam suicide bomber is said to have trained in Somalia.

The Rest @ Terror Free Foundation Somalia

Kenyan Newspaper The Nation Uncovers Pirate Money Laundering

April 2nd, 2009

Millions of dollars obtained through piracy in the Indian Ocean off Somalia are ending up in Kenya and other parts of the world through a complex money laundering scheme, investigations have revealed.


(four Somali Pirates in Kenyan Court, photo from the Nation)

Since the beginning of the year, at least 40 ships have been hijacked by Somali pirates who have received an estimated $30 million (Sh2.4 billion) in ransom payments. Most of these attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, but the pirates have been widening their range of operations to include waters off Kenya.

International security agencies are now citing Kenya as a hub for piracy-related money laundering activities.

Piracy incidents

• A report by the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs says Kenya’s financial system may be laundering more than $100 million (Sh7.8 billion) each year due to the government’s failure to develop an effective anti-money laundering (AML) regime.
  

“Kenya lacks the institutional capacity, investigative skill and equipment to conduct complex investigations independently. There have been no arrests or prosecutions for money laundering or terrorist financing,” the report says.

It adds that even for the existing regulations, there is little enforcement.

• It cites the cross-border currency controls that require any amount of cash above $5,000 (Sh393,000) to be disclosed at the point of entry or exit for record-keeping purposes, but says this provision is rarely enforced, and authorities keep no record of cash smuggling attempts.


• Recent investigations in which a local bank was linked to laundering of tax evasion proceeds illustrate Kenya’s vulnerability to money laundering, the report adds. “This case illustrates that criminals have been taking advantage of Kenya’s inadequate AML regime for years by evading oversight and/or by reportedly paying off enforcement officials, other government officials and politicians.”
  


• It also says that Kenya has not criminalised the financing of terrorism as required by the United Nations, adding that with the exception of intercepted drugs and narcotics, seizures of assets are rare.
  

Money transfer

• Investigators also raised the alarm about hawala, an informal money transfer system known by its Arabic name, that is facilitating money laundering.


• Players in the maritime industry say this elaborate money transfer system is not only thriving in major urban areas in Kenya, but in numerous African countries, the Arab region, Europe, America and Canada as well where millions of dollars are exchanged without any documentation.

Investigations by the Sunday Nation have unearthed a money laundering network being run in backstreet dens in

• Mombasa’s Old Town


• Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood


• Kampala


• Juba


• Khartoum


• Dar-es-Salaam


• and other major towns in the region.
  

“Many people have opted for the hawala money transfer system as it is cheap and cost-effective, unlike going to the bank to process letters of credit or telegraphic transfers,” a trader conversant with the system told the Sunday Nation.

He said all one had to do was go to a hawala broker, deposit the money for a small fee, then the recipient is alerted by phone or e-mail where to collect the money. Charges vary from Sh1,000 to transfer Sh100,000 within East Africa to Sh2,000 to transfer Sh260,000 to Dubai. Recognised financial institutions charge as much as Sh10,000 to transfer the same amounts.

Investigators say this system of money transfer not only abets piracy but also hampers investigations by countries tracking proceeds from drug-trafficking, arms-smuggling and terrorism activities.

Somali MP Awad Ahmed Ashareh denied reports that proceeds from piracy were being laundered in Kenya, saying investigations indicated that none of the Somalis who had invested in the country had links with pirates.

Another MP, who sought anonymity, named Puntland in Somalia, Djibouti and unidentified Western countries as among those benefitting from piracy.

“These pirates are well-connected and some work with mafias and other international criminals who supply them with arms through countries like Yemen,” the MP, who was in Nairobi for a recent Igad meeting, said.

The pirates, he said, were organised into three groups:

• those with military tactics who launch the first attack;


• educated ones with technological know-how who use satellite phones and computers to communicate with owners of the ships and demand ransoms;


• and those who collect the ransom.

Former fishermen who understand the waters help them navigate routes.

Lucrative business

Mr Ashareh said piracy erupted in Somalia in the 1990s when Somalis organised themselves to fight fishermen from Western countries who were fishing in Somali waters.

Once they had this under control, some of the Somalis resorted to hijacking ships and found it to be lucrative. Now, maritime experts warn that for as long as ship owners continue to pay the huge ransoms demanded, piracy will continue to thrive.

Mr Ashareh called on the international community to help the troubled country establish governing institutions to curb piracy, saying the Somali Transitional Federal Government urgently needed help to establish court systems, and police and coastal guards.

The Rest @ The Nation (Kenya)