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

Two German Al Qaeda Terrorists Arrested in Berlin

European Islamists have been charged in Berlin with being members of Al-Qaida. Yusuf O. of Berlin and Maqsood L. from Vienna have been trained in the terror camps of Waziristan and are allegedly part of an Al-Qaida plot to carry out attacks in Europe.

Berlin Islamist Yusuf O. traveled to Pakistan in May 2009 alongside his friend Fatih T. and joined the “Taifatul Mansourah” Group in Waziristan tribal area. Later the German Jihadi militants together with several other German Islamists who arrived in Pakistan in September 2009 founded a new group named “German Taliban Mujahidin” (DTM).

In a propaganda tape released just prior to the September 2009 German Parliamentary Elections the DTM threatened attacks in Germany. Spokesman in that video was 26 year-old Yusuf O. aka “Abu Ayyub al-Almani”.

According to the complaint filed by German prosecutors in November Yusuf O. left the DTM somewhere around May 2010 and joined Al-Qaida. During the training program he received, Yusuf O. met Maqsood L., a 22 year-old Austrian national whose family immigrated to Vienna in the 1990s after fleeing the Taliban-rule in Afghanistan.

Sheikh Younis al-Mauretani who was arrested in Pakistan back in September, to be part of a Europe attack plan. Maqsood L. to return to Europe and recruit Islamists for terrorist attacks in European cities.

• Documents discovered by German counter-terrorism officials lead to the conclusion Al-Qaida wanted the German Islamists to carry out kidnappings and killings. 
• Al-Mauretani´s plot involved assault attacks in which hostages would be killed in long standoff with police – the “Mumbai Style” of terrorist attacks.
• In May 2011 Maqsood L. and Yusuf O. traveled to Budapest (Hungary) via Iran and Turkey. 
• Yusuf O. made his journey to Austrian capital Vienna and arrived in the city carrying a audio tape recorded by Maqsood L.. 
• He played the tape to Maqsood´s old friends, urging them to support the Jihad and join the terror network.

After Yusuf O. returned to Budapest he sent Maqsood L. to Berlin. Apparently Yusuf O. thought sending a foreigner instead of traveling himself would not alert the authorities. Yusuf O. was wrong. Maqsood´s task was recruit about a dozen of Yusuf´s friends from several radical mosques in the German capital. The Austrian Jihadi was able to rally supporters amongst Berlin´s Islamist community and collect about 1.000 EUROs in donations, before he was arrested on May 16.


Yusuf O. was captured a little later in Vienna where he returned to from a trip to Budapest on May 31. Austrian authorities sent him back to Germany where he and Maqsood L. will be on trial soon.

The Rest @ Jih@d

Kenya's Soldiers in Somalia Facing Battle-Hardened al Shabaab, but Make progress

The number of casualties is on the rise as Kenya-backed Transitional Federal Government troops and al Shabaab militias battle for control of large swathes of lawless Somalia. The Garissa District Hospital has admitted 128 injured TFG solders since Operation Linda Nchi was launched in mid October.

Multiple sources confirmed the soldiers have, mainly, gunshot wounds and burns from explosives. “These people came to the hospital in very bad conditions from bullet wounds, burns and deep head cuts, injuries consistent with a situation of fierce gun fighting, use of explosives and other weapons between the TFG solders and the al Shabaab,” one of the sources said. Critically injured troops are flown to Mombasa or Nairobi for special care.

Because of the rising numbers, Kenya Army doctors have fashioned out a wing at the district hospital for the foreign soldiers injured in Somalia. The separate and isolated wing has been established to shield the men from public view because many in Garissa are not comfortable with the high security mounted at the hospital by the army in and outside the hospital. Over 54 TFG soldiers were injured during the deadly one-on-one fight on Monday while over 30 al Shabaab fighters were injured in the clash and taken to Mareray and Afmadhow hospitals for treatment.

According to the Kenyan military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir, out of the 54 injured TFG soldiers, 25 were airlifted to Garissa for treatment. "The attack in Hayo in Central Sector marks the deadliest one on one engagement between TFG and Al Shabaab. In the TFG 11 died, 54 injured, 25 of those injured were airlifted to Garissa and Nairobi for treatment. Over 40 Al Shabaab dead and many more injured. The KDF on 5 December 2011 hit two al Shabaab camps in Afmadhow," Chirchir said on Monday.

Garissa District Hospital has been receiving most of the casualties from from both the Kenyan Defence Forces and the TFG soldiers from the fighting in Somalia against al Shabaab. The injured soldiers are being treated by doctors from the Kenyan military who have established centres and wards at the hospital which is reportedly overwhelmed by the injured. The Shabaab have deployed more fighters in Mogadishu following a spate of bomb explosions in central Mogadishu some of which have been claimed by the al Qaeda-linked group.

More al Shabaab fighters have been deployed in Mogadishu's Baklad area in the middle Shabelle and through Heliwaa in Banadir area while the fighting has been reported in Karan and Huriwa areas of the city. Several TFG soldiers were reportedly injured during an attack by al Shabaab in Mogadishu's Holwadag junction.

Meanwhile, the newly relaunched al Shabaab has now taken its battle to Twitter after opening an account to counter the Kenyan military. The insurgents yesterday began tweeting @HSMPRess where the Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen press office is now sending tweets. Maj Chirchir on Monday said the group is likely to split into two with one group, Imaarat Islamiya, led by one Muktar. "Al Shabaab likey to split into two ... watch out for Imaarat Islamiya ... Muktar likely to lead the faction," Chirchir tweeted then.

Recent tweets:

Al-Shabaab:@HSMPress: We hereby clarify that we do not recognize the United Nations, or any of its institutions and affiliates, as legitimate authorities

BY DOMINIC WABALA

The Rest @ Blog Foreign Policy

Jama Mohamed Miraa Trafficker is a Name That has come up Before

A Nairobi businessman was arrested in Eastleigh and later charged with trying to obtain money by false pretense and altering genuine documents. The man, who also claims to be a pilot at the Wilson Airport and commonly known by his friends as Captain Jama Mohamed, was arrested on Eastleigh's 12 Street on Thursday last week. Police said the man had tried to steal from Barclay's Bank where he presented a forged Bankers Cheque.

• The suspect is said to have entered into a contract with another city businessman, Yassin Mohamed, to transport his miraa from Nairobi to foreign destinations including Netherlands and Somalia. 
• According to statements seen by the Star, the suspect is said to have been given a down payment of Sh3.5 million by the businessman in September while the remaining amount was to be paid later. 
• The total contract amount was Sh17 million. However, police investigating the case said the suspect was arrested after he presented a fake bankers cheque claiming it was drafted by Yassin.

According to the police, he was to link up his client with Kings Air Services who were to execute the transporting business. He appeared before Kiambu Senior Resident Magistrate Dolphine Okundi where he was charged with obtaining cash by false pretense and making altering a genuine chegue to make it appear a genuine and a valid document. He was given a cash bail of Sh5 million and a surety of a similar amount.

The Rest @ All Africa via Nairobi Star

Copyright Nairobi Star. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Mohamed Salem Ould Mohamed Lemine, alias Almajliss sharia mufti of "Ansar Allah Almourabitoun" group

Mauritanian security forces last week conducted a large-scale operation in Nouakchott, dealing a severe blow to the country's Salafist jihadist groups. Nineteen suspects were arrested, including a prominent al-Qaeda sympathiser.

The raid, launched on November 22nd, was based on information obtained by a Mauritanian terror threat monitoring body. According to security sources, the suspects were planning massive terror operations on Mauritanian Army Day (November 25th), which included the biggest military parade since the country's independence.

Nineteen Salafists believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) were detained. Among them was

• Mohamed Salem Ould Mohamed Lemine, alias Almajlissi, who was released last year under a presidential pardon. Almajlissi had spent three years in jail for issuing a fatwa to three young Salafists about the permissibility of targeting French nationals. The fatwa led to the 2007 Aleg terrorist attack, which killed four French tourists.Security agencies suspected that Almajlissi might have been recruiting young people in Nouakchott for armed organisations in the desert.

He is also believed to be the sharia mufti of "Ansar Allah Almourabitoun" group. Almajlissi refused to partake in a dialogue between a committee of scholars and Salafist prisoners. He also declined to receive a loan from the state after he was released.

In May, Almajlissi defied security authorities and held prayers to commemorate Osama bin Laden at al-Shorafaa Mosque after its imam, Mohamed Lamine Ould al-Hasan, withdrew to avoid embarrassment.

"We would have liked to hang posters and rally people to attend the prayers," Majlissi said. "Yet, many people attended it, and we co-ordinated with some brothers who attended and they raised their hands up to pray for mercy for Osama bin Laden."


The prayer largely drew adherents of Salafist ideology. Mauritanian religious scholars neither attended nor encouraged it.

In his radical sermons at the Badah Ould Busayri mosque, Almajlissi lashed out at the West and insisted that "Muslims must not love the infidels". While his teachings lured some disenchanted youths, many believe they contravene the core values of Islam, such as co-existence and tolerance.

AQIM has used Mauritania as a rear base to recruit fighters in the past five years and bet on local preachers to reach young people to form a community of sympathisers. In this light, the recent operation comes as a significant blow to extremist ideology.

Sahel security agencies recently argued for demolishing the wells that provide water to AQIM along the Mauritanian-Algerian-Malian border. The measure is akin to targeting radical ideologues as both are aimed at drying up the sources that jihadist groups depend on.

The Rest @ La Magharebia

Bangladesh Arms Trafficking an International Affair

The port city of Chittagong is a transit point in international small arms trafficking. In an interview with THE WEEK, Chittagong police commissioner Mohammad Abul Kashem spoke about his resolve to stop this menace. Excerpts:

Is Chittagong a key transit route for arms trafficking in South Asia?
I don't agree with that assumption. Yes, there have been incidents of smuggling. We have cracked down on illegal arms trade. To understand how arms trafficking works, you have to look at the larger picture.

What is the larger picture?

• All weapons we have seized in Chittagong are manufactured in foreign countries. 
• Most of these come through the sea. 
• There are people: the international arms companies and their dealers who sell these small arms to terrorists, criminals and underworld dons. These arms dealers enjoy political backing.

What drives the trade of illegal arms in Bangladesh? There are two reasons behind this. First, Chittagong is a port city with a long and porous border. Second, our country is situated between the Golden Triangle of drug-producing countries and the arms-producing sub-region.

What was the most surprising thing about the Chittagong arms haul?
The involvement of our top intelligence officers was really shocking.

What steps have you taken to prevent arms smuggling?
We have improved our coastal security. There is better coordination between our coast guard and the navy. But, we have only a limited police force.

The Rest @ The Week

Nima Yusuf Pleads Guilty to Helping Al Shabaab in San Diego

San Diego: Somali refugee pleads guilty to helping funnel jihadists from Minnesota to al-Shabaab

Nothing says "gratitude" for refugee status like turning around and helping the main reason Somalia is hemorrhaging refugees. "Somali refugee acknowledges aiding terror group," from the Associated Press, December 1 (thanks to Kenneth):

A Somali refugee living in San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to aiding four men who left Minnesota to join a Somali terror group, including one man who is suspected of carrying out a suicide bombing in the African nation in October.

Prosecutors have said Nima Yusuf conspired in Southern California and elsewhere to aid al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked militia trying to create an Islamic state in Somalia. As part of her plea, the 25-year-old permanent resident of the U.S. acknowledged that she agreed to help the men with money and personnel.
Over the past three years, Minnesota has been the center of a federal investigation into the recruitment of people from the U.S. to train or fight with al-Shabab in Somalia, which hasn't had a functioning government since 1991.

• Twenty people have been charged in the state in connection with the travelers and alleged terror financing. 
• Others have been charged in St. Louis with funneling money to the terror group, and Yusuf was among four people charged in San Diego in late 2010 with helping al-Shabab.
• Yusuf acknowledged to prosecutors that she knew the four men had left the United States to become fighters for al-Shabab. 
• She said she sent $1,450 between February 2010 and November 2010, and also acknowledged lying to federal officials twice when she denied that she had sent money to Somalia.

The men - Abdisalan Hussein Ali, Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan, Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax and Abdiweili Yassin Isse - are accused of fighting for al-Shabab and are charged in a separate federal indictment in Minnesota.

Authorities have said they believe Ali and Hassan left Minneapolis for Somalia at different instances in 2008. Members of the city's Somali community fear Ali carried out a suicide bombing on Oct. 29 in Mogadishu that Somali authorities said killed 15 people.

Al-Shabab released a recording of the alleged bomber, who the group identified as a Somali-American, Abdisalan Taqabalahullaah. One of Ali's relatives told the AP he listened to the recording and believes it was Ali's voice.

The FBI hasn't confirmed the identity of the bomber's remains. If they are confirmed to belong to Ali, it will mark the third time someone from Minnesota has been involved in a suicide attack in Somalia.

According to court testimony and documents, Faarax and Isse left Minnesota in a rental car on Oct. 5, 2009, and headed south to the U.S.-Mexico border. At the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, they told a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer that they were flying from Tijuana to Mexico City. They ultimately made their way to Somalia.

Federal officials wouldn't say whether Yusuf had contact with Faarax and Isse while they were in the San Diego area.

Yusuf faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She remains in jail without bail. Her plea is subject to final acceptance by U.S. District Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz at or before sentencing on Feb. 1

The Rest @ Jihad Watch