Shabelle Media: Heavy shelling kills 11, injures more than 30 others in Mogadishu
at least 11 people have been killed and more than 30 others have been injured in Mogadishu after heavy shelling targeted to the big market of Bakara in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses and officials told Shabelle radio on Monday.
Four of 10 constant mortar shells landed at Bakara, the bigest market in the Somali capital Mogadishu especially Dhablaha section where at least 4 people died while 8 others injured.
Ali Muse, one of the emergency traffic officials told Shabelle radio that they had seen at least 11 dead bodies most of them civilians adding that they took 31 wounded people from the areas affacted by the heavy shelling landed into the market.
the emergency traffic (Ambulances ) were too busy for deploying the injured people from different areas in the market and rushed to the hospitals in the capital.
the shelling started as the people were in the their businesses centres whlile more others were homing.
at least 8 civilians were killed and 10 others wounded as several mortar shells landed at Raderka and Irtogte neighbourhoods in Mogadishu on Monday morning.
people have got shock about the bitter shelling which caused more casualties of deaths, wounds and loss of property in the market which also resulted in all the business centres to be closed.
more people fled to the concrete buildings to save their lives from the shelling targeted to the market.
some of the businessmen of Bakara market told Shabelle radio that the mortarshells were thrown from bases of the African Union troops AMISOM though it was not actually comfirmed.
the shellign comes as there was no fighting between in Mogadishu on Monday afternoon.
The article leaves out the Monday morning attack on the Burundi forces base at the Jalle Siad Academy, which lasted for a short period of time. Their point, though, is that the shelling was not part of any ongoing firefight. We've seen repeatedly how the Bakara Market is indiscriminately targeted by the transitional government forces and their foreign protectors, resulting in an untold number of civilian casualties over the years. [see update below]
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Garowe Online: Al Shabaab executes 2 'CIA spies'
The ruling was issued in the Somali capital Mogadishu by a court with Al Shabaab judges, which sentenced the two men to death and a third man to whipping.
"The court found Hassan Abdullahi Jareer and Mohamed Ali Salad to be guilty of spying for the American CIA, AMISOM and the Somali government," said Sheikh Abdi Haq, the Al Shabaab judge who issued the verdict.
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According to the judge, the two accused men "admitted in court" to charges of spying for the CIA. Sheikh Abdi Haq accused the two men of "assisting the CIA" in the Sep. 14 assassination of Al Qaeda suspect Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and the assassination of Sheikh Aden Hashi Ayro, who was killed in a U.S. air strike in central Somalia in May 2008.
On Monday, 10 Al Shabaab fighters shot the two men to death as dozens of civilians including children watched, while a third man was whipped 29 times for "minting counterfeit currency." Al Shabaab commanders, who were present at the execution, said one of the dead men "used to direct AMISOM artillery towards our positions."
Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, the Al Shabaab head in Banadir region where Mogadishu is located, said the Islamist group has "white men in custody" accused of spying. He said that the suspects will be brought in front of an Al Shabaab court soon.
It is the first case of public execution by Al Shabaab for people accused of spying.
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Conflict in Beledweyn heats up again
Shabelle Media: TFG soldiers take over the control of parts of Beledweyn town
the transitional government soldiers have taken over the control of parts of Beledweyn town in Hiran region after clashes between the forces loyal to Hizbul Islam Organization and the soldiers, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Monday.
Locals in Beledweyn town said that the fighting started at the centre of the town as the government soldiers entered it from two different sides..
Garowe Online: Beletwein traders fight govt troops, accusations of 'looting'
Most of the fighting was concentrated at the center of Beletwein, the provincial capital of Hiran region, including the town's central administration building and the police station.
There were no reliable reports of casualties but at least 1 civilian was wounded during the armed clashes, which stopped after Hizbul Islam rebels withdrew from Beletwein.
Hundreds of people poured onto the streets afterwards to watch Somali government forces take full control of the town's key areas, including the main bridge that connects Beletwein's eastern and western neighborhoods.
A second round of fighting erupted midday Monday after Somali government troops rolled into Beletwein's western neighorborhoods.
The fighting started after gunmen loyal to businesspeople in west Beletwein began fighting the government troops, whom they accused of "looting" local businesses.
At least 4 Somali soldiers were wounded during Monday's second battle, including a senior military commander named Salad Hared, according to government sources.
Currently, government troops and the militias are facing off across Beletwein's main bridge and sporadic gunfire could still be heard inside the town.
Local sources said there were "more casualties" during the second round of fighting, but the reports could be independently verified.
Meanwhile, there is no information as to the whereabouts of Sheikh Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma'ow, the Islamist governor of Hiran region who switched loyalty from the Somali government to Hizbul Islam rebels last week.
Hiiraan Online adds
The whereabouts of the region’s governor is not known. Eyewitnesses report that they saw him leaving the city with his forces. Also, it is not also know the number of people injured or killed as a result of the fighting.
Senior TFG officer who are currently present in the city include Gen. Muqtaar Hussein Afrah, Mohamed Dhaqane Ilmi, Adam Abdi isse (Garaase), Tobane Gururey and Salad Hareed all of whom recently were staying El-Gal area which is located just outside the city.
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Garowe Online: African peacekeepers 'unload weaponry at Mogadishu port'
MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 29 (Garowe Online) - African peacekeepers serving in Somalia's capital Mogadishu are unloading a cache of weapons for the second consecutive day at the city's main port, Radio Garowe reports.
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Commercial ships docked at Mogadishu's port have been ordered to stop unloading goods, as military hardware was unloaded from a large ship that reportedly originated in neighboring Kenya.
"Weapons and fighting vehicles are being unloaded from the ship, including tanks for AMISOM [peacekeepers]," said a Somali military source who declined to be named in print as he was unauthorized to speak to reporters.
Officials from Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) have not commented on the weapons being unloaded by the African peacekeepers, but it marks the third time in a month AMISOM peacekeepers have received a weapons shipment via the port, according to informed sources.
Relatedly, as to the reason it has taken two days to unload the weapons, assuming it's not because the volume of cargo is so large, we get this isolated remark from an AP article Monday on the shelling of Bakara Market
Later Monday, residents reported missiles pounding Mogadishu's main market and said they were fired from an AU base nearby. ..
However, [AU peacekeeping force spokesman Barigye] Bahoku said AU soldiers did not target the market in the city's south and instead were firing to protect a cargo ship docking at the port, which was being attacked by Islamic insurgents.
And Mareeg Online reports
At least 12 civilians were killed in Bakaro market in Mogadishu and 30 others were wounded after heavy mortars landed in the Market on Monday.
The rebel militants fired mortars from Bakaro market to Mogadishu seaport, but the AU troops known as AMISOM fired back heavy mortars to the market while the civilians were in the middle of their daily work.
[Somali clan] elders held a meeting in Mogadishu and accused the African Union troops of being behind the mortars which killed the civilians in Bakaro market.
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From an AP article titled EU defense ministers discuss Afghanistan, pirates
EU ministers on Tuesday also said they are considering a mission to train security forces of Somalia's transitional government. The mission would likely be similar to a French operation training 500 Somalis in neighboring Djibouti.
Swedish Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors said there was broad agreement among ministers at the informal meeting that training security forces outside Somalia would help bolster the country's government.
"There seems to be interest among many (ministers) to have a broader engagement, but no decision here yet," he said. Ministers will discuss the issue again at a formal meeting in Brussels in November.
Jung said training Somali forces also would help tackle piracy off the country's coast.
"We can only be successful if we make efforts not only at sea but also on land," he said, adding that Germany was, in principle, "ready to support this."
Reuters adds
European Union defence ministers voiced support on Tuesday for a plan to establish training missions for Somali security forces outside the war-torn country, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.
The proposal envisages training police and other security personnel in Djibouti, where France already conducts such a mission, and possibly Uganda, Solana told reporters on the sidelines of an EU defence ministers' meeting in Gothenburg.
"In general terms it is a very well taken idea," Solana said. "But we have still to polish it up." He said the plan could be discussed by EU leaders at a summit in November if it can be finalised by then.
EU officials have said the aim of international support for the Somali security sector is to build up a police force of about 10,000 people and a security force of 5,000.
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German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said German troops, some of which are already based in Djibouti, could participate. Belgian Defence Minister Pieter De Crem called the plan "an interesting proposal", but said some countries would find it difficult to commit resources.
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Ecoterra Intl: Let's nab the foreign poachers - ECOTERRA sets out award
"This is now the fourth major incident. We have to get to the base of it and see the culprits convicted," says Dr. Abdulkadir S. Elmi, the country officer of ECOTERRA Intl. in Somalia.
AWARD TO CONVICT FOREIGN WILDLIFE-POACHERS IN SOMALIA.
"ECOTERRA therefore decided to set out a substantial award to reward any person or group which brings substantial evidence, suitable to convict any foreign soldier, a unit of a military force, the country or the command which is involved in the harassment, capture or killing of any wild species in Somalia".
First the wildlife hunting by foreign troopers in helicopters was reported from Harardheere, then South of Kismayo, then Garacad and now from Hafun and the involvement of people of Somali origin, who serve on these warships and misguide the foreign troopers can not be ruled out.
When the first incident happened ECOTERRA Intl. got in contact with the US Naval Attaché in Nairobi, The US command in Bahrain as well as CENTCOM and AFRICOM, because it was reported that US American choppers were involved. But while US Commander Scott E. Organ tried to convince the environmental protection group that it would be nearly impossible for a US-American helicopter pilot to capture and bring wildlife to an American warship, the official answers from the US-American commands are still outstanding.
"Given the history of US-American poaching in Somalia for Zoos and biological or medical research, we are not so sure if there is no truth behind these local reports," says Dr. Abdulkadir and recalls that the Americans and Israelis captured the strictly protected Somali Wild Ass in the remote Nugal Valley in clandestine operations and during a similar uncontrolled time of the Somali history. "This is why San Diego Zoo has this rare Somali species in their cages" the wildlife protector explains.
Of the different nations plying the waters off Somalia and having helicopters as well as frustrated and maybe bored pilots with them, many could be those who have been seen now several times to engage in such criminal activities.
"Any hunting of wildlife is strictly forbidden by law in Somalia and the ECOTERRA award can be given to anybody, who provides tangible evidence leading to the establishment of the truth and the prosecution of the culprits."
ECOTERRA also encourages concious officers on the warships around Somalia to tell the truth behind these repeated reports. Even anonymously leaked information is welcome by e-mail to office[at]ecoterra-international.org and will be treated confidential.
"If it is true, we have to stop the menace immediately and we are also appealing to the many good soldiers on these warships and helicopters to interfere and stop any case of poaching, collection of rare plants or damage to the natural environment of Somalia - be it on land or at sea," added the wildlife biologist and rangeland manager.
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IRIN: Islamist groups on a "war footing" in Kismayo
The tension follows a decision by Al-Shabab to ignore an earlier agreement between the two that control of the city would rotate between them, a businessman resident in Kismayo, who requested anonymity, said.
"When they [Islamists] captured Kismayo in 2008, they agreed that Al-Shabab will govern for the first six months and then Hisbul-Islam will take over, but Al-Shabab now refuses to honour that agreement," he said.
He said both sides had brought troop reinforcements into the city. Al-Shabab was reported to be digging in on the southern side of the city while Hisbul-Islam had set up defensive positions in the north.
Some residents have started fleeing their homes to safe areas because of the tension.
Contacted by IRIN Radio, Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed of Hisbul-Islam admitted there was a problem between the two groups but said talks were ongoing to resolve the differences.
"Elders and professionals are mediating and I am hopeful we will find a solution."
However, he said people's fears were justified given the current situation, "but the opposing sides should resolve their differences by peaceful means and not through violence. A solution is to form a unified administration that brings all on board."
Attempts by IRIN to contact Al-Shabab were unsuccessful.
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TFG has to acknowledge the AMISOM shelling of Bakara Market on Monday
Garowe Online: Information minister 'regrets' shelling that killed civilians
MOGADISHU, Somalia Sep 30 (Garowe Online) - The information minister in Somalia's interim government has expressed regret at the loss of civilian lives after a busy market was shelled ... Radio Garowe reports.
Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Ghelle told a Thursday press conference in the capital Mogadishu that the government opposes the shelling of civilian areas.
"The Government has spoken with AMISOM commanders about the shelling of Bakara [Market], which we regret," said the Information Minister.
He noted that Somali government officials asked the African Union peacekeeping mission, or AMISOM, to investigate the shelling of Bakara Market yesterday where at least 12 civilians were killed.
"We do not approve and we will never approve that markets or other civilians areas be shelled, even though we know mortars targeting AMISOM and Somali forces originate there," added Mr. Ghelle.
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And now
Shabelle Media: Government troops vacate from Beledweyn town
the transitional government soldiers have completely vacated from whole Beledweyn town in Hiran region, just where they were in over the recent days, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Wednesday.
The transitional government troops made bases in different parties of the town over the past two days as they had forcibly taken over its control from the Islamist fighters...
Reports say that the troops left from Beledweyn town and headed to the side of Elgal village about 15 kilometers south of the town, a former centre for the government soldiers in Hiran region in central Somalia.
Residents confirmed the journalists that they could see more government troops with heavy armed vehicles vacating from the town.
It is yet unclear the aim that the troops left from the town. But some reports indicate that more fighters armed heavily battle wagons led by the former governor of Hiran region Sheik Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow are heading to the town which seems was the reason that the government troops vacated it on Wednesday morning.
Bloomberg adds:
Somalia’s government soldiers who seized control of the central provincial capital of Beledweyne from Islamist rebels on July 27, withdrew from the town late yesterday as the insurgents began regrouping, the army and residents said. “The troops from Hisb-ul-Islam are armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades and are streaming into the outskirts of the town,” Roble Osman Ahmed, an elder in Beledweyne, said by phone today. “I have seen many battle wagons crossing to and fro at Halwadag on the outskirts of the town.”
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A senior army official Colonel Mohamoud Isak Abdi confirmed the withdrawal of the soldiers from the town. He declined to provide further details, saying that the army doesn’t discuss military tactics with the media.
“The government soldiers have totally vacated their military bases inside Beledweyne, such as the police station and administration headquarters,” Salim Abdullahi Ibrahim, a resident of the town, said in a phone interview today. “They headed to Eelgal, 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Beledweyne, where they have military bases.”
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Not seeing this confirmed elsewhere yet, but Mareeg Online is reporting that Fierce fighting erupts in Kismayo
Fierce fighting between al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam militants has erupted in the port town of Kismayo, where the two sides have been preparing for fighting to control the city for the last three days, witnesses and officials say.
Officials from Hizbul Islam confirmed that the fighting has started in the town. There are no further details about the fighting.
Residents say the sound of heavy gun fire could be heard in the town. More civilians started fleeing from Kismayo early on Wednesady.
Al-shabaab has declared war on Hizbul Islam on Wednesday and Hizbul Islam replied that they will defend any fighting from the Shabaab.
On the other hand there is tension in Afmadow town in the region, where al Shabaab has reportedly deployed more fighters near the town to fight with fighters loyal to Hizbul Islam based in the town.
There is power struggle between the two groups.
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Garowe Online: Al Shabaab seize control of Kismayo after battle
KISMAYO, Somalia Oct 1 (Garowe Online) - The Somali insurgent faction Al Shabaab has seized control of the southern port of Kismayo, after hours of fighting with Hizbul Islam rebels, Radio Garowe reports.
Heavy fighting erupted in Kismayo around 7am local time on Thursday morning, after Al Shabaab fighters attacked Hizbul Islam positions in Kismayo's northern neighborhoods.
At least 30 people have been killed in more than five hours of fighting, including 10 civilians who died after their fleeing vehicle overturned in the outskirts of Kismayo, local sources reported.
Kismayo medical sources said 70 wounded persons were admitted since the fighting erupted, with the city's main hospital reportedly overcrowded.
Senior commanders of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam were killed during the fighting, including the commander of Anole fighters, a man named Ali Said.
Anole is one of four factions that merged to form Hizbul Islam in Feb. 2009.
Inside sources said Al Shabaab's top commander for the Jubba regions, where Kismayo is located, died during the heavy fighting. The commander was named Aden Dhagoweyne, according to local reports.
Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali "Dheere" Mohamud told reporters in Mogadishu via a telephone press conference that Al Shabaab is not at war with Hizbul Islam.
"This war is not among the Mujahideen," said Sheikh Ali Dheere, adding: "Sheikh Ahmed Madobe [alone] is responsible for the war."
Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, a senior commander of Ras Kamboni Brigade, also part of Hizbul Islam, led Hizbul Islam fighters into Kismayo earlier this week to challenge Al Shabaab's unilateral rule.
In Mogadishu, Hizbul Islam spokesman Sheikh Ismail Haji Addow urged Al Shabaab to "stop the war" and said Hizbul Islam fighters were "defending themselves."
As of Thursday night, uneasy calm returned to Kismayo after Hizbul Islam fighters withdrew from the port town. Heavily-armed Al Shabaab guerrillas were reportedly patrolling Kismayo's five neighborhoods.
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New Vision: Uganda wants Somalia mandate to be reviewed
DEFENCE minister Crispus Kiyonga has said the mandate of the peacekeeping force in Somalia needs to be reviewed.
Briefing Parliament yesterday, the minister said the African Union (AU) force, composed mostly of Ugandan soldiers, should be allowed to attack.
“As per now, the mandate is very restrictive. It is framed in a way that they cannot attack. They might even know that the insurgents are planning an attack but they cannot attack them,” he said.
The idea was welcomed by the majority of MPs. The legislators demanded that the review be expedited.
Kiyonga also briefed Parliament about a meeting he chaired last week with defence ministers of Burundi and Somalia and representatives of the AU and the UN.
The meeting, he said, agreed to fast-track the training of Somali security forces. He explained that Djibouti, Rwanda, Tanzania, and two West African countries were willing to participate in the training.
Kiyonga, however, raised concerns about the slow pace of disbursing funds for the Somalia operation. By last week, only $37m out of the $213m pledged had been sent.
On the mysterious deaths among the peacekeepers that occurred in July, the minister explained that four Burundians and three Ugandans died due to lack of Vitamin B1.
He said the situation had been contained by improving the diet, including adding fruits.
A total of 45 Ugandan soldiers have died since the AU operation started in March 2007. Of those, 22 died at the hands of the insurgents, 22 of natural diseases and one committed suicide.
So what was up with his previous statements that the mandate had been secretly expanded? If the report of tanks being delivered to the main port at Mogadishu are to be believed, it certainly sounds like that is what is going to happen. Maybe the change in rhetoric is to make sure Uganda's parliament feels as if they're involved in the decision? 45 Ugandan troops dead in what still gets ludicrously labeled a "peacekeeping" mission is not the kind of thing that is going to sit well...
Daily Monitor: Fallen soldiers to be honoured
The government yesterday announced plans to offer special recognition to all the soldiers who die at war fronts as the death toll of Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia hit the 45 mark.
Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga while briefing Parliament about the September 17 suicide bombing at the AMISOM headquarters in Mogadishu said the leadership is considering formulating a specific policy to receive such soldiers at public ceremonies.
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The move comes in the wake of demands by the opposition that the soldiers who die while on duty be recognised.
The Leader of Opposition, Prof Ogenga Latigo, last week told Parliament that Ugandan soldiers who die at war fronts are buried like chicken thieves.The minister said the AU should give the Ugandan forces more mandate to ensure that they can defend themselves.
He said five more countries have expressed interest in joining the peacekeeping team.
The opposition called on the government to grant security to the UPDF soldiers to ensure their safety.
Makindye East MP Michael Mabikke proposed that the President visits Somalia to show solidarity and assess the situation on ground.
Daily Monitor: EU suspends funding to AU peacekeepers
The European Union has suspended its financial support to African Union peacekeepers in Somalia over the delay by the continental body to account for the past funds, the Defence Minister, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, has said.
The suspension has left the peacekeepers composed of Ugandan and Burundian forces in Somalia without operational allowances for the last three months.
However, Dr Kiyonga on Wednesday told Ugandan peacekeepers who returned from Somalia three weeks ago, that the matter will be resolved soon.
“We owe you some money. The delay was caused by African Union because the donors have withheld the money due to accountability issues,” Dr Kiyonga told the soldiers in Mubende.
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The United Nations has taken over the role of supplying food, transport and medical support to the 5,000 peacekeepers who were attacked last month in a twin-suicide car bombs that left 17 soldiers dead.
They have gone longer than three months w/o pay according to earlier reports this year.
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Gettlemen helps to sell the official justifications for efforts, previously reported on by Inner City Press, to starve out the opposition (or at least turn the population against them) via he said/he said reporting that fails to even give mention to the political leverage/counterinsurgency tactic of using food as a weapon. Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen control large areas in Southern and Central Somalia, where they have set up local administrations, improved security by cracking down on bandits and gangs, worked with some NGOs and INGOs to ensure that legitimate food assistance is available, warned against creating dependencies on outside support at the expense of local markets and farmers, and acted against those who have secondary (or sometimes primary) agendas that have nothing to do w/ neutral humanitarian operations.
NYT: U.S. Delays Somalia Aid, Fearing It Is Feeding Terrorists
DOCOL, Somalia — One in five Somali children is wasting away from malnutrition. Tens of thousands need urgent medical care to survive. The whole middle belt of the country is teetering on the brink of famine. United Nations officials say Somalia has not been in such perilous shape since the central government collapsed in 1991 and is in desperate need of help.
But right now that help is being delayed, they say, at least partly because the American government is worried that its aid is going to feed terrorists.
American officials are concerned that United Nations contractors may be funneling American donations to the Shabab, a Somali terrorist group with growing ties to Al Qaeda. United Nations officials say the American government has been withholding millions of dollars in aid shipments while a new set of rules is worked out to better police the distribution of aid.
Few aid officials believe that the American government will actually shut off the spigot of life-saving assistance to Somalia when a punishing drought is sweeping across the region. But at least $50 million in American aid has been delayed as talks continue, United Nations officials said. Meanwhile, there is only enough emergency food to last Somalia four more weeks, they said.
“The potential damage is huge,” said Kiki Gbeho, the head coordinator of United Nations humanitarian operations in Somalia, during a visit to a drought-stricken area on Thursday.
Overall aid funds were drastically down this year, even before the American government postponed its usually hefty contributions, Ms. Gbeho said. As a result, disease-prevention programs had to be cut, and “if you don’t give funding to Al Shabab areas, that’s 60 percent of the people,” she added.
From the Inner City Press link
The BBC ran a piece saying that U.S. sanctions are leading to starving children in zones that are rebel controlled. Inner City Press' Somali sources, too, say that the U.S. and UK are playing the politics of food, trying to starve out those who live in Shabaab controlled areas. They wonder why the UN's Ban Ki-moon has said nothing about this.
But now sources tell Inner City Press that the World Food Program, in part to counter U.S. concerns and also to serve U.S. policy, has hired mercenaries, "Blackwater" it is said. The sources go further, saying that the stated size of WFP's program in Somalia cannot be verified with real food purchases, that some portion is just cover for funding mercenaries' training of militias supportive of the Transitional Federal Government.
These sources say this is not the first financial shenanigans by WFP, that much of WFP's appeal for funding is to cover a "black hole" in WFP's past budget, money borrowed in expectation of pledges.
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Link to the CSIS event on Wednesday w/ full video, mp3 and transcript supplied
Statesmen's Forum: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, President of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government
CSIS hosted a Statesmen’s Forum with Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, president of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, on “Somalia: Promoting Peace through International Engagement.”
President Sharif spoke in Somali with a continuous English translation. He took questions from the audience after his remarks.
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More shelling of the Bakara Market on Thursday.
Garowe Online: 5 killed in Mogadishu market shelling
MOGADISHU, Somalia Oct 1 (Garowe Online) - At least 5 people were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu Thursday after a busy marketplace was shelled, Radio Garowe reports.
Witnesses at Mogadishu's Bakara Market said 3 people were killed inside the market when shells hit a section of the market where vegetables are sold. One of the victims was a female, the witnesses added.
"A shell hit a shop, where the woman customer was buying food but died. Also, a young businessman was killed and we do not where the shell came from," said a Bakara trader named Ali Omar.
Another shell hit a location close to Bakara Market, killing 2 civilians but there were no further details available. Most shops at Bakara were closed after shells rained down on the market, he added.
Local sources said at least 6 civilians were wounded during the shelling. No group claimed responsiblity for the violence.
Shabelle Media: Heavy shelling kills 6 civilians, wounds 15 others in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU (Sh. M. Network) – heavy shelling targeted to Bakara, the biggest market in Somali capital Mogadishu has killed least 6 civilians wounding 15 others there in the market, witnesses and officials told Shabelle radio on Friday.
Reports also say that several other mortar shells landed into more neighborhoods in the capital like Kpp and different parts in the market as the grassing section, milk and several other sections.
Ali Muse, an official of for emergency traffic confirmed Shabelle radio the number of the deaths and injuries which affected the shelling in the market.
Residents expressed concern about the mortar shells targeted to their houses and there could be other casualties.
It was recently while AMISOM troops targeted heavy shelling to Bakara market which killed more and it is unclear the real aim that the market was targeted once again.
Heavy weapons are often targeted to Bakara market that results number of deaths, injuries and loss of property...
Hiiraan Online: The Bakaara Market Shelled Again
The Bakaara market in Mogadishu which is the biggest market in the city has come under heavy shelling again. In particular, the shelling was targeted at an area of the market where vegetables and fruits are sold.
Up to four civilians have died as a result of the shelling while several others have been wounded. The shelling came from an area of the city where AMISOM troops are stationed.
AMISOM troops shell the Bakaara market often when Islamic insurgent forces shell their bases in city from the Bakaar marked and its surroundings.
It was few days ago when AMISOM troops shelled the market which resulted in the death of many people all of whom were civilians. Those who died in the shelling included merchants and shoppers.
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Shabelle Media: Elders in Galgudud region call for Somalis to protect looting
ABUDWAQ ( Sh. M. Network ) - the traditional elders and scholars of Abudwaq district in Galgudud region have Friday called for the parts of the Somalis to protect [against] foreign company looting the minerals in the district in central Somalia.
the elders said that a company with white people and Ethiopian troops are continuing operations digging the minerals and resources of the district especially [the] airport and other areas[. T]hey're calling for all the parties of the population, the TFG, political parties in the country, to start a crackdown and protect [against] looting the property of the country.
" this company with the Ethiopians and white people are going to empty, rob and gobble [up] the natural resources and property of the district so we are calling for all the Somali peiople to talk the matter and keep eye on what is going on here in Abudwaq. they are also going to reach further areas of the country," Ali Weli Haji, a Somali peace maker said.
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Reuters Somali pirates seize Spanish tuna fishing boat
MADRID (Reuters) - Somali pirates hijacked a Spanish tuna fishing boat in the Indian Ocean, the regional government of the Basque Country and a pirate spokesman said on Friday.
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"Our friends from Kismayu hijacked a fishing boat with its crew late last night," pirate Hassan told Reuters by phone. "They are on the way to Haradheere. No warship can stop us."
The Alakrana, which has a crew of 36 and a home port in the Basque Country, featured in Spanish media reports last week when its captain described how bad weather had helped his vessel escape a previous pirate attack.
Pirate attacks have continued despite patrols by foreign navies off the lawless Horn of Africa state. Monsoon rains over the past few months curbed the number of attacks but they have now started to pick up again.
The Seychelles coast guard said the ship was seized 400 nautical miles (740 km) northwest of Mahe, the largest and most developed island in the archipelago, where many French and Spanish tuna fishing vessels are based.
Tuna catches in the southwestern Indian Ocean fell by as much as 30 percent last year as pirates blocked access to some of the world's richest Yellowfin tuna waters off Somalia.
The coast guard said the majority of the crew were Spanish and one was from the Seychelles. It said other crew members were from Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Senegal.
...
Gangs from Somalia -- some made up of former fishermen angered by the presence of foreign fishing boats in their waters -- have made tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing boats in shipping lanes linking Europe to Asia.
Pirates attacked tuna boats at least three times last year, leading to one ransom payment of more than $1 million.
The tuna industry is worth up to $6 billion across the Indian Ocean region. In July, France deployed 30 marines aboard its tuna fleet to fend off pirates.
Ecoterra International posted the following wrt the earlier attempt
the crew had just finished collecting the nets, which facilitated maneuvers, since they weigh 100 tonnes and the vessel would not have been able to act quickly had they been in the water.
The Alakrana initiated the fishing season on 31 August this year, which is its fourth year working in the Indian Ocean.
Usually the fleet of fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean from at least 15 nations never reveal their presence publicly - even if attacked. This time it is different and analysts believe that the media hype about these alleged attacks has only one goal: To push the Spanish government to allow for armed personnel on board, like with the French, who have deployed armed soldiers to escort the fishing vessels with links to France. With this a new chapter in the history of fisheries wars is being written.
The presence of a Spanish Navy frigate and a patrol plane is not sufficient to guarantee the safety of fishing ships, claims the owner of Alakrana and demanded that the Spanish government should copy the French initiative, which has installed four armed military personnel on board each vessel flying the national flag.
It appears all is in done in preparation for the 9th of September, when the shipowners of Spain will meet in Madrid to pronounce protection measures for the high seas.
More from the October 2nd issue of Ecoterra International's SMCM update
The Location
In Lisbon, Major Stefano Sbaccanti of NATO's Ocean Shield anti-piracy operation said: "We received information on the possible hijacking of a vessel in the Somali Basin. "The vessel was last observed at about 400 nautical miles northwest of the Seychelles"
The Marine Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) of the Seychelles Coastguard announced that the Spanish purse seiner was captured around 400 Nautical Miles North West of Mahé. The Seychelles government stated in a press release that the the incident occurred outside Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The vessel had transited through Port Victoria two days before.
The vessel was seized between Somalia and the Seychelles, maritime officials told AFP.
"The ship was captured this morning. We do not know the exact location yet," said Andrew Mwangura head of the Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Programme, which monitors pirate activity.
"The alakran was stopped in the waters of the Indian Ocean, midway between Somalia and the Seychelles," confirmed the captain of another Spanish fishing vessel in the area.
Allegedly nearly 20 Spanish fishing vessels were in the same area as the Alakrana at the time of the hijacking.
"Pirates hijacked a Spanish fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean about 600 km off the Somali coast," Basque regional agriculture and fishing Councillor Pilar Unzalu Pilar Unzalu said in a press conference.
Sources of the Basque tuna fish sector said the Alakrana was hijacked 350 miles off the Somali coast in international waters and was being taken towards the Horn of Africa country.
Situation Questioned
An official with Ecoterra International, an environmental group that also monitors piracy, said they were looking into the circumstances of the capture. "We are trying to establish if this is a case of illegal fishing within the Somali waters or an act of piracy," said the official who spoke to AFP. "We would like the Spanish authorities to share information concerning the whereabouts of their fishing vessels to be sure that they are not fishing in Somali waters," he added.
"These huge purse-seiners with their detrimental fishing method producing masses of bycatch and hauling whole shoals of tuna out of the water, must stay out of Somali waters," ECOTERRA, which promotes only tuna caught by pole and line or other dolphin-friendly and socially responsible methods, added.
The 104.3 m (358-feet) long FV ALAKRANA with a tonnage of 3716 GT is a sophisticated, industrial purse seiner and in the Spanish national register listed with No.: 3-BI-21-05 and IMO number 9335745. It is also registered with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC000907) and operates as part of a fishing fleet and links to the Seychelles.
As such the vessel is only permitted to fish in the area of the Southern Indian Ocean agreement, whose area ends at least 200nm off the Somali coast. The recently also for Somalia registered interest zone with the International Seabed Authority extends to 350nm off the coast and establishes certain exclusive rights for the sovereign nation of Somalia.
In April 2008, another Spanish fishing vessel, FV PLAY DE BAKIO, was captures for illegal fishing off Somalia, and its crew was held for about a week, until a large fine was reportedly paid.
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From an analysis up at Garowe Online
Kismayo: The vortex of Somalia's wars
Hizbul Islam is a loose outfit of clan militias who hoped to form a single bloc to challenge Al Shabaab's widespread influence. However, Hizbul Islam is less organized, less motivated, less coordinated and therefore utterly ineffective to operate across provincial boundaries. When Al Shabaab seized Kismayo on Oct. 1, 2009, Hizbul Islam's public threats of "war across Somalia" became mere lip service. The group's politically convenient clan arrangement – drawn up of Harti, Ogaden and Habar Gedir (Hawiye) fighters – does not enjoy the benefit of maintaining a strong chain of command structure that can challenge Al Shabaab's military superiority. But Al Shabaab's new spokesman, Sheikh Ali "Dheere" Mohamud, understood the consequences of an all-out "war across Somalia" between Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam. After Kismayo was seized by Al Shabaab, Sheikh Ali Dheere told reporters in Mogadishu that Al Shabaab is not at war with Hizbul Islam – they are only fighting Sheikh Ahmed Madobe, a senior commander of Hizbul Islam.
Indeed, the battle for Kismayo brought two undeniable facts to the forefront of today's Somali saga: 1) Hizbul Islam's political and military weakness in the face of Al Shabaab, given that the former was conceived as a marriage of convenience in Feb. 2009 when four factions merged to form Hizbul Islam; and 2) Al Shabaab's political future suffered a tremendous dent when the group distanced itself from its own puritanical vision and used non-native clan fighters to help them seize Kismayo.
Independent sources in Kismayo tell Somali news agency Garowe Online that notorious thugs and clan militiamen from Marehan warlord Col. Hirale's ruling days in Kismayo (1999-2006) helped Al Shabaab fighters in the battle against Hizbul Islam on Oct. 1, 2009. Various sources have confirmed that 10 battlewagons belonging to Col. Hirale have arrived in Kismayo to reinforce the Marehan clan fighters already there. Remarkably, the consumption of khat – a leafy narcotic strictly controlled by Al Shabaab – has already returned to Kismayo streets after Al Shabaab's one-year administration successfully banned khat's public consumption. For the above-mentioned reasons, and other reasons yet-unknown to the world, the new alliance of political convenience between Al Shabaab and Marehan clan interests hell-bent on controlling Kismayo cannot last.
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A few weeks back I suggested that the mysterious Abu Mansour al-Amriki was the intelligence source -- whether wittingly or not still to be determined -- for Operation Celestial Balance, the SOF raid that reportedly killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in Southern Somalia on September 14th. A new IPS article co-authored by the normally astute reporter Jim Lobe (when he doesn't rely on Shinn & Menkhaus whispering in his ear for understanding what's really happening in the HOA) states that
Nabhan had reportedly been living in southern Somalia with Al-Shabaab, three of whose militants were reportedly slain in the attack. Reportedly taken captive in the ambush was Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, a U.S.-born Somali who has played a prominent role in al-Shabaab propaganda videos.
So far as I can tell at this point, the source for this is a September 22nd article in the Corriere della Sera, I pochi dettagli dell'operazione Shebab, which machine translates into "The little details of the Shebab operation" and is based on local sources in Somalia.
Again w/ the machine translation,
The command has killed five somalis and carried via at least two persons, one of which the terrorist keniota Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, on which it hangs a ransom from 25 million dollars. The identity of the second has not been revealed.
RAID - Sources somalis, caught up tightening of laggiù Corriere della Sera, support that features of Abu Mansur Al-Ameriki (that is the American), searched other. Moreover - and this seems to be the more important detail - it seems that the two are not died but wounded solos and have been transferred alive on the American ships to wide of the coasts the somalis with tasks of fight to the terrorism. The news has been reported from one of the heads of Roboow, the village near Good where the attack has happened American, but has not been confirmed from no official source.
I've already pointed out that the Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen spokesperson issued statements that Nabhan was taken alive, as did a couple other reports. However, I have yet to find any reports that mention Abu Mansoor al-Amriki as being taken alive.
This may support the hunch that al-Amriki was the intel source for that operation. Nabhan has been one of the ghosts the U.S. has been claiming to be after for some years now, so the notion that al-Amriki either infiltrated Nabhan's ranks or made an easy target for monitoring is plausible.
Of course one cannot rule out the possibility that, while their bodyguards were taken out, these two were taken alive because they are both intelligence assets, working to sell the tales of al-Qa'idah in Somalia, which then becomes a "national security" threat to the U.S.
Take it away, Fox News...
FBI Director: Al Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Planning Attacks on U.S.
They would like to hit the United States. That grim assessment is the first time the FBI director or any other senior law enforcement or intelligence official has stated on the record that the Al Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab is no longer content to strike within the East African nation of Somalia.
During a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, FBI Director Robert Mueller was asked if members of al-Shabaab, which translates as "mujahideen youth," would send American recruits back to the U.S. to launch attacks.
"I would think that we have seen some information that the leaders would like to undertake operations outside of Somalia," Mueller told the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
A U.S. counterterrorism official told FOX News that al-Shabaab has exploded since 2006, and it is becoming a full-fledged Al Qaeda affiliate, similar to Al Qaeda in Iraq.
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From an article in New Vision
The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, ... said Uganda would join France and Djibouti to train the Somalia security forces as a contribution to the pacification of the country.
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Garowe Online: Sheikh Aweys and Al Shabaab 'disagree' over Kismayo
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the chairman of Hizbul Islam faction, held a secret meeting with Al Shabaab's reclusive leadership overnight Saturday in Afgoye town, 30km south of Mogadishu in Lower Shabelle region, the sources said.
Al Shabaab leaders, Sheikh Ahmed Abdi Godane and Sheikh Mukhtar Robow "Abu Mansur," were present at the secret meeting with Sheikh Aweys.
The secretive meeting was hidden from Somali media, but commanders on both sides confirmed to Garowe Online that the meeting took place with Al Shabaab's leaders asking Sheikh Aweys to "make a concession" over Kismayo.
"Sheikh Aweys took a strong position that Kismayo authority be handed over to Hizbul Islam…and that Al Shabaab apologize for attacking a Hizbul Islam official," said a member of Hizbul Islam who declined to be named in print.
Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali "Dheere" Mohamud had publicly stated after the Kismayo battle that Al Shabaab was "not at war" with Hizbul Islam, but Al Shabaab was fighting Sheikh Ahmed "Madobe" Mohamed. Hizbul Islam's leaders have defended Sheikh Ahmed Madobe as a senior commander of Hizbul Islam.
Sheikh Abu Mansur reportedly "organized the meeting" in Afgoye with the intention of resolving the political and military crisis over Kismayo fighting, which has raised tensions between Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, according an Al Shabaab source.
The Al Shabaab source described the meeting as "a failure" after the two sides "disagreed" over the situation in Kismayo. The two sides "agreed to a second meeting," the sources added.
An independent source told Garowe Online that Sheikh Aweys informed Al Shabaab's leaders that they fought against clans "who joined the jihad from as far away as Ethiopia," namely Ogaden and Harti clans, of the larger Darod clan-family.
Sheikh Aweys, who led the rise of the Islamic Courts Union in 2006, belongs to the Hawiye clan-family that is dominant in Mogadishu, the capital. Al Shabaab has been accused of arming and using militias from the Marehan clan, also part of the Darod clan-family.
...
The Kismayo fighting has divided the two sides and there are growing military tensions in many regions of southern and central Somalia where fighters loyal to Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam are both present, but no reports of fighting yet.
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AFP: Spain arrests two Somali pirates
MADRID — The Spanish navy arrested Sunday two Somali pirates who took part in the hijacking of a tuna trawler which remained in the hands of bandits near the Somali coast, the defence ministry said.
The two pirates were captured by a frigate which followed them after they left the Spanish trawler on a smaller boat, General Jaime Dominguez Buj told a news conference.
...
The pirates seized the Alakrana because it had "been fishing illegally for a long time" in the area, a Somali pirate who gave his name as Abdi Mohamed told AFP by telephone on Saturday.
