New al-Qaida threat: Somali group claims blasts
Al-Shabab has long threatened to attack outside of Somalia's borders, but the bombings late Sunday are the first time the group has done so.
"We warned Uganda not to deploy troops to Somalia, they ignored us," said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, al-Shabab's spokesman. "We warned them to stop massacring our people, and they ignored that. The explosions in Kampala were only a minor message to them. ... We will target them everywhere if Uganda does not withdraw from our land."
Setting ethical issues aside, that statement makes it pretty clear that the target was civilians in retaliation for those civilians in Mogadishu killed on an increasingly regular basis by the majority UPDF AMISOM forces & TFG-allied troops trained on Ugandan soil. H.S.M. organized protests in several locations last week condemning such, as well as the IGAD call for additional foreign fighters to prop up the TFG. Media reported one protestor, for example, holding up a placard reading "AMISOM killed my Dad."
At this point all of the press coverage has been focusing on this being the first terrorist attack by H.S.M. outside of the Somali border and how the earlier fears of H.S.M. are now coming to fruition & validated. And the U.S.G. has been quick to make public noises, as one would expect, in support of their proxy Uganda and to send in the FBI et al.
It's taken several years and untold numbers of dead for the threats of retaliation to now manifest in a bloody spillover in the region, to create a new bonafide international terrorist threat inside Somalia. What happens next will be shaped largely by the responses of the international community. One safe bet, though, is that impunity continues for their forces in Mogadishu and the focus will primarily remain on the body count and blood on the hands of H.S.M. Reports on Monday have AMISOM shelling the usual neighborhoods again overnight Sunday and throughout the day.
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Shabelle Media: Al-shabab, Ahlu Sunna fight in parts of Hiran region
Heavy fighting between the Al-shabab fighters and the Islamist clerics of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a has broken out in parts of Hiran region in central Somalia, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Tuesday.
Locals said that the clash between the two sides started at villages around Mahas district of Hiran region adding that there were tense between the two sides on Tuesday morning.
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Reports indicate that the fighters of Al-shabab had taken over the control of the zones where both sides fought on Monday and the residents had expressed concern over the fighting between the two sides as military movements were still reporting.
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From Monday's Daily Press Briefing at the DOS
MR. CROWLEY: ... We have today a three-person FBI team on the ground in Kampala collecting evidence. Two Diplomatic Security officers will arrive later today to assist the Government of Uganda in its investigation, and we have an additional FBI team standing by in the United States ready to assist if needed. But we will continue to do everything in our power to assist Uganda in bringing the perpetrators of this – these attacks to justice.
...
QUESTION: Is the U.S. considering any further action against Al-Shabaab in light of this? I mean, since last year, the U.S. has been quite active in supporting the transitional government. Are there further measures that the U.S. could take in light of this attack?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, I think it affirms our broader strategy of working with the Transitional Federal Government, working with regional actors – Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, others – to try to stabilize the situation in Somalia. I think it just – it reaffirms the international community’s commitment to both build an effective government in and around Mogadishu as well as to its ongoing struggle against Al-Shabaab and the narrow, brutal vision that it has as – for a future in Somalia.
QUESTION: You mentioned the international community. What are the larger implications for the international community now that they’ve struck outside of Mogadishu, outside of Somalia? Is there a concern that they’re going to start striking other locations around the country, especially – around the world? Especially if they start --
MR. CROWLEY: Well, I would say first and foremost, if Al-Shabaab’s intent in orchestrating this was to somehow weaken Uganda’s resolve, every indication that we have says the opposite. Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, our ambassador in Kampala have both talked to President Museveni in the past 24 hours. He is determined to continue Uganda’s constructive action, both in Somalia, elsewhere in the region. So if this was somehow aimed at punishing or weakening Uganda’s resolve, we think that this has backfired.
QUESTION: And what about a strike outside of the continent? Is there any concern about that?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, I think we – there’s still a lot of investigating to do to figure out how it was carried out. But clearly, we’ll evaluate the implications once we know more, but at this point, we have no reason to doubt the – Al-Shabaab’s claim of responsibility.
Paul.
QUESTION: Do you expect this to go on? I mean, like this is merely launching a new phase in the – that kind of activities by al-Qaida affiliates in Africa? Is this the face of al-Qaida?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, I’ll leave that for Al-Shabaab to describe. We understand fully that in Africa and elsewhere, we are in the midst of a very significant struggle against al-Qaida and those who identify themselves with al-Qaida. Shabaab is one of those groups. So in this respect, this is nothing new in the sense that you have a group that is striking out where it can.
But again, I would look at the response of the Ugandan Government. We’ve been very encouraged by what President Museveni has told us. He has indicated to us that Uganda remains committed to the mission in Mogadishu, and that probably is the strongest retort to Al-Shabaab, that we are going to continue to support those who want to responsibly govern in Somalia and we’ll resist those who have a narrow, brutal, violent vision of the future in that country.
QUESTION: Well, considering that --
MR. CROWLEY: All right – wait – hold on.
QUESTION: -- Al-Shabaab do have an address in Somalia – they do have an address and it is well known, will there be some sort of retaliation?
MR. CROWLEY: I can’t predict. I mean, I think the best response to this kind of violence is to do exactly what Uganda is doing, do exactly what the United States and the international community – we are going to continue and stay determined to help build effective structures of government in Somalia.
QUESTION: Has the U.S. sent a message to all the regional governments urging them to continue their support for the peacekeeping mission? Has that been the U.S. message in all of this?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, there is, ironically, upcoming in Kampala next week a scheduled summit meeting of the African Union. The United States will be represented there. Somalia was already an issue that was going to be discussed as part of that conference. I would expect that its importance will only increase given the attack in Uganda yesterday. I would fully expect that the response by other countries will be the same response you’re hearing from the United States and from Uganda, that we are going to do everything in our power to resist those who resort to violence to threaten and kill innocent civilians.
QUESTION: But has that been the U.S. message today to these governments – stick to your guns?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, I can’t point to any particular outreach that we’ve had today with the exception of the call last evening to President Museveni by Assistant Secretary Carson. I’m sure that we will have conversations in the lead-up to the AU summit next week. I’m sure that also the AU will have further conversations within its own ranks. We are – have been very grateful to the efforts by Uganda and Burundi and others to support the AU mission in Mogadishu, and we would hope and expect that that would continue.
VOA: AU: Kampala Bombs Will Not Affect Somalia Peacekeeping
A spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council called the Kampala attacks 'cowardly and deplorable', and said Washington is ready to assist Uganda in any way possible.
and
Africa's top security official says the deadly bomb attacks in Kampala have strengthened the continent's resolve to root out al-Qaida-linked elements in Somalia. The African Union is preparing to send reinforcements from Uganda and other countries to bring its Somalia peacekeeping mission up to full strength.
...
In a telephone interview, [AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane] Lamamra says the terrorist attack fits the pattern of al-Shabab and other foreign-backed groups hoping to establish Somalia as a base of operations for Islamic extremists.
"The modus operandi is very much similar to that of al-Qaida, and circumstances also lead us to believe that al-Qaida is involved directly or through al-Shabab," he said.
Lamamra says the Kampala bombings will not dent the resolve of other countries in the region to bring the AMISOM peacekeeping mission up to its full authorized strength of 8,000.
"We will be submitting a report to the [AU] Peace and Security Council in the near future to say the authorized strength of 8,000 has been duly reached. Uganda is willing to remain there until such a time as the mission is fully accomplished," said Lamamra.
SMC: More blasts in Bujumbura soon-Al-Shabab
“We have several times sent warning messages to the authorities of these two countries who have in mass deployed their troops in our country, but they have turned deaf ears to our warnings they think that we are so easy like that we aren’t all thanks are due to Allah the great, that we have achieved a small portion of our plans in Bujumbura and Kampala, I’m advising the people in Bujumbura to protest against their so called government that it should withdraw Burundian troops from Somali soil, or else they will face more than what Kampala has faced” Ali Dhere the spokesman of Al-Shabab.
The spokesman of Al-Shabab has as well added that they have been planning for these attacks in Uganda 12 days before.
Ali Dhere has also sent message to the other countries in Africa who are planning to send their troops into Somalia.
“We are also recommending the other countries which are planning to halt their dreams of sending troops into Somalia, simply because we are able to carryout what we have carried out in Kampala which has no boundary with somalia”added Ali Dhere.
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How 'bout this 'analysis':
WSJ
Top commanders have spent time in Afghanistan and Pakistan, says Rashid Abdi, Horn of Africa analyst in Nairobi for the International Crisis Group. "What al Shabaab has become is a multinational terror network, like al Qaeda if not al Qaeda," he says.
The next paragraphs are a bit more grounded:
Analysts say two factions have emerged within the group. One wants to stay focused on bringing down the government, a goal for which they'll need to retain some support among Somalia's population. Those aligned with al Qaeda don't share those priorities, says Anneli Botha, a senior researcher on terrorism at the Institute for Security Studies, a think tank based in Pretoria.
But to some extent there is an alignment of goals between Somali nationalists with an eye on regional expansion and jihadists eager to strike out at perceived regional enemies that include Christians, other Muslims, moderate politicians and supporters of Somalia's interim government.
...
"This is really an unpleasant confluence of goals between the nationalist and international wing of al Shabaab," said Roger Middleton, a Somalia analyst at London-based think tank Chatham House.
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Once again, the message was
AFP:
The Shebab accuse the AU force (AMISOM) of killing civilians during its operations around the tiny perimeter of Mogadishu housing President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's embattled administration.
"We will continue the attacks if they continue to kill our people," Rage said. "This was a defensive measure against the Ugandans who came to our country and killed our people. This was retaliation for their actions."
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Interesting how the majority of all media act to reshape the story from the Sunday attacks in Kampala by labelling it a twin bomb blast/attack when there were three unique bombs between the two locations. This is then used as a way to throw in a sentence claiming that twin bombings are a hallmark of al-Qa'idah.
A large number of reports even claim they were simultaneous explosions - for instance even Uganda's New Vision states that
"Simultaneous explosions ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final at Kyadondo rugby club and the Ethiopian Restaurant in Kabalagala." None of the three bombs detonated simultaneously and the restaurant bomb went off approx an hour or more before the ones at the rugby club.
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(dark) hearts & (empty) minds...
AFP: Obama warns Africans about Al-Qaeda
US President Barack Obama warned Africans that groups like Al-Qaeda saw their "innocent" lives as cheap, in a personal challenge to extremists on the continent after the Uganda bombings.
A US official meanwhile branded Al-Qaeda, linked to the Somalia-based Shebab group which claimed the attacks, as "racist," as the United States cranked up its diplomatic response to increasingly active extremists in Africa.
Obama, leveraging his African heritage and popularity on the continent, took direct aim at the Shebab and Al-Qaeda after attacks on crowds in Kampala glued to the World Cup final on Sunday killed at least 76 people.
"What you've seen in some of the statements that have been made by these terrorist organizations is that they do not regard African life as valuable in and of itself," Obama told the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
"They see it as a potential place where you can carry out ideological battles that kill innocents without regard to long-term consequences for their short-term tactical gains," he said, in the interview to be broadcast early Wednesday.
Something like what took place during the Cold War? or continues in the ongoing resource wars? or the cultists of free market ideology that force African nations to open their economies to speculators and western hegemony?
A senior American official made clear Obama was taking a direct swipe at the ideology and motives of Al-Qaeda affiliates on the continent, which US intelligence agencies say are the extremist group's most active franchises.
"The president references the fact that both US intelligence and past Al-Qaeda actions make clear that Al-Qaeda and the groups like (Shebab) that they inspire -- do not value African life.
"In short, Al-Qaeda is a racist organization that treats black Africans like cannon fodder and does not value human life," the official said, on condition of anonymity.
...
A senior US official also said that US intelligence analysts had concluded that Al-Qaeda leadership figures had specifically targeted black Africans to become suicide bombers.
They did so, the official said in the belief that social and economic conditions on the continent made them more susceptible to recruitment.
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Obama also dwelt in the SABC interview on the cruel timing of the attacks.
"It was so tragic and ironic to see an explosion like this take place when people in Africa were celebrating and watching the World Cup take place in South Africa," he said in excerpts released by the White House.
"On the one hand, you have a vision of an Africa on the move, an Africa that is unified, an Africa that is modernizing and creating opportunities.
"On the other hand, you've got a vision of Al-Qaeda and (Shebab) that is about destruction and death."
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Daily Monitor:
On Monday, detectives attached to the American Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) busied themselves gathering evidence from the bomb blast scenes at the Kyadondo Rugby grounds and Ethiopian Village restaurant in Kabalagala, a US government official told Daily Monitor yesterday.
“Yesterday (Monday), a three-person FBI team was on the ground in Kampala collecting evidence,” said Ms Joann Lockard, the public affairs officer at the US Mission in Kampala, in email correspondences with this newspaper. She also revealed that Diplomatic Security (DS) special agents “have been assisting the Ugandan police since the incident first occurred.”
The FBI investigators flew in from Nairobi, Kenya, she said and “came to assist by providing initial bomb forensics to assist the Ugandan authorities.” Ms Lockard said the FBI and DS will be assisting security agencies here with “all aspects of the bombing investigation, to include: forensics, evidence collection, and analysis.”
Investigators will want to ascertain what forms of explosives were used in the triple blasts, whether they were manufactured in Uganda or imported into the country and whether the attacks were suicide bombings.
...
Ms Lockard insisted that Ugandan law enforcement authorities “remain in the lead of this investigation,” and said an additional FBI team was on standby in the US “ready to assist if needed.” “But we will continue to do everything in our power to assist Uganda in bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice,” she added.
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Again,the message was
Garowe Online:
Sheikh Ahmed Godane, alias "Abu Zubeyr," issued an audio message speaking about the Kampala bombings that targeted civilians watching the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands at a crowded rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant frequented by foreigners.
"AMISOM is causing more suffering to the Mogadishu people than did the Americans and the Ethiopians," said Al Shabaab's leader, who is never seen in public, adding: "The bombings [in Kampala] was the beginning of vengeance for those [Mogadishu] victims."
...
"If Uganda and Burundi do not withdraw their troops [from Somalia], there will be more bombings in Kampala and Bujumbura [Burundi capital]," Abu Zubeyr warned.
"AMISOM troops regularly kill Somali civilians on Mogadishu streets…this is a suffering that even Ethiopia did not do," said Abu Zubeyr, while referring to the presence of Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu in 2007-2009.
Al Shabaab's leader said the cell responsible for the Uganda bombings is known as "Salah Ali Nabhan Brigade," named after an Al Qaeda fugitive killed in a U.S. air strike in September 2009 in Al Shabaab-controlled Lower Shabelle region, south of Mogadishu.
He sent his "congratulations" to the attackers and urged others to continue such attacks against targets in Uganda and Burundi.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to reinforce AMISOM peacekeepers with 2,000 more troops "if other African nations do not volunteer" to send troops to Somalia.
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AFP: US to boost support for Africa mission after attacks
The United States pledged Thursday to boost support for a peacekeeping mission in Somalia following the deadly attack in Uganda blamed on a Somali-based rebel group inspired by Al-Qaeda.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Washington would step up aid for the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), a UN-backed peacekeeping force that seeks to maintain order in the troubled country.
...
The spokesman welcomed Uganda's decision to send an additional 2,000 troops to the mission, and noted that Uganda already has the largest contingent with 3,500 soldiers.
...
"We have reviewed, since Sunday, the support that we're providing to Amisom. We are going to beef that up... if Uganda needs support in terms of its additional troop complement, we certainly will continue to support Amisom."
...
The spokesman also said 63 FBI agents [are] assisting in the probe of Sunday's attacks had arrived in the region.
"They're fully engaged in the investigation in support of the Ugandan authority," the spokesman said.
New Vision: UPDF to deploy 2,000 more to Somalia
President Yoweri Museveni vowed Wednesday to “eliminate” the Somali masterminds behind the twin-bomb attacks.
“We can join to build up the strength of that force to 20,000 so that working with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia we can eliminate the terrorists,” Museveni said on Wednesday.
[Lt. Col. Felix] Kulayigye said in order to deliver on a promise to deploy 2,000 more troops, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development should scrap a rule preventing bordering nations from contributing soldiers. Uganda and Sudan are the regional body’s only member states not to share a border with Somalia.
[Relatedly, see Crossed Crocodiles' Obama’s African Rifles – Partners/Surrogates/Proxies]
From a new editorial at Garowe Online in response to a New Vision columnist's call (AU should occupy Somalia and rule her for 50 years) for an AU/Ugandan-led occupation of Somalia
Africa needs authentic governments, not occupation of Somalia
..to read Mr. Okungu's despicable suggestion that the African Union "occupy Somalia" is a far-fetched, hate-inspired dream. He intentionally misuses the memory of the bombing victims to bring forth his imperialist views; how absurd, a fellow African, calling for a modern-day occupation of another African country for 50 years! How easily we Africans forget the painful torments of yesteryear's colonialism.
Imperialism – under any pretext – has absolutely no justification and is inherently evil, immoral, and eventually leads to self-destruction. Somalia is a sick country and it needs prescription applied in a gentle, caring, and understanding way. Any forceful remedy will be met with an equally forceful reaction – as has been the case with the British and Italian colonizers, both of whom failed to brainwash Somalia, as was successfully done in a number of African countries through cultural imperialism.
The strength of the Somalis was and is the Islamic religion, as Somalis do not feel inferior to Europeans, as is the case with many black Africans. Mr. Okungu, in his delusional mind, forgets or ignores that Uganda is a puppet country playing another man's game of global domination. Indeed, Uganda and Burundi are acting on the orders of non-Africans who seek to deepen the endless conflicts across Africa as a means of maintaining global dominance – no matter who dies, Somali or Ugandan.
It is no secret that the Ugandan soldier deployed in Somalia gets paid higher wage than the Ugandan soldier in Uganda, not by the African Union, but by Western powers bankrolling AMISOM troops in Mogadishu. Furthermore, it is no secret that the Republic of Burundi, which just reemerged from decades of civil war, prefers to have its soldiers in Mogadishu instead of Bujumbura, where their violent tendencies are likely to cause another military coup or return the country back to civil war.
These are the facts on the ground. Mr. Okungu, and like-minded individuals, should not beat up their chests as if they are free men able to make their own decisions. Africa's undemocratic rulers, including Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki who stole an election [with the assistance and support of the U.S.G. and other agencies - AC], remain the key impediment to Africa realizing its full potential, as they are naturally subservient to geopolitical interests – even if it endangers their own countries.
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From a comment by Lamadage at HOL:
Somali Islamist is not all monolithic despite they are agrees on fighting against AMISOM invaders. Inside Somali Islamist a debate is raging on. As a result there are three schools that debate vigorously in their circles:
1) First school is on opinion: secure Somalia then announce unilaterally an Islamic Somali state. Support of this is not that great.
2) Second school believes: kick out AMISOM forces and build Somali consensus among all Somali stakeholder and have Islamic Somali State that bring peace and prosperity to this broken nation. Support of this stand is getting some momentum at this time.
3) Last school: continue this Jihad until Muslims rule in this world. This group is getting less and less by each day despite that glad tiding will come one day.
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From a commentary by a Somali political analyst published at MarkaCadeey News Media: Knee-jerk Reaction Does Not Resolve Somalia’s Intractable Conflict
We should not underestimate that Al-Shabab is a de-facto government for most of Somalia’s South for nearly two years controlling all locally available resources. Unlike TFG, they are in firm control of instruments of power, taxing people and goods at will.
While the TFG and its allies huffs and puffs, Al-Shabab successfully runs these regions confidently putting in action their brand of sharia, and forcing others to follow suit. Astonishingly, the TFG has become a laughing stock and their empirical sovereignty is shrinking by the day. To date, Al-Shabab is knocking the gates of Villa Somalia, protected by the Ugandan and Burundi contingents under the rubric of AMISOM. So Why Al-Shabab claimed the atrocities of soccer event in Kampala? Isn’t that an indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians prohibited under the international law? Indeed it is. So do the indiscriminate shelling of Mogadishu civilians targeted by the Amisom troops as well as the insurgents, in their bitter exchanges. Human Rights Watch has condemned Al-Shaba’s harsh treatment to the populace as well as AMISOM’s indiscriminate shelling of civilians in Mogadishu. ... Unfortunately, nobody took heed of their appeal as the blood of Mogadishu inhabitants is cheap. The rest of international community remained tight lipped. For them, horrible it may be, the civilian casualties in Mogadushu, condemning such acts is akin to appeasing Al-Shabab-something utterly unacceptable.
...
If AU or Ethiopian troops are deployed in Somalia as kneejerk reaction to Kampala events, and the shelling of Somali civilians continue, it will undoubtly help A-Shabab to grow bigger and faster, perhaps to take over the whole Somali territory in few months, and expand further across the Red Sea, in which case the whole world will be alerted.
Finally, we should bear in mind that Al-Shabab and Hisbul Islam are the continuation Islamic Courts Union, whose executive chairman Sh Sharif Ahmed serves the president of TFG. They have both personal and principal grievances against TFG and its leadership. Like other Islamic resistance, Al-Shabab is an idea, and no one ever claimed to have defeated an idea with military means. To defeat an idea, you should come up with a more powerful and convincing idea.
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IPS: Obama Says U.S. Will "Redouble" Efforts Against Al-Shabaab
U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington will "redouble" its efforts against the Somali Islamist group al- Shabaab (The Youth), whose deadly bombings in Kampala Sunday are likely to result in stepped-up U.S. military and other assistance to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu.
In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation Tuesday, Obama suggested that the group represents a growing threat to the region.
"(W)hat we know is that if al-Shabaab takes more and more control within Somalia, that it is going to be exporting violence the way it just did in Uganda," he said.
"And so we've got to have a multinational effort. This is not something that the United States should do alone, that Uganda or others should do alone, but rather the African Union (AU), in its mission in Somalia, working the (TFG) to try to stabilise the situation and start putting that country on a pathway that provides opportunity for people, as opposed to creating a breeding ground for terrorism," Obama said.
...
While the administration has not indicated precisely what it will do, most analysts believe it will step up assistance to both AMISOM, which is supposed to add 2,000 more troops in the coming months, and to the TFG's security forces which, despite launching a long-planned joint offensive with AMISOM against the Shabaab two weeks ago, have been unable to expand the government's control beyond a small area of Mogadishu.
...
Disillusionment with the TFG's performance has prompted a number of analysts to call for reconsidering Washington's opposition to any dealings with al-Shabaab...
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In one widely noted study, Bronwyn Bruton, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, also argued that, left to itself, the Shabaab would likely split into different factions. [sic]
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The administration official who also briefed reporters appeared to dismiss Bruton's suggestions as well. "I think that what we've seen in Kampala is a good example of why that's not a viable way forward," he said.
(Reporter Jim Lobe & his readers would benefit greatly from his being more skeptical of and not placing such emphasis on Shinn as one of his key sources on Somalia)
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AFP: Ethiopia calls for annihilation of al-Shabaab
"There is absolutely no hope of engaging in negotiations with this group. There is no option but to work for their total annihilation," [Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi] said in an interview to state-run television.
"These people are enemies of mankind who are ready to massacre innocent people without any consideration," added Meles, who was in New York to attend talks on climate change with United Nations officials.
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Daily Monitor: Museveni declares war on Al Shabaab
President Museveni late [Wednesday] night indicated that the al Shabaab were behind the Sunday terror attacks in Kampala and declared all-out war on the Somali militants.“We are going to go on the offensive and go for all who did this in all areas, starting here,” he said. “We were just in Mogadishu to guard the airport and the presidential palace - that was all. Now, they have mobilised us to look for them. We were just doing our small mandate … now we are taking interest. It was a very big mistake on their side,” the President told journalists at a news conference at one of his country homes in Ntungamo, western Uganda...
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From a New Vision cheerleading editorial Thursday:
Uganda’s presence in Somalia is important
FOLLOWING the bomb blasts on Sunday night and the suspicion that the attacks were orchestrated by Somali insurgents al-Shabaab, sections of the public are questioning our involvement in Somalia.
To believe that if Somalia goes to the dogs it will have no impact on Uganda, is to ignore the big picture.
In fact the bombings on Sunday strengthen the case for our continued presence in the troubled Horn of Africa.
Recent conflicts in eastern Congo, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, northern Uganda and the continued cattle rustling in north-eastern Uganda and north-western Kenya all have a direct link to the insecurity in Somalia.
It is estimated that there are up to 50,000 illegal small arms in Uganda today because we are right in the middle of a gun corridor that stretches from Somalia to Chad.
It does not take a brilliant mind to work out then, that the lawlessness in Somalia is the engine that drives this trade and this same trade feeds the continued destabilisation of the region.
...
Calls for a pullout are understandable given the circumstances, but cannot hold up in the face of cold logic, in fact a pullout of our forces would play into the hands of the terrorists.
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From Tuesday's DOS Daily Press Briefing,
Mr. Crowley: ..We have Diplomatic Security agents on the ground along with a small number of FBI agents, as we mentioned yesterday. I think the FBI is going to send a significant team – flyaway team this afternoon that will depart the United States this afternoon for Uganda at the request of Ugandan authorities to assist in the investigation.
From Thursday's briefing, during the opening briefs,
MR. CROWLEY: We understand that the Government of Uganda intends to send 2,000 additional troops to support the AMISOM mission and has called on other African nations to do the same. Both the Government of Burundi and the Government of Uganda have reiterated their commitment to the African Union mission in Somalia and will continue to provide peacekeeping troops. We commend the critical role that Uganda and Burundi continue to play to bring regional security to the unstable areas in east and central Africa, particularly through their leadership of the AU mission in Somalia.
On Uganda, we have seen the arrival late yesterday of roughly, I think, a 63-man FBI team. They are fully engaged in the investigation in support of Uganda authorities, will be there for several days as we continue to determine who is responsible and what happened in that tragedy on Sunday.
QUESTION: I thought you already knew who.
MR. CROWLEY: Yeah, we know. Well --
QUESTION: Sixty-three guys to go there and tell you what – that Al-Shabaab did it?
MR. CROWLEY: Thank you very much. [Crowley immediately launches into the next topic]
Later,
QUESTION:p.j., is the United States supporting in any tangible way this augmentation of troops in – by the –
QUESTION: Somalia.
MR. CROWLEY: Somalia.
QUESTION: -- by the Ugandans? Are we providing logistical support or money or (inaudible)?
MR. CROWLEY: That’s a good question. I mean, I think the Ugandan authorities have just made this announcement. If we can be supportive, we will be. We have reviewed since Sunday the support that we’re providing to AMISOM. We are going to beef that up. So I wouldn’t predict. If Uganda needs support in terms of its additional troop complement, we certainly will continue to support AMISOM. We’ve been the major contributor to the AMISOM mission. That won’t change.
What exactly are 'roughly 63' additional FBI agents doing in Kampala?
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Garowe Online: Somalia president criticizes int'l community, 10 killed in Mogadishu
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the president of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG0, arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Saturday where he spoke publicly critical of the international community's role.
"The Kampala bombings is evidence that the anti-government forces in Somalia are now spreading mayhem to other African countries as we warned before," President Sheikh Sharif said.
...
President Sheikh Sharif vowed that the weak government he leads, which is cornered to a few districts of Mogadishu and protected by Uganda-led African Union troops, will "begin a new war to eliminate the anti-government groups and our troops have completed training."
...
Somalia's interim president is on a three-day official visit to Cairo and is expected to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Continued artillery shelling in Mogadishu's busy Bakara Market killed at least five people since Friday, as Al Shabaab insurgents and AMISOM troops exchanged artillery.
Northern Mogadishu districts Kaaraan and Abdi-aziz were hit with artillery, causing the death of four Somali civilians inside a home.
Daily Nation:
[Foreign Affairs Minister Moses] Wetang’ula has complained that the US and other rich nations are doing little to help prop the government in Somalia and to fight off the militia group.
“They spend billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With just a small fraction of that amount, we can strengthen the TFG and capacitate them with tanks, aerial power, armoured vehicles so that they are able to secure their people. They run on a war economy,” said Mr Wetang’ula.
“A country is no country if it cannot guarantee security to its people. Somalia runs on a war economy. The US is not doing enough and is not willing to sufficiently listen to the concerns.”
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Preparation for something coming?
Garowe Online: Hargeisa security tight as British intelligence arrive
Security was extra tight on Saturday in the self-proclaimed capital of Somalia's separatist republic of Somaliland as a British intelligence delegation arrived, Radio Garowe reports.
Somaliland intelligence chief Mohamed Nur was part of the delegation, which flew into Hargeisa from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Police and military units setup checkpoints and were patrolling roads near the Somaliland presidential palace, local sources reported.
It was not immediately clear why the British intelligence officers arrived in Hargeisa, but Somaliland sources said the British government is interested in "monitoring" the movements of insurgent groups based in southern Somalia.
Other reports said the British officers are inspecting a new intelligence facility funded British security services who seek ground access to monitor insurgent groups like Al Shabaab...
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Breaking away from the pack, the Washington Post actually reports this story and, despite pasting in a couple of official denials and attempts to defer accountability, allows some truth to see the light
Rising Somali civilian toll inflames anger at U.S.-backed African Union peacekeeping force as it battles Islamist militants
An African Union peacekeeping force, funded by hundreds of millions of dollars from the United States and its allies, has killed, wounded and displaced hundreds of Somali civilians in a stepped-up campaign against Islamist militants, according to medical officials, human rights activists and victims.
Led by Ugandan and Burundian troops, the force has intensified shelling in recent weeks as Somalia's al-Shabab militia, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has pushed closer toward the fragile government's seat of power. The shells are landing in heavily populated areas, in some cases even neighborhoods controlled by the government. Al-Shabab leaders say the peacekeepers and the shelling are the key reasons it bombed two venues in Uganda's capital last Sunday, killing 76 people watching broadcasts of the World Cup final.
...
"When one kilogram of mortars are fired by al-Shabab, AMISOM replies with 100 kilograms of artillery," said Abdulqadir Haji, director of a volunteer ambulance service, using the acronym for the African Union force. "It is America and the West who support them. America and the West are the silent killers in Somalia's war."
The mounting civilian toll is breeding popular resentment..
No kidding
Over four days in the capital last week, this reporter heard as many as 20 shells being fired from one African Union peacekeeping position every day.
"Whenever the enemy are gathering on the front lines, they shell the area," said Mohammed Jimal, a government military commander. "It helps the government.
"There are civilian casualties. No one can deny this," he added, indifferently.
As he spoke, the sharp whistle of a burst of artillery echoed across the capital.
...
Neighborhood leaders have demanded compensation for their losses. So far, neither the African Union nor the government has sent an official to visit their neighborhood.
"Our lives have no value," said Ali Amin Hadji, a clan elder. "We have been forgotten."
Will any other mainstream western media follow suit?
Oh s**t. What a mess.
ReplyDeleteDepressing as it all is, thanks for keeping up with these posts, b real. The only place I know of to get these insights and cut through the bs.
thanks maxcrat. definitely a mess.
ReplyDelete