Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, January 08, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic militants in southern Somalia have banned unrelated men and women from shaking hands, speaking or walking together in public.
People who break the rules could be imprisoned, whipped or even executed.
Al-Shabab, the Islamic extremists, have already banned women from working in public, leaving many mothers with a terrible choice: risk execution by going to sell some tea or vegetables in the marketplace, or stay safely at home and watch the children slowly starve.
"It's an awful rule. I feel like I'm under arrest. I've started to ignore the greetings of the women I know to avoid punishment," said Hussein Ali, a resident of the southern Somali town of Jowhar. The edict is also being enforced in the town of Elasha.
Gunmen are searching buses for improperly dressed women or women travelling alone, said student Hamdi Osman in Elasha. She said she was once beaten for wearing Somali traditional dress instead of the long, shapeless black robes favoured by the fighters.
The Islamists' insistence that women wear the long, heavy robes also forces many women to stay at home because they can't afford the new clothing. >>> | Saturday, January 08, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
FOX NEWS: MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A leader of Somalia's Islamist insurgency threatened to attack America during a speech broadcast Monday.
"We tell the American President Barack Obama to embrace Islam before we come to his country," said Fuad Mohamed "Shongole" Qalaf.
Al-Shabab has not yet launched an attack outside Africa but Western intelligence has long been worried because the group targeted young Somali-Americans for recruitment. About 20 have traveled to Somalia for training and at least three were used as suicide bombers inside Somalia. Al-Shabab holds most of southern and central Somalia and has the support of hundreds of foreign fighters, mostly radicalized East Africans.
It seeks to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government, which is protected by 8,000 Ugandan and Burundian African Union peacekeepers. >>> Associated Press | Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
WELT ONLINE: In einer Videobotschaft rufen Extremisten zum Aufbruch ins Terrorlager auf und drohen dem Zeichner Vilks mit "Schlachtung".
In einem islamistischen Propagandavideo aus Somalia droht ein vermummter Dschihadist dem schwedischen Mohammed-Karikaturisten Lars Vilks. Das Ungewöhnliche daran – der Dschihadist selbst ist offenbar Schwede.
Das dschihadistische Video, das "Welt Online" vorliegt, zeigt neben Terrorausbildunglagern und Gefechtsszenen aus Somalia in erster Linie ausländische Kämpfer in den Reihen der somalischen al-Shabaab-Organisation. Zu sehen sind Dschihadisten aus Großbritannien, Pakistan, Sudan, Kenia und Tansania, die vor der Kamera ihre Landsleute aufrufen, sich dem Dschihad in Somalia anzuschließen.
Ein maskierter Islamist namens "Abu Zaid" spricht auf Schwedisch und ruft schwedische Muslime auf, nach Somalia zu reisen und sich Al-Shabaab anzuschließen. "Ich rufe euch auf, die Auswanderung in dieses Land zu machen", so der Extremist. Anschließend droht er dem Karikaturisten Lars Vilks mit dem Tod. >>> Autor: Florian Flade | Mittwoch, 24. November 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: As Somalia's al Shebab militants claim responsibility for bombings in Kampala, the Telegraph profiles their spiritual leader, accountant-turned-jihadi Ahmed Abdi Godane.
As befits a man who fears he has a US missile with his name on it, Ahmed Abdi Godane knows the importance of keeping a low profile.
The leader of Somalia's al-Shebab militant movement, he prefers to be heard rather than seen, ranting away in radio broadcasts from his group's strongholds in northern Mogadishu. Thanks to his fatwahs against pop music, foreign films and even televised football, he already has a captive audience - as of last week, though, he made the rest of the world take notice too.
"What happened in Kampala was just the beginning," he warned in his latest broadcast, gloating over Sunday's twin suicide bombings in the Ugandan capital, in which Shebab-backed "martyrs" slaughtered 76 people as they watched the World Cup final. "If Uganda and Burundi do not withdraw their troops from Somalia, there will be more bombings like these."
Delivered with the same fiery rhetoric with which he recently declared himself "at Osama bin Laden's service", Godane's warning confirmed what many outside Somalia have long dreaded: that the Shebab, which has imposed a Taliban-style regime across much of the anarchic, war-torn land, would one day begin exporting its brand of Islamist violence to the wider world.
Last Sunday's attacks, designed to punish both Uganda and Burundi for providing troops to support Mogadishu's shaky Western-backed provisional government, marked the first time the group had struck outside its own borders. Now, having proved the Shebab's credentials as the world's newest international terrorist group, security officials fear it is only a matter of time before Godane, also known as Abu Zubayr, orders similar attacks against the West.
"This is a move into a different league altogether, and will put Godane and al Shebab on the world map," one Nairobi-based security official told The Sunday Telegraph. "He is very much of the international jihads mindset, and wants Islamic rule across the world, from Somalia to Alaska." >>> Colin Freeman and Mike Pflanz in Nairobi | Saturday, July 17, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
SKY NEWS: Those who follow the pattern of the Islamist bombing campaign know that to label it 'anti Western' is to misinform. This misinformed narrative argues that because of various historical injustices perpetrated by ' The West' , radical Islam has begun to hit back, and if only 'we' stopped meddling in the affairs of Muslim countries the violence would stop.
Sunday night's bombings in Uganda give lie to that narrative, as do numerous examples over the last decade. Yes, anti- western sentiment is ever present in the bombing campaign, but the aims of the jihadists are more than that, and, without that context, Islamism cannot be seen for what is; A global revolutionary movement with fascistic tendencies However, the narrative appears stuck in the tram lines and even mass murders such those in Kampala cannot jolt it onto a more wide ranging analysis.
The Ugandan police chief believes the Kampala bombings to be the work of Al-Shabab, an ultra radical Islamist group based in Somalia. If the gang is responsible then the targeting of black Africans makes sense. The victims were mostly Ugandan, and the location of one attack was an Ethiopian themed bar. Uganda has troops in in Somalia as part of the African Union force trying to stabilise the country, and Ethiopian soldiers ousted Al-Shabab from Mogadishu four years ago. Both countries are majority Christian, but can hardly be described as 'Western'. There is a connection to the West insofar as the African Union helps to prop up a government which is supported by the USA and others, but that doesn't explain why Al-Shabab calls Uganda 'An infidel country'.
Al- Shabab has strong links to Al Queda and some of its gang members were trained in AQ camps in Afghanistan. The group has carried out punishment including the stoning of women accused of adultery, and recently said anyone watching the World Cup should be targeted as football was un Islamic. Most Muslims around the world think these beliefs are crazy, but the Islamists continue to believe they speak for all of Islam. Continue reading and comment >>> Tim Marshall | Monday, July 12, 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
NEW YORK POST: Jersey jihadis junior hellions
These are the faces of evil.
Officials last night released the mug shots of New Jersey terror suspects Mohamed Alessa, 20, and Carlos "Omar" Almonte, 24.
They were taken after the two hate-spewing terrorist wannabes were captured as they headed to Somalia, allegedly to wage holy war on Americans.
Their neighbors weren't surprised -- they said jihad started early for the two.
They were terrors in their suburban communities years before they were busted last Saturday at Kennedy Airport.
Not a single school could handle Alessa. He openly talked of blowing up his schools in the name of Islam.
Almonte was picked up by cops several times for increasingly violent behavior.
The duo are due back in Newark federal court today for a bail hearing on charges of plotting to murder, maim and kidnap people overseas. >>> Carolyn Salazar, Perry Chiaramonte and Chuck Bennett, AP | Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Sunday, June 06, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Two US men have been arrested at John F Kennedy airport in New York charged with conspiracy to kill Americans outside the country, according to US justice officials.
The suspects were reportedly about to board planes to Egypt with plans to travel to Somalia to join with an extremist group there.
The Newark Star Ledger said the New Jersey men, Mohamed Hamoud Alessa 20, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, are both US citizens and quoted neighbors as saying they went to school in the United States.
"As of this moment I am only able to confirm that two arrests took place last night," an FBI spokesman said. >>> | Sunday, June 06, 2010
THE STAR-LEDGER: The two New Jersey men arrested late Saturday night for planning to join a terrorist organization and wage violent jihad abroad, had engaged in paintball training, acquired military gear and apparel for use overseas and saved thousands of dollars toward their goal, according to the criminal complaint unsealed this morning.
The defendants, identified as Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, were arrested at JFK International Airport. The men intended to take separate flights to Egypt on their way to Somalia to join a terrorist organization known as Al Shabaab, and wage violent jihad, according the criminal complaint, unsealed by U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman. >>> The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk | Sunday, June 06, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MOGADISHU, Somalia — At least 14 people were killed and more than 25 were wounded on Sunday in heavy fighting between government troops and insurgents who attacked the presidential palace with mortars, witnesses and officials said.
At least six mortar shells landed near the palace, witnesses said, but the president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, was in Turkey at a United Nations conference called to help Somalia.
“Our army withdrew from the front lines, and we have lost neighborhoods,” said Sheik Yusuf Mohamed Siad "Indha Adde", Somalia's state minister for defense. “But the prime minister is responsible for the defeat,” he added.
The fighting led to what witnesses called the biggest surge in refugees in months. Civilians poured into the streets carrying household goods packed onto donkey carts and into wheelbarrows. Others crammed into minibuses and old Fiat trucks. Refugee camps in several neighborhoods here were evacuated.
“I fled with my children, and I don’t know where I am heading,” said Jija Abdirahman, who was trying to escape with her three children and a wheelbarrow full of luggage. “These are merciless fighters. I have no hope that it will finish soon.” >>> Mohammed Ibrahim | Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
SUNDAY NATION: MOGADISHU – Al-Shabaab and Hizbu Islam, the two Islamist groups vehemently opposing the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia, have prohibited the use of prayer beads in the areas controlled by the movements.
They assert that the practice of using beads is bid’a (new introduction to Islamic ways).
Although never declared, residents in areas ruled by Al-Shabaab and Hizbu Islam admit that hundreds of people were apprehended, warned or harmed for having and using the device. >>> Abdulkadir Khalif Nation Correspondent and Agencies | Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
CNN: Mogadishu, Somalia -- In Somalia's enduring chaos, militant groups have for years come and gone. Today's most powerful -- Al Shabaab -- are much more menacing, say those in Mogadishu.
In Arabic, Al Shabaab means 'the youth', but it is too far-reaching to be just a rabble of youngsters. It controls much of central and southern Somalia and large parts of the capital Mogadishu.
And after years of pledging allegiance to al Qaeda, Al Shabaab formalized the relationship in February. Since then, the Somali government says there's been an influx of foreign fighters.
"With regard to the fighting that's going on in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and in Yemen, some people are looking for a place to hide and Somalia is a good candidate for that," said Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who leads the weak, U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Ahmed was once a senior, moderate figure in the Union of Islamic Courts -- an alliance that included Al Shabaab and which held power in Somalia for six months in 2006 before being overthrown by Ethiopian forces.
The Ethiopians remained until early 2009 when the TFG took tentative control, clinging to a small part of Mogadishu, and protected by African Union (AU) peacekeepers mainly from Uganda and Burundi.
A quiet figure, President Ahmed sits in his office at the palace grounds while government troops outside fire warning shots to prevent people from venturing too close.
"We used to estimate the number of foreign fighters to be between 800 and 1,200 but that number seems to have been growing," he said.
Al Shabaab has reached out to Somalis living in the West, radicalizing young Muslims via the Internet and encouraging them to move back to the country to join the Jihad. >>> Jane Ferguson, for CNN | Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Somalische Rundfunksender dürfen keine Musik mehr spielen. Ein entsprechendes Verbot verkündeten die radikal-islamischen Milizen. Musik sei Sünde, begründeten sie. Aus Angst vor drakonischen Strafen befolgen fast alle Sender die Anordnung.
Mogadischu - Fast alle Radio-Stationen in Somalia haben ihr Musikprogramm eingestellt. Nur ein von der Übergansregierung in Mogadischu kontrollierter und ein Uno-Sender widersetzten sich am Dienstag noch dem Verbot. Die Islamisten in dem Land sind dafür bekannt, Anweisungen wie das Musikverbot mit brutaler Gewalt durchzusetzen und Zuwiderhandlungen beispielsweise mit Morden oder Amputationen zu bestrafen.
Man habe keine andere Wahl, als ihre Forderung umzusetzen, sagte Abdulahi Yasin Jama von der Rundfunkstation Tusmo am Dienstag. "Wir haben Angst vor möglichen Angriffen gegen den Sender", sagte Hassan Osman Abdi vom Rundfunksender "Radio Shabelle". Die Islamisten hätten mit der Schließung aller Radiosender gedroht, die sich dem Verbot widersetzten. Nur einige regierungstreue Sender spielen noch Musik.
"Wir erleben heute den offiziellen Zusammenbruch der unabhängigen Medien", klagte Mohamed Ibrahim vom nationalen Journalistenverband Somalias. Der Verband verurteile die Anordnung als "grobe Verletzung" der Meinungsfreiheit, sagte Ibrahim.
Die von der internationalen Gemeinschaft unterstützte Interimsregierung hat ihren Herrschaftsanspruch bislang nicht durchsetzen können und kämpft mit islamistischen Milizen um die Macht in Somalia. >>> ler/apn/dpa/AFP | Dienstag, 13. April 2010
THE GUARDIAN: All but two stations in Mogadishu comply with order to cease broadcasts that militants say violate Islamic principles
A majority of radio stations in southern and central Somalia today stopped playing music and jingles, to comply with a ban by Islamist militants.
Hizbul Islam, one of the two main insurgent forces in Somalia, issued the order on 3 April, saying music broadcasts violated Islamic principles. It gave FM radio stations – the main form of news and entertainment in the country – 10 days to comply or be shut down.
Islamic groups have previously outlawed music in some areas under their control, along with beards, football, movies, women's beauty salons and bras. The latest ban on all tunes – including those used in commercials – appears to be the most widely applied yet, and indicative of the rebels' ability to instil fear.
In the capital, Mogadishu, where there are 16 FM radio stations, only the government-controlled Radio Mogadishu, which is protected by African Union peacekeepers, and the UN-funded Radio Bar-Kulan, whose studio is in Nairobi, resisted the order.
"I've listened to three of my regular stations today, and there's no music at all," said Abdulkadir Khalif, a Mogadishu resident. "There's not even a jingle."
Instead, some stations used birdsong or vehicle noises to introduce programmes. One of the broadcasters aired "a recording from a warzone" to signal the start of the news, as an ironic gesture, Khalif said. >>> Xan Rice | Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
BBC: The Somali Islamist movement al-Shabab has banned the BBC and closed down transmitters broadcasting the Somali language service inside the country.
Al-Shabab accused the BBC of fighting against Islam and supporting the transitional federal government, which the rebels are fighting to overthrow.
The group said the BBC had been broadcasting the agenda of crusaders and colonialists against Muslims.
The BBC said it was strictly impartial and spoke to all sides in the conflict.
The BBC has been broadcasting its services in Somali, Arabic and English across the country on a series of FM frequencies for at least a decade, and surveys suggest it is one of the most widely listened-to news services in Somalia. >>> By Peter Greste
East Africa correspondent, BBC News | Friday, April 09, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
AFP: MOGADISHU — A hardline Somali Islamist group issued a 10-day ultimatum Saturday to Mogadishu-based radio stations to stop playing all kinds of music or face unspecified penalties, an Islamist leader said.
The Hezb al-Islam group, which controls patches of the war-riven Somali capital, said playing music on radio stations was evil.
"We call on the local radio stations to stop broadcasting the songs and all music as well. We give them a 10-day deadline and any radio station found not complying with the orders... will face sharia action," said Moalim Hashi Mohamed Farah, a senior Hezb al-Islam official, referring to Islamic law.
"We also issue orders banning the local media from using the word 'foreigners' to refer to our Muslim brothers coming from outside the country to help us fight against the enemy of Allah," he told reporters. >>> | Saturday, April 03, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: NAIROBI, Kenya—The militant group al Shabaab said it would ally with al Qaeda in a drive to establish an Islamic state in Somalia and fight for Muslims across East Africa, offering a fresh test for U.S.-backed African peacekeepers struggling to defend a weak Somali government.
In a statement Monday, the group said it had agreed, among other things, "to connect the horn of Africa jihad to the one led by al Qaeda and its leader Sheikh Osama Bin Laden." The statement, written in Somali and Arabic, is believed to be the first explicit confirmation of what U.S. and Somali government have long suspected: Militants in one of Africa's least stable places are sharing resources and merging agendas.
It isn't clear whether this new resolution will result in funding or training from al Qaeda, or even if it will lead to an official endorsement from the global terror group. At the very least, the statement signals a tightening embrace with foreign fighters who have been supporting al Shabaab's efforts to topple the Somali government.
The cooperation also could spur Somali militants to assist al Qaeda elsewhere. Al Shabaab has sent fighters to Afghanistan to train with al Qaeda, according to the Somali government. Al Shabaab recently pledged to send fighters across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, where al Qaeda is active.
Al Shabaab made its announcement a day after Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed marked his first year in office. The past year has offered little respite from the violence that has rocked Somalia for nearly two decades. In the short term, a combined threat is likely to increase pressure on Mr. Sharif's tenuous government and those trying to stave off its collapse.
The U.S supports Mr. Sharif and is the biggest backer of an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, for which it has provided training and equipment. That support reflects concerns that al Qaeda is attempting to establish a base in Somalia to attack Western targets. >>> Sarah Childress | Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: NAIROBI, Kenya—The militant group al Shabaab said it would ally with al Qaeda in a drive to establish an Islamic state in Somalia and fight for Muslims across East Africa, offering a fresh test for U.S.-backed African peacekeepers struggling to defend a weak Somali government.
In a statement Monday, the group said it had agreed, among other things, "to connect the horn of Africa jihad to the one led by al Qaeda and its leader Sheikh Osama Bin Laden." The statement, written in Somali and Arabic, is believed to be the first explicit confirmation of what U.S. and Somali government have long suspected: Militants in one of Africa's least stable places are sharing resources and merging agendas.
It isn't clear whether this new resolution will result in funding or training from al Qaeda, or even if it will lead to an official endorsement from the global terror group. At the very least, the statement signals a tightening embrace with foreign fighters who have been supporting al Shabaab's efforts to topple the Somali government.
The cooperation also could spur Somali militants to assist al Qaeda elsewhere. Al Shabaab has sent fighters to Afghanistan to train with al Qaeda, according to the Somali government. Al Shabaab recently pledged to send fighters across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, where al Qaeda is active. >>> Sarah Childress | Monday, February 01, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
WELT ONLINE: Weltweit werden Christen wegen ihres Glaubens unterdrückt, eingesperrt, angegriffen und gezielt ermordet. In Nordkorea ist die Verfolgung am schärfsten, gefolgt vom Iran, Saudi-Arabien und Somalia. Aber auch die Regierung des Inselparadieses Malediven geht besonders hart gegen die "Ungläubigen" vor.
In keinem Land der Welt werden Christen nach Angaben des internationalen Missions- und Hilfswerkes Open Doors so unerbittlich unterdrückt und verfolgt wie im kommunistischen Nordkorea. Auch der Iran, Saudi-Arabien, Afghanistan und der Jemen stehen auf dem neuen „Weltverfolgungsindex“ der Kirchenorganisation weit oben. Insgesamt seien rund 100 Millionen Christen in 50 Ländern unterschiedlich schwerer Verfolgung aufgrund ihres Glaubens ausgesetzt.
In acht der zehn Länder mit der schlimmsten Christenverfolgung sei der Islam die vorherrschende Religion, erklärte das 1955 in den Niederlanden gegründete überkonfessionelle Hilfswerk, das auch in Deutschland aktiv ist. Nordkorea führt die Liste der Christenverfolger bereits zum achten Mal an. Das dortige Regime gehe gegen Mitglieder von Untergrundgemeinden, denen nach Schätzungen etwa 200.000 Menschen angehören, „mit Verhaftungen, Arbeitslagerstrafen für die gesamte Familie eines entdeckten Christen oder Hinrichtungen vor“. 70.000 nordkoreanische Christen seien derzeit in Arbeitslagern gefangen. >>> dpa/jay | Mittwoch, 06. Januar 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)