Gunmen attack police station in Somaliland

By Hussein Ali Noor
January-13-10

HARGEISA (Reuters) - Unidentified attackers hurled hand grenades and opened fire at a police station in Somalia's northern breakaway enclave of Somaliland, wounding three officers, police sources said Wednesday.

Somaliland is proud of its relative stability, unlike southern regions of the failed Horn of Africa state, where hardline al Shabaab insurgents control large amounts of territory and are fighting a weak Western-backed government.

Washington accuses al Shabaab of being al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia, and security experts say the group wants to extend its influence north -- aiming to destabilise Somaliland and the neighbouring pro-government, semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

Somaliland police sources told Reuters than an unknown number of attackers threw two grenades at the police station in Las Anod, near the border with Puntland, late Tuesday before opening fire on the building with assault rifles.

Three policemen on duty there were wounded, two of them seriously, hospital staff said.

The police sources said the town was placed under curfew overnight with extra patrols, and that officers later found a Toyota pickup truck believed to have been used by the gunmen.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The assault came just three days after security forces in Somaliland said they had foiled an attack on a Hargeisa mosque where the imam had spoken out against militant suicide bombings.

Officials said six rockets and two mortar bombs had been recovered from Imam Sheikh Aden Sira's mosque after a suspected bomber was discovered carrying them in a jacket.

Sira had been critical of suicide bombings carried out by al Shabaab in southern Somalia, and said he received death threats.

Wednesday, the police sources said one man had been arrested in connection with the Hargeisa mosque incident, and that another was being hunted. They did not elaborate.

Al Shabaab hit Somaliland and Puntland with synchronised suicide blasts that killed at least 24 people in October 2008.

A court in Hargeisa has sentenced five men to death in absentia for the bombings, which struck the Ethiopian embassy, the local president's office and a U.N. building. It said they were on the run in other parts of Somalia.

Somaliland, which has long sought international recognition as sovereign state, declared itself independent in 1991.

Analysts worry a simmering political row between the president of Somaliland and opposition parties over delayed elections could lead to clan militias re-arming, an outbreak of violence, and more turmoil for al Shabaab rebels to exploit.(Editing by Daniel Wallis and Giles Elgood)

A million face starvation in Somalia after food aid suspension, warns aid agency

January-13-10

The largest distributor of WFP food aid in Somalia, World Vision says only urgent action by the international community will prevent humanitarian disaster.

“The international community must engage quickly with all factions in the Somalia conflict to allow peace to return and the resumption of the distribution of urgent humanitarian aid by World Vision and other aid organisations,” said World Vision Somalia’s Kevin Mackey. “Continued isolation of Somalia by the international community will result in catastrophe.”

The WFP announcement to suspend temporarily operations, taken after an increase in threats against staff, is expected to affect the nutrition programmes in the regions of Middle Juba and Bay/Bakool.

World Vision is currently assisting 6,000 children in these regions with supplementary feeding as well as a school feeding programme.

“If nothing is done to restore the supply in food aid, these children and many, many others will be starving by March,” concluded Mackey.

Heavy fighting erupts in central Somalia, 16 killed

12 Jan 12, 2010 - 12:31:05 PM

At least 16 people, mostly fighters have been killed and more than 21 others injured in heavy clashes between pro-government Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaa and Al-Shabaab insurgent group in a central Somali village.

The fighting broke out on Monday and continued into late Tuesday in Wabho village, near the central town of Elbur in Galgadud region where the two sides engaged on heavy gun battle.

Sheikh Abdullahi Abdirahman Abu Yussuf, a spokesman for the Ahlu-Sunnah group claimed that they have killed several of Al-Shabaab fighters.

"The fighting, which started early today and stopped later in the day was intense. Some of the dead bodies of Al-Shabaab fighters are scattered all over the place," he said, adding that the village together with neighbouring Warhole is still under their control.

The casualty from yesterday’s fighting is reportedly over 10 with some buried early today before the resumption of the clashes.

Clashes also rocked Warhole early on Tuesday and some reports suggest that as many as 12 people have been killed.

Abu Yussuf has vowed to continue with the fighter until they capture Elbur, a military base for Al-Shabaab.

"We will not stop the fighting until we seize the control of Elbur, which is currently under Al-Shabaab. We are prepared to clear the region from any Al-Shabaab power,” he noted.

A l-Shabaab officials are yet to comment about the latest clashes.

The two groups, which have been battling for the last two years, have started this year with heavy military confrontation over the control of major towns in central Somalia, which claimed the lives of more than 80 people.

Somalia signs currency printing agreement with Sudan

Sudan Tribune
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

KHARTOUM – A batch of new Somali currency will be printed in Sudan following an agreement signed in Khartoum today, Sudan state media reported.

The Managing Director of Sudan’s Currency Printing office Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Bahi signed for Sudan Government while the Somali Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh signed for his government.

The cost of the printing process will top $17 million, SUNA reported

The Sudanese minister of Finance and national economy Awad Al-Jaz and the governor of Sudan’s Central Bank Saber Mohammed Al- Hassan were present at the ceremony.

Al-Jaz noted the “historical relations” between the two countries adding that the printing of the currency can contribute in realizing stability and development in Somalia. He said that Sudan’s experience in as a country emerging from conflict can be a good experience for Somalia.

The Somali minister hailed Sudan’s efforts in achieving peace saying that the presence of legal currency would contribute positively to the economy.

Somalia has been seeking Sudan’s help in rebuilding its government’s institution and security forces in a bid to assert control over the lawless country. The issue of currency was discussed during the visit of Sharif Hassan to Sudan last year.

Somalia has had no effective central government for 19 years. Regional and international efforts to install one have so far been undermined with rampant insecurity fueled by Al-Shabab Islamic insurgency.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Blackwater/Xe mercs arrive in Somalia, Al-Shabab says

PressTV, Jan 12, 2009 - At least 18 people have been killed in clashes between rival factions in southern and central Somalia, and there are reports that Blackwater/Xe mercenaries have entered the country.

A battle broke out between the pro-government Ahlu Sunnah militia and Hizbul Islam fighters in the town of Baladwayne on Sunday and went well into Monday, during which at least 13 people lost their lives, witnesses said.

In addition, five people were killed when Hizbul Islam fighters engaged Al-Shabab fighters in the town of Dhobley near the Kenyan border, Reuters reported.

There are also allegations of US-sponsored bomb plots in the capital.

The bombings will be carried out in order to create a pretext to launch a campaign against Al-Shabab, a spokesman of the group, Sheikh Ali Mohammed Rage, told Reuters.

"We have discovered that US agencies are going to launch suicide bombings in public places in Mogadishu," he told reporters. "They have tried it in Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan… We warn of these disasters. They want to target Bakara Market and mosques, then use that to malign us."

At a meeting with tribal elders in Mogadishu on Monday, the Al-Shabab spokesman said that mercenaries of the Xe private security firm — formerly known as Blackwater — have arrived in the Somali capital, the Press TV correspondent in Mogadishu reported on Monday.

Blackwater/Xe mercenaries plan to carry out bombings in Mogadishu in order to accuse Al-Shabab of being the culprits in the attacks, the Al-Shabab spokesman added.

He went on to say that the Blackwater/Xe mercenaries have already recruited many lackeys to help them carry out bombings targeting prominent individuals and innocent civilians.

The Al-Shabab spokesman also told the tribal elders that a system based on Islam should be established in Somalia.

Govt Forces Capture Beled Weyne From Hisbul Islam

Sunday, January 10, 2010


Beled Weyne, Somalia (HOL) - The latest news from Beled Weyne, the capital of the Hiiraan region, indicate that government troops have entered the city after intense fighting with forces loyal to Hisbul Islam.

Eyewitness sources have confirmed that the city is now under the control of government forces after Hisbul Islam fighters have abandoned their positions within the city. There is still some sporadic fighting in the Hawlwadaag district on the west side of the city as Hisbul Islam fighters appear to be regrouping outside the city.
Earlier reports have indicated that forces loyal to Adan Abdulle Cawaale, the former mayor of Maxaas township who recently joined the Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jamaa, have taken over the city from Hisbul Islam fighters. But a spokesman for the Transitional Federal Government has denied those reports.

There is no word as of yet on the number of casualties or the extent of the damage caused by the fighting. It is not the first time that the city has changed hands between different factions.

Somali militia executes Shabaab rebel commander

By Abdi Sheikh
Sunday, January 10, 2010

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A pro-government militia in Somalia executed a commander from the al Shabaab rebel group in public on Sunday, ramping up the stakes in battles for central regions of the failed Horn of Africa state.

The Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca militia, which is aligned with Somalia's weak Western-backed government, has been fighting al Shabaab insurgents in central Galagadud region. The United States says al Shabaab is al Qaeda's proxy in the country.

Ahlu Sunna's spokesman said it had captured many rebels during clashes last week around Galgadud's capital Dusamareb, including the commander who was sentenced to die by firing squad after he refused to renounce al Shabaab's hardline ideology.

"We don't normally kill al Shabaab members. We arrest them and make them understand that Islam means peace. We have detained and then released many of them," the spokesman, Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, told Reuters by telephone.

"This commander insisted that all people were infidels except his group ... We will execute al Shabaab members who insist that it can be right to kill the innocent. What else are we supposed to do to those who believe they will go to paradise for killing us and the whole human race?"

Al Shabaab and another rebel group, Hizbul Islam, want to impose a harsh version of sharia law across the nation, and have previously carried out executions, stonings and amputations in southern and central regions under their control.

Sunday's was the first known execution by Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca. It came as residents said Somali government troops and Ahlu Sunna fighters also battled Hizbul Islam insurgents for hours for control of another strategic central town, Baladwayne.

The rebels want to extend their area of control from the south towards the pro-government northeast region of Puntland. The U.N.-backed administration of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls just a few blocks of the coastal capital Mogadishu.

Fighting has killed 19,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes since the start of 2007, and Western security agencies say the country has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who use it to plot attacks.

Somali militia executes Shabaab rebel commander

By Abdi Sheikh
Sunday, January 10, 2010

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A pro-government militia in Somalia executed a commander from the al Shabaab rebel group in public on Sunday, ramping up the stakes in battles for central regions of the failed Horn of Africa state.

The Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca militia, which is aligned with Somalia's weak Western-backed government, has been fighting al Shabaab insurgents in central Galagadud region. The United States says al Shabaab is al Qaeda's proxy in the country.

Ahlu Sunna's spokesman said it had captured many rebels during clashes last week around Galgadud's capital Dusamareb, including the commander who was sentenced to die by firing squad after he refused to renounce al Shabaab's hardline ideology.

"We don't normally kill al Shabaab members. We arrest them and make them understand that Islam means peace. We have detained and then released many of them," the spokesman, Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, told Reuters by telephone.

"This commander insisted that all people were infidels except his group ... We will execute al Shabaab members who insist that it can be right to kill the innocent. What else are we supposed to do to those who believe they will go to paradise for killing us and the whole human race?"

Al Shabaab and another rebel group, Hizbul Islam, want to impose a harsh version of sharia law across the nation, and have previously carried out executions, stonings and amputations in southern and central regions under their control.

Sunday's was the first known execution by Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca. It came as residents said Somali government troops and Ahlu Sunna fighters also battled Hizbul Islam insurgents for hours for control of another strategic central town, Baladwayne.

The rebels want to extend their area of control from the south towards the pro-government northeast region of Puntland. The U.N.-backed administration of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed controls just a few blocks of the coastal capital Mogadishu.

Fighting has killed 19,000 Somalis and driven 1.5 million from their homes since the start of 2007, and Western security agencies say the country has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who use it to plot attacks.

Puntland president delineates government achievement

9 Jan 9, 2010 - 10:28:39 PM



The president of Somalia’s Puntland state presented his government achievements since taking office in January 2009.

President Dr. Abdirahman Mohammed Farole, who hosted tradition elders, Islamic scholars and government officials in Garowe Presidential Palace said on assumption of office, his government has managed to address the economic and social problems facing the population.

He pointed out that due to the realisation of economical growth, the security forces and government workers were fully paid on time in the year.

Dr. Farole said his government was forced to take drastic measures to make sure the growth of the economy, underlining that security is also paramount.

On security situation, the president said his government made it as matter of urgency
.
“For every government, the first responsibility on its shoulders is to make sure it has security forces and that is what we have done. The security forces are better paid now unlike previously,”

Islan Ise Islan Mohamed, one of the elders who addressed the guests in the ceremony, urged the people to work with government in order to curb the instability.

President Farole however blamed the escalating conflict in southern Somalia as the main causer of insecurity, which takes advantage of clan warfare in the region.

The president said his government was also able to do a lot about the social welfare such as education and health issues. He pointed out that more than one million children were vaccinated last year alone.

On the education, Farole said the ministry employed 200 new teachers and worked on the fusion of the curriculum of the schools in Puntland.

Speaking about the piracy phenomenon in the high seas, the president said his government, without much support from international community, has successfully eradicated from Puntland-controlled areas such as Ely and Gar’ad towns, famously known for being safe haven for pirates.

He said the sea-gangs are now operating from Harardhere town, adding that Puntland security forces jailed more than 200 pirates last year alone.

He appreciated clerics’ efforts of creating awareness on how piracy is bad and considered sin in Islam, a move that saw many youths abandon the vice.

Garowe: “ Marna Isimada Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn kama talin kala tagida Shacabka Puntland, Faroole hadii aad soo celiso Laascaanood xilka waad haynaysaa

Garowe(AllPuntland)- Isimada Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn oo bilihii ugu dambeeyey ku jiray dadaal adag oo ku aadan soo celinta gobalka Sool, ayaa la kulmay Madaxda Puntland ugu sareysa oo ay ka mid yihiin Madaxweynaha iyo kuxigeenkiisa oo ay kala hadlayaan sidii loogu baahan yahay soo celinta Puntland.

Dawladda Puntland ayaa horay shaki ba’an ugalisay wada hadaladii magaalada Nayroobi oo ay shegtay in la doonayo in lugu kala jaro deegaanada Puntland, waxaana qaar ka mid ah Isimadaasi ay qireen in ay waxba kama jiraan tahay arrimahaasi.

" Mudane Madaxweyne, Laascaanood looma qabsan beel ahaan, waxaa loo qabsaday dawlad ahaan, anagana Puntland ayaa dawlad noo ah, waxaana loo baahan yahay in aad soo celisaan laascaanood iyo dhulka badan ee maqan, waxaa maqan ilaa 120KM, oo ay leedahay dawladda Puntland, weyna kaa horaysay Mudane Madaxweyne qabsashada Laascaanood, balse waxaan kuu balan qaadaynaa hadii aad soo celiso Laascaanood in aad waligaa heyn doonto xukunka Puntland" Ayuu yiri Garaad Abshir Saalax oo ay sacab hadalkiisa ku soo dhaweeyeen Madaxdii joogtay iyo waxgaradkiiba.

Garaad Abshir Saalax oo ka hadlayay magaalada Garowe ayaa beniyey arrimahaasi, wuxuuna sheegay in dadka udhashay Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn ay hormuud ka ahaayeen dhismihii dawladda Puntland 1998-dii, isla markaasna aysan hada iyo hadhowtoona diyaar uaheyn in ay ka baxaan Puntland.

Garaad Abshir oo ka qeybgalay shirkii magaalada Nayroobi ayaa sheegay in shirkaas looga hadlay arrimaha ku wajahan soo celinta Laascaanood, ayna go’aamo ka soo baxeen loogana fadhiyo Shacabka Puntland iyo Madaxda dawladda in ay wax ka qabtaan qodobadaasi iyo sidii loo hirgalin lahaa.

“ Marna dadka udhashay Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn kama talin kala tagida Puntland, marna kama tagayaan Qadiyada Puntland, waxa ayna qeyb ka ahaayeen dhismihii Puntland, meel wanaagsan ayay hada xaaladu maraysaa, waxaana lagama maarmaan ah in laga shaqeeyo isku duubnida Puntland” Ayuu yiri Garaad Abshir Saalax oo ka hadlayay caasumada Puntland.

Isimada Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn ayaa todobaadkii lasoo dhaafay wada xaajoodyo aan la aqoon waxa ka soo baxay waxa ay la qateen Madaxda ugu sareysa Puntland, oo ay kala hadleen arrimaha Sool, Sanaag iyo Cayn, sida loogu baahan yahay in wax laga qabto xaaladaha magaalada Laascaanood.

Madaxweyne C/rixmaan Sheekh Maxamed iyo Kuxigeenkiisa ayaa looga fadhiyaa in ay ka miro dhaliyaan go’aamadii ay qaadeen markii ay doorashada doonayeen, oo ay ugu weynaayeen hirgalinta amaanka iyo soo celinta deegaanada Puntland.

Gaalkacyo: Cabdi Qeydiid oo la hadlay Ergada Galmudug uga qeybgalaysa Wada hadalada Nabdeed ee Gaalkacyo.

10. januar 2010

Gaalkacyo(AllPuntland)- Wasiirka Macdan iyo Biyaha ee dawladda Soomaaliya Cabdi Xasan Cawaale (Qeydiid) oo ku sugan magaalada Gaalkacyo ayaa shalay la hadlay Ergada ka qeybgalaysa wada hadalada magaalada Gaalkacyo ee dhinaca nabadgalyada, isagoo usheegay qaabab kala gedisan oo ku saabsan dadaalada nabdeed iyo sida loogu baahan yahay in wax laga qabto.

Cabdi Xasna Cawaale wuxuu usheegay Odayaashaas in looga baaahan yahay xalointa qodobada la xariira arrimaha magaalada Gaalkacyo, isagoo sheegay in ay lama huraan tahay in laga shaqeeyo nabadgalyada Gaalkacyo.

Jeneraalku wuxuu tibaaxay in ay Siyaasiin badan oo ka soo jeeda Puntland & Galmudug ay ka shaqeynayaan sidii wax looga qaban lahaa xaaladaha magaalada, isla markaasna arrimihii dhacay oo dhan ay wax uga qabtaan.

Wasiirka Macdan ayaa tilmaamay in ay hada ku howlan yihiin sidii ay wax uga qaban lahaayeen arrimahaasi, isagoo ku sifeeyey wixii dhacay qaladaadyo kooban, isagoo Ergada Galmudug usheegay in ay mudo dheer usoo taagnaayeen nabadgalyada Gaalkacyo, loona baahan yahay in aysan maanta ka seexan.

Wasiirka Macdan iyo Biyaha ee dawladda KMG ah ee Soomaaliya ayaa hadalkan ka jeediyey shir ay Xarunta Nabadda iyo Horumarinta ee CPD uqabatay Odayaasha iyo Waxgaradka qeybta ah wada hadalada magaalada Gaalkacyo, iyadoo uu sheegay Cabdi in ay marar badan maqlaan qodobo badan oo laysku hayo wuxuuna sheegay in tanaasulaad muuqdo.