Somali Islamists pull out gold teeth of 'sinners' Aug 11, 2009
MOGADISHU: Residents of a coastal town in southern Somalia are living by the skin of their teeth, quite literally. Somali Islamist group al Shabaab is forcibly removing gold and silver teeth from residents in southern Somalia because it says they contravene the strict law of Islam, residents said on Monday. (India Times, India)
FBI searched agency visited by 2 missing men Aug 8, 2009
The UNHCR said nearly a quarter of a million Somalis had fled their homes since May 7, when newly unified Islamist insurgents launched a concerted attack on Mogadishu, the capital. The U.S. State Department says some of the insurgent leaders have links to al-Qaida. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Clinton Calls Eritrea's Meddling in Somalia 'Unacceptable' Aug 7, 2009
Al-Shabab, an Islamist militia, is attempting to seize control of Mogadishu from the more moderate TFG. Fierce fighting has forced thousands to flee the capital city ... It was considered too dangerous for Clinton to travel to Mogadishu. (allAfrica.com)
Clinton recalls US embassy attacks in Africa Aug 6, 2009
It ended in a humiliating withdrawal months after the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in which Somali militiamen shot down a U.S. helicopter and 18 servicemen were killed in the crash and subsequent rescue attempt in the streets of Mogadishu ... Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 and Ahmed's administration holds only a few blocks in Mogadishu, with support from the peacekeepers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Extremists Who Raided U.N. Offices Not Terrorists? Jul 29, 2009
Al-Shabaab has turned the country into a safe haven and training ground for terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, seizing the country's capital of Mogadishu in a hail of gunfire and terror in May. In early July, the group beheaded seven southerners for being Christians and government "spies.". (Fox News)
Minn. Somali Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charge Jul 29, 2009
Islamic insurgents with alleged ties to al-Qaida recently intensified their efforts to capture the capital city, Mogadishu. Minneapolis has the nation's largest concentration of Somali immigrants. (Newsmax)
Family learned on Internet of son's slaying Jul 26, 2009
Another showed the body being carried through the streets of Mogadishu on a stretcher ... Al-Shabaab remains entrenched in northeast Somalia and in sections south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after fighting that has uprooted more than 200,000 people since early May, according to the United Nations ... A travel agent in Minneapolis, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two men paid about $1,800 in cash for tickets to Nairobi, Kenya, or to Dubai, U.A.E. The travel agent said he thinks... (CNN)
Somali Radicals Force UN Operation to Shut Down Jul 21, 2009
A fresh wave of fighting, which broke out in Mogadishu in May, has driven 200,000 people from their homes, in addition to the more than 400,000 already displaced near the capital and along the Afgooye corridor, west of Mogadishu. "Those who attacked Mogadishu in May are extremists with no common agenda except to seize power by force," said Mr. Ould-Abdallah. (allAfrica.com)
Islamists raid UN offices Jul 21, 2009
At the weekend, three foreign aid workers were abducted by Somali gunmen during a raid in a Kenyan border town, while two French agents are being held by the Shebab after being seized last week in Mogadishu ... Hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed while hundreds of thousand others have been forced out from their homes in the war-riven capital Mogadishu. (iAfrica.com)
French face Sharia trial Jul 19, 2009
The two agents, in Somalia to train the forces of the beleaguered transitional government, were snatched at gunpoint from their hotel in central Mogadishu early on Tuesday. On Friday Somalia's Social Affairs Minister Mohammed Ali Ibrahim told a French news channel they were being held by Shebab, who he said may be seeking the freedom of Somali pirates jailed in France. (iAfrica.com)
Gunmen seize 2 foreigners from Somali hotel Jul 15, 2009
The gunmen knocked on the door where the men were staying at the Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu and abducted them when the men opened the door, said hotel manager Mohamed Hassan Gafaa ... "Two French advisers on an official mission of assistance to the Somali government were kidnapped this morning in Mogadishu by armed men," the ministry said ... Power vacuumForeigners rarely go to Mogadishu, which is among the most dangerous cities in the world, and when they do they travel only in convoys with... (MSNBC -- International)
How one youth was drawn to jihad in Somalia Jul 15, 2009
Like the Somali-American from Minnesota who was killed this weekend, Tawakal Ahmed was recruited through mosques in Kenya to fight for Islamic militants in Mogadishu ... They've been told that Tawakal strapped on an explosive belt and walked onto the base of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
FBI: Man charged in Somalia recruiting Jul 14, 2009
It remains entrenched in the northeast and in sections south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after fighting that has uprooted more than 200,000 people since early May, according to the United Nations ... Ethiopia invaded Somalia to push the Islamists out of Mogadishu in December 2006, but their presence in the country was an outrage to most Somalis and became a rallying cry for al-Shabaab. (CNN -- World)
Witnesses: 2 foreigners seized in Somalia Jul 14, 2009
About 10 gunmen arrived in a car and a pickup truck mounted with machine guns at the Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu and disarmed the hotel guards, said Abdi Mohamed Ahmed, who owns a teashop in front of the hotel ... Foreigners rarely go to Mogadishu, which is among the most dangerous cities in the world, and when they do they travel only in convoys with armed guards ... Mogadishu sees near-daily battles between government and insurgent forces. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Eritrea under UN fire Jul 10, 2009
But Sharif's forces have been unable to reassert their authority over the capital Mogadishu. AFP Digg. (iAfrica.com)
Somalis Indicted in Terror Case Jul 2, 2009
Ahmed's nephew, Burhan Hassan, was killed in Mogadishu four weeks ago. It's unclear exactly how he died. (Fox News)
Somalia Insurgents Vow To Seize US Weapons Jun 29, 2009
MOGADISHU, June 29, 2009 ... In this Dec. 8, 2008, file photo armed Al-shabab fighters just outside Mogadishu, Somalia, prepare to travel into the city in pickup trucks after vowing there would be new waves of attacks against Ethiopian troops ... One official said the shipment was ammunition delivered to Mogadishu. (CBS News -- World)
U.S. arms Somali government, rebels amputate limbs Jun 27, 2009
MOGADISHU, June 25 (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it had sent weapons to Somalia's government to help thwart Islamist insurgents, who cut hands and feet off thieves and paraded the severed limbs in the streets of Mogadishu ... " The State Department said it was providing the weaponry in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions. While the United Nations has had a long-standing arms embargo on Somalia, a May Security Council resolution urged member states to train and... (AlertNet)
US arming Somali govt Jun 26, 2009
"We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Mogadishu and attacks against the Transitional Federal Government," Kelly told reporters during the daily media briefing. "At the request of that government, the State Department has helped to provide weapons and ammunition on an urgent basis," Kelly added. (iAfrica.com)
Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Start Searching Activities in Central Region Jun 23, 2009
com: Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Start Searching Activities in Central Region (Page 1 of 1). Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Start Searching Activities in Central Region. (allAfrica.com)
No surrender - Sharif Jun 5, 2009
A Somalian man wounded in a mortar attack on Mogadishu is helped onto a stretcher at a hospital ... Fighting on Thursday spread to several neighborhoods in southern Mogadishu after government forces using anti-aircraft weapons and mortar shells targeted insurgents' positions. (iAfrica.com)
UN backs AU peacekeepers May 27, 2009
The raging violence in Somalia includes attacks in the capital where Somali government troops on Friday attacked three Mogadishu districts Tarbunka, Bakara and Howlwadag claiming 14 lives. Somali extremists launched their offensive against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on 7 May, and have maintained their positions in Mogadishu in trenches along streets near the presidential palace. (iAfrica.com)
SA's terror dilemma May 25, 2009
Last Updated: 07:08am 25 May 2009. 6 22 SPONSORED LINKS. (iAfrica.com)
Mogadishu counts its dead May 24, 2009
Fighting resumed late afternoon in two districts of the oceanside capital Mogadishu after a brief morning skirmish ... In southern Mogadishu, two others were killed when a mortar shell landed near a cafe in the Bakara area, an insurgent stronghold. (iAfrica.com)
Big headache May 23, 2009
Big attack on Mogadishu Islamists. New road cameras 'unregulated. (BBC News -- Business)
Somali clashes kill 29 May 23, 2009
Fierce clashes on Friday left at least 29 people dead and some 200 wounded as Somali government forces tried to drive out Islamist insurgents from the capital Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said ... Eight passengers were killed when a mortar shell struck a bus in southern Mogadishu ... At Mogadishu's Medina and Keysaney hospitals, medics said they received 117 wounded civilians, five of whom died of their wounds moments after their admission. (iAfrica.com)
India lets Kashmir leader travel May 22, 2009
Big attack on Mogadishu Islamists. High costs fuel record loss at BA. (Yahoo News -- Kashmir Dispute)
Officials: Naval action alone can't crush pirates May 19, 2009
Somalia's Western-backed government, which got a new president in January, wields little control outside the capital of Mogadishu. Capt. Christophe Pipolo, a security adviser in France's foreign affairs ministry, called for a comprehensive approach that includes restructuring Somalia's fishing sector to improve the livelihoods of poor fishermen to prevent them from joining the pirates. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Canadian captive a 'brave girl' May 19, 2009
Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, who was taken near Mogadishu by gunmen along with 27-year-old Ms. Lindhout and 37-year-old Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan, had previously told reporters that he was blindfolded and immediately separated from the pair, who were being held for ransom, and had no information regarding their whereabouts or well-being ... During a recent interview in Nairobi, Mr. Elmi described in detail seeing Ms. Lindhout and Mr. Brennan daily throughout his 146 days of captivity,... (Globe and Mail -- International)
Islamic insurgents seize Somali town May 18, 2009
An Islamist fighter manned a position near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, Somali, yesterday ... MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic insurgents captured a key southern town yesterday, witnesses said, but the country's fragile government claimed the defection of a key militia leader as a major victory ... The latest Islamic leader reported to switch sides in Mogadishu, Sheik Yusuf Indahaadde, promised his men would now take up arms for the government, a key ally said. (Boston Globe)
Somalia: Spoilers Face Sanctions May 18, 2009
Uganda is the biggest contributor to AMISOM, with three battalions stationed at strategic positions in Mogadishu, such as the port, the airport and the presidential palace ... Over 100 people are said to have died in last week's fighting and 30,000 more have fled Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. (allAfrica.com)
Scared Somalis running out of food as battles rage May 15, 2009
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Fighting between the U.N.-backed government and Islamist militias sent frightened Somalis streaming out of the capital Friday, raising fears the government might fall after a week of fighting that already has killed more than 100 people ... The streets are eerily quiet, the shops shuttered; even Friday's calls to prayer have been silenced in some areas of north Mogadishu ... Associated Press Writer Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia contributed to this report. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Mogadishu mosque attacked May 11, 2009
Islamist militants from the Hizb-al-Islamiya take positions at Wardhiglay Police station in Mogadishu ... A mortar shell hit a mosque in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing at least 14 people and raising to 39 the death toll from fighting between Islamist rebels and government forces that flared up on Thursday ... "The mortar shell struck at the gate of the mosque. I counted about 14 people who died instantly and 10 others were wounded," Hassan Abdifatah, a worshipper at the mosque in southern... (iAfrica.com)
The Flip Side of the Somali Hijack Coin May 6, 2009
However, assuming that both the government and the opposition parties are right; is it possible that a variety of journalists and aid workers from Mogadishu, Baidoa, Bosaso, Puntland and Somaliland can all be wrong and mistaken ... As one aid worker put it to me; the pictures he has taken while in Mogadishu, "Africa's dark corridors", indicate that there is nothing for young men to look for on the land. (allAfrica.com)
Africa: Statement by Johnnie Carson at Confirmation Hearing Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Apr 30, 2009
Author: Somali from Mogadishu Thu Apr 30 06:50:09 2009 ... U.S.A spend alot of time and money to failed Somalia - Southern Somalia, Mogadishu - but neglected Somaliland ... Author: Somali from Mogadishu Thu Apr 30 06:51:31 2009. (allAfrica.com)
Cause for hope? Apr 28, 2009
They needed to convince donors that it was worth providing the funds to keep African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu, equip them better and enable them to expand towards the target of a force of 8,000. They also needed to convince them to help the Somali government build up its own security institutions. (BBC News -- Africa)
Somali gunmen kidnap two foreign aid workers Apr 20, 2009
MOGADISHU, Somalia About 25 masked gunmen armed with machine guns kidnapped two foreign aid workers in central Somalia on Sunday, an aid worker and a witness said. Michel Peremans, a spokesman for the Belgian chapter of M. (Globe and Mail -- International)
NATO frees 20 hostages from Somali pirates Apr 19, 2009
A pirate source who said he was on board the Pompei told Reuters in Mogadishu by telephone that the pirates would take it to a coastal base. We have hijacked a Belgian ship. (Globe and Mail)
US weighs tough action on pirates Apr 14, 2009
"For [efforts to combat piracy] to succeed on a long-term basis, there needs to be some form of central government" in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, Wilkerson said. Feingold said far more is at stake now than the threat to merchant vessels, noting that the Somali government - which has sought international help to deal with the piracy problem - is also at risk of being overthrown by Islamic militants linked to Al Qaeda. (Boston Globe)
Mortars Fired As U.S. Rep. Leaves Somalia Apr 14, 2009
MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 13, 2009 ... Donald Payne, D-N.J., left, has discussions with Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid, April 13, 2009 in the Somali capital, Mogadishu ... (AP) Assailants fired mortar shells at Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying a U.S. congressman took off, a police officer said. (CBS News)
Airport attack reported as U.S. lawmaker visits Apr 14, 2009
Donald Payne was fired on as it left the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, but it departed safely and landed without incident in Nairobi, Kenya, his office said, citing U.S. State Department officials ... Earlier Monday, a journalist in Mogadishu said mortar rounds and gunfire were heard near the airport shortly after Payne ended a news conference with Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid ... Payne was scheduled to spend four to five hours in Mogadishu at the conclusion of the trip to meet with... (CNN -- International)
U.S. lawmaker leaves Somalia amid mortars Apr 14, 2009
Donald Payne arrives at the airport in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Monday ... Donald Payne came under mortar fire by Somali insurgents while his plane was waiting to take off at the Mogadishu airport ... MOGADISHU, Somalia - Assailants fired mortar shells at Mogadishu airport as a plane carrying a U.S. congressman took off, a police officer said. (MSNBC -- International)
Indian sailors on detained ship released Apr 14, 2009
"M V Jaikur-I, with the crew of 14 Indians, which had been detained in Mogadishu since October 2008 due to a commercial dispute between owners and other interested parties, has been released," according to a statement from the Director General of Shipping here today. The crew comprising 14 Indians, three Pakistanis, two Somalians, one Iraqi and one Filipino have been released, it said. (India Times, India)
Ships have few options against Somali pirates Apr 11, 2009
And though Somalia's struggling government has pledged to combat piracy off its coast, the nascent government can barely secure the few square miles (kilometers) it controls in the capital, Mogadishu, much less along its 1,900-mile (3,100-kilometer) coast, the longest in Africa. Noel Choong, who heads the Malaysia-based piracy watchdog group International Maritime Bureau, said the ships' best option is to keep a round-the-clock watch and take off at the first sign of trouble. (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Somali pirates in German ship fail to find comrades Apr 11, 2009
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Pirates on a German ship with 24 foreign hostages said on Saturday they had returned to the Somali coast after failing to locate the scene of a standoff involving an American captive on a drifting lifeboat ... (Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Anthony Boadle in Washington, William Maclean in London, Mogadishu office, and Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi). (The Star Online, Malaysia)
FBI joins effort... Apr 10, 2009
The Maersk Alabama, loaded with relief aid, had been en route to Mombasa when it was attacked about 380 miles east of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Earlier Thursday, the USS Bainbridge had arrived near the Maersk Alabama and the lifeboat with the pirates, Speers said, adding that the lifeboat holding the pirates and the captain was out of fuel. (The Drudge Report)
More Warships Head to Hostage Scene Apr 10, 2009
The Maersk Alabama, en route to neighboring Kenya and loaded with relief aid, was attacked about 380 miles east of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. It was the sixth vessel seized in a week. (Fox News)
Kenya: End Abuse and Neglect of Somali Refugees Mar 30, 2009
Citing security concerns, Kenya officially closed its 682-kilometer border with Somalia in January 2007, when Ethiopian troops intervened in support of Somalia's weak transitional government and ousted a coalition of Islamic courts from Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. During the past two years, an escalating armed conflict by Ethiopian and Somali government forces against an insurgency, resulting in numerous war crimes and human rights abuses, has forced almost 1 million residents of Mogadishu to... (AlertNet)
Sudan's Bashir visits Eritrea after ICC warrant Mar 24, 2009
MOGADISHU, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people, mostly students, Monday rallied in the Somali capital Mogadishu in support of the Sudanese President Omar Hassan El-Bashir who was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes committed in Darfur. Speakers at the demonstration against the ICC described the arrest warrant on the Sudanese president as unjust and uncalled for. (Xinhuanet, China)
Somalia: Aid Worker Gunned Down in Mogadishu Mar 20, 2009
com: Somalia: WFP Aid Worker Gunned Down in Mogadishu (Page 1 of 1) ... Somalia: WFP Aid Worker Gunned Down in Mogadishu ... An aid worker with the UN's World Food Program (WFP) was killed in the capital Mogadishu Thursday, two days after four foreign aid workers were kidnapped and safely released in a different part of the country, Radio Garowe reports. (allAfrica.com)
Jailed Canadian in Ethiopia gets day in court Mar 20, 2009
Mr. Makhtal was on what family say was a business trip to Mogadishu when the Ethiopian army invaded in December, 2006, ousting the ruling Islamic government ... Instead, on Jan. 20, two days before a scheduled court hearing, he was sent via Mogadishu to Ethiopia, where along with 85 others, including several other Westerners, he disappeared. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Somalis free aid workers Mar 17, 2009
The four were snatched from their car by armed men on their way to an airstrip in Wajid, a food aid hub 340 kilometres south of the capital Mogadishu, early in the morning. "Efforts to secure their release were conducted by local elders and officials from the Shebab movement. These efforts have finally succeeded and the hostages are free," a local UN employee said on condition of anonymity. (iAfrica.com)
Flaws abound in FOIA if Obama wants to fix them Mar 17, 2009
Fifteen years, a best-selling book and a hit movie haven't persuaded the Pentagon to release all the details of the Battle of Mogadishu, a tragic operation in East Africa that cost 18 American troops their lives and Clinton administration Defense Secretary Les Aspin his job. Better known as "Black Hawk Down," the title of journalist Mark Bowden's 1999 book and the film that followed, the battle took place in the slums of Somalia's capital city in October 1993. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Uncertainty about UN force for Somalia Mar 12, 2009
The African Union, which has about 3,500 troops protecting vital installations in the capital, Mogadishu, has been pressing for months for the U.N. to take over peacekeeping and so was the former U.S. administration of President George W. Bush, but President Barack Obama is reported to be less enthusiastic ... At the same time, he said "the security situation in Somalia remained volatile" with widespread fighting in Mogadishu following the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces in January, and insurgent... (International Herald Tribune)
In soccer, Somalis find a link to home Mar 5, 2009
In the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu, Islamist rebel groups battle African Union peacekeeping forces and each other ... "Before this tournament, we were training in Djibouti," says long-time national coach Ali Abdi Farah, who still lives in Mogadishu. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
Sudan: Car Accident Kills 23 Somalis Feb 26, 2009
com: Sudan: Car Accident Kills 23 Somalis (Page 1 of 1). Sudan: Car Accident Kills 23 Somalis. (allAfrica.com)
UN slams Somali violence Feb 26, 2009
A Somalian man wounded in a mortar attack on Mogadishu is helped onto a stretcher at a hospital ... Eleven Burundian soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in the attack on their camp in Mogadishu, according to a statement on Monday by the Burundian army in Bujumbura ... Since the departure of Ethiopian troops from Somalia last month, it is the only foreign force in Mogadishu, a city ravaged by warfare and violence. (iAfrica.com)
Mogadishu clashes kill 23 Feb 25, 2009
A Somalian man wounded in a mortar attack on Mogadishu is helped onto a stretcher at a hospital ... Fierce clashes killed at least 23 people on Tuesday in Mogadishu as Islamist insurgents marred newly-elected President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's first days in the Somali capital ... Heavily armed fighters loyal to Hizb al-Islamiya (Islamic Party) ambushed government troops in Mogadishu's southern Taleh district, sparking a fierce exchanges in which at least 90 civilians were also wounded, witnesses... (iAfrica.com)
Both personal and political Feb 24, 2009
When he began to know what those verses were about, he didn't need to fantasize about coming from a dangerous 'hood: he spent his childhood in Mogadishu during the Somali civil war. Knaan recorded his latest CD, Troubadour, in Jamaica. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
AU peacekeepers killed Feb 23, 2009
An African Union peacekeeper from Burundi patrols a road in Mogadishu ... A suicide attack by Islamist rebels on an African Union base in Mogadishu, Somalia, killed six Burundi peacekeepers and injured another 20 on Sunday ... The under-strength AU force is the only foreign force left in Mogadishu after the withdrawal in early January of pro-government Ethiopian troops from Somalia. (iAfrica.com)
Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Hijack More Vehicles in Mustahil Town Feb 17, 2009
Mustahil The Ethiopian soldiers have hijacked more Somali Lorries in Mustahil town in the regional state of Somalia in Ethiopia, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Sunday. Ethiopia pulled out its troops from Somalia last month as a part of an agreement between the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia and the transitional government. (allAfrica.com)
Canadian approved as new Somali PM Feb 17, 2009
MOGADISHU, Somalia Somali legislators on Saturday approved the Canadian son of a former leader as the country's new prime minister ... Mr. Ahmed was a key leader of the Council of Islamic Courts that ran Mogadishu for six months in 2006. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Kidnapped Canadian unlikely to be freed without ransom, group says Feb 10, 2009
Canadian freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout sits with a child in Mogadishu, Somalia, in this undated handout photo ... The journalists were snatched near the capital Mogadishu on Aug. 23, 2008, along with their local translator and driver. (Globe and Mail)
