Islamist militants withdraw from famine struck Somali capital! August 6, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Armed escort, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, InfoSec, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk management, somali pirates, Somalia
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MOGADISHU, Somalia – Islamist fighters withdrew overnight from almost all their bases in the famine-struck Somali capital, the most significant gain for the embattled U.N.-backed government in four years. Commanders toured newly abandoned positions Saturday, including a former sports stadium where the militia’s tire marks were fresh in the grass.
The militants have denied many aid agencies access to their territory and their presence in the capital has complicated famine relief efforts. The government said humanitarian agencies now were welcome to come and distribute aid, but many still insist on serving only precooked rations at guarded kitchens.
“It is of major significance, but the war is not over yet,” said Somali Defense Minister Hussein Arab Esse as he stood amid the rubble and graffitied walls of the stadium.
Tanks belonging to the African Union peacekeeping force surrounded the former militia base as gunfire crackled outside. Government soldiers draped in bandoliers of bullets lounged on smashed concrete pillars, staring as Somali and AU officials embraced.
Somalia has been a failed state for more than 20 years. Its lawless wastes are a haven for pirates and international terrorists and the conflict has caused two major famines. Hundreds of thousands starved to deaths in 1992 and the current emergency is believed to have cost tens of thousands of lives already. It is set to worsen, partly because the Islamists, who call themselves Al-Shabab, have banned many aid workers.
There have been two deadly shoot-outs in the past week after aid agencies tried to hand out sacks of food. Both incidents involved government forces, some of whom are poorly trained and disciplined.
It’s still unclear why the militia retreated or what its next move will be. There are several possible reasons: the drought and the movement of population away from areas it controls; the diversion of foreign fighters and funding to the Arab Spring; or infighting among its top leadership. It could simply be a change of tactics by a heavily outgunned force to a guerilla-style campaign of suicide bombings and hit and run attacks.
Al-Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamed Rage told a local radio station that the forces had made a tactical withdrawal and would soon launch a counter attack.
“We shall fight the enemy wherever they are,” he said.
In recent years, the Somali government has made little effort to provide services to its citizens despite receiving tens of millions of dollars in cash from foreign donors. Ali said he would declare such donations in the future, making it easier to see how the government was spending the money.
7 killed as aid is looted in Somalia! August 5, 2011
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Reminiscent of 1993 when killing and looting aid became the norm when Somali Warlords were in power and that led to 18 US service members being killed in fierce fighting; Somali refugees at the largest refugee camp in Mogadishu say seven people were shot dead when government soldiers opened fire after a looting rampage broke out during a food distribution.
One refugee, Muse Sheik Ali, said government soldiers tried to steal food at a World Food Program feeding site Friday, and then refugees began to loot the aid. Ali said soldiers then opened fire, killing seven people.
Another refugee, Abdi Awale Nor, also said seven people died. He called the scene “carnage” and said soldiers “ruthlessly shot everyone.”
Tens of thousands of Somalis fleeing famine have crowded into refugee camps in Mogadishu. But delivering food aid in the near lawless environment is proving to be a major challenge.
The lawlessness throughout the region will only bleed over with more pirates operating in greater numbers ultimately hijacking more commercial ships transiting throughout the Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.
U.S. relaxes terror rules against Somali extremists! August 2, 2011
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The Obama administration sought to assure aid groups Tuesday that they can deliver desperately needed food to famine-stricken parts of Somalia without fear of prosecution, even if some assistance is diverted to Al-Qaeda linked extremists blamed for helping deliver hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of starvation.
Administration officials said the U.S. has issued new guidelines on laws prohibiting material assistance to al-Shabab, which have been criticized by humanitarian organizations as a contributing factor the crisis. Charities must only pledge their best efforts to combat attempts by al-Shabab to hoard aid or collect taxes on supplies, they said.
Drought has left some 12 million people in Ehtiopia, Kenya and Somalia needing help, though official famine zones are only in Somali areas controlled by al-Shabab. That has challenged aid groups because of al-Shabab’s hostility to them and the perceived threat of American prosecution in cases of inadvertent support for a U.S.-designated terrorist body.
The shift could allow more U.S. aid to be directed toward the World Food Program’s operations in Somalia. The U.N. said Tuesday that unless it sees a massive increase in donations, the famine will spread inside Somalia. It called for another $1.4 billion in support.
The shipping industry collectively should realize that the deteriorating situation in Somalia will only exacerbate the piracy problem and that more ships will be hijacked over the next several years.
Special Ops chief warns of Al-Qaeda 2.0….Somalia named! July 28, 2011
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The top commander of U.S. special operations forces said Wednesday that Usama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda is bloodied and “nearing its end,” but he warned the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.
Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson described the killing of bin Laden by a special operations raid on May 2 as a near-killing blow for what he called “Al Qaeda 1.0,” as created by bin Laden and led from his hideout in Pakistan.
“It will morph, it will disperse,” he said. “It will become in some ways more westernized, (with) dual passport holders” and “fewer cave dwellers,” he said.
Olson said others like al-Awlaki (the American cleric in Yemen) will probably refine their message to appeal to a wider audience, and seek ungoverned spaces to operate from, where they can smuggle in weapons and train their followers. He described how current offshoots like al-Awlaki’s Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen are cooperating with militants in Somalia, who in turn are raising money for terrorist operations via ransoms paid to pirates, describing what he called an “invisible bridge” between the two.
He said the fight against all versions of Al Qaeda could keep U.S. special operations forces deploying at the same pace for another decade, even as U.S. conventional forces draw down from places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Somalia offensive….300 new militants in Mogadishu! July 28, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Armed escort, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, gulf of aden security, InfoSec, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk management, somali pirates, Somalia
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Heavy fighting broke out in Mogadishu on Thursday. Al-Shabab, Somalia’s dominant militant group, has sent 300 reinforcement fighters to Mogadishu in recent days, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping force.
The African Union force believes that al-Shabab is trying to prevent aid from reaching the tens of thousands of famine refugees who have arrived in Mogadishu this month.
The al-Shabab militants already have killed men who tried to escape the famine with their families, saying it is better to starve than accept help from the West. The World for Food Program says it cannot reach 2.2 million people in need of aid in the militant-controlled areas in southern Somalia because of insecurity.
Somalia has been mired in conflict since 1991 when long time dictator Siad Barre was overthrown by warlords who then turned on each other. Islamist militants led by al-Shabab are attempting to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government that is being propped up by about 9,000 AU peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi.
The hopelessness that young Somali men are experiencing will only make piracy a more enticing proposition that will ultimately lead to more attacks and greater ships being hijacked.
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