Posts Tagged ‘Somalia’

Scene of the blast in Mogadishu this morning

A truck bomb killed at least 70 people at government buildings in the heart of Somalia’s capital on Tuesday, an ambulance worker said, and al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.

Witnesses said there was a loud blast at a compound housing four government ministries in the K4 (Kilometer 4) area of the capital Mogadishu, where students had gathered on Tuesday to take exams.

“We have carried 70 dead bodies and over 50 injured people,” ambulance coordinator Ali Muse told Reuters. “Some are still lying there. Most of the people have burns.” Read the rest of this entry »

The best man for the job.

It must rank as one of the most unusual recruitment adverts ever placed, even by the standards of the European Union: the search is on for a “pirate cultural adviser” to help naval commanders understand the foes they face along the coast of Africa.

The right candidate – who must have knowledge of the “business model and modus operandi” of pirates in the Indian Ocean – will be asked to teach officers of the EU navies protecting shipping in one of the world’s busiest waterways how best to tackle the growing threat.

Some 400 sailors are currently held captive, with pirate gangs earning tens of millions of dollars a year in ransoms. The job is expected to include advising naval commanders on pirates’ religious practices and their habit of chewing qhat, an amphetamine-filled plant which renders users hyperactive.

But swashbuckling Long John Silver types with a knowledge of pirate lore may be disappointed: the post is expected to be filled by an ex-military figure with expertise in shipping, insurance and ransom negotiations. And rather than scouring the taverns of Bristol or Penzance for likely talent, the commanders have contented themselves with placing the advertisement on the website for EU Navfor, the European antipiracy task force based at the Nato HQ in Northwood, London.

“The job title may sound ambiguous, but what we are really looking for here is someone who can help us know the enemy better,” said Commander Harry Harrison, a spokesman for EU Navfor. “The intention is to seek advice on the Somali pirates’ methodology and tactics, which are constantly evolving.”

We have kindly offered our consultancy services to the the EU on their requirement for this project. Mindful of the vast financial waste created by this useless supranational body, we even waived our fee.

Full story at the Telegraph.

Feel the peace of Islam: a child dying of malnutrition is lucky enough to receive all-too-scarce treatment in a Mogadishu hospital. But where's his flotilla? Where's his tactical air support?

“Al-Shabaab is evolving from an armed faction into a lucrative consortium of business interests, both within Somalia and abroad, whose members benefit from cartel-style trading practices, tax breaks and mutual facilitation. Moreover, there are indications that Al-Shabaab trading networks may also be used to camouflage charitable contributions from sympathizers in the Gulf States,” UN Report

The once ragtag Somalia-based al Qaeda affiliate group known as Al-Shabaab has grown into an economic powerhouse, raising tens of millions of dollars in cash every year from a variety of schemes involving extortion, illegal taxation and other “fees,” according to a United Nations report.

The United States believes the group is closely coordinating with al Qaeda groups in Yemen and may be plotting attacks in the region and abroad.

The terrorist group now “generates between $70 million and $100 million per year, from duties and fees levied at airports and seaports, taxes on goods and services, taxes in kind on domestic produce, ‘jihad contributions,’ checkpoints and various forms of extortion justified in terms of religious obligation,”
according to the July 18 report from the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. Read the rest of this entry »

The British Navy demonstrate exactly how to deal with Somali pirates - unfortunately, none were aboard this tubd

Four Americans hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman have been killed by their captors, US defence officials say.

The US military said its forces trailing the vessel had responded to gunfire heard aboard but found all the captives shot when they arrived.

The yacht S/V Quest, hijacked on Friday, was owned and sailed by Scott and Jean Adam of California.

Also killed were two US passengers, Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle. Read the rest of this entry »

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 3 (CDN) — A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death last week in an apparent “honor killing,” area sources said.

Nurta Mohamed Farah, who had fled her village of Bardher, Gedo Region to Galgadud Region to live with relatives after her parents tortured her for leaving Islam, died on Nov. 25. Area sources said they strongly suspected that the two unidentified men in Galgadud Region who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on their behest.

“Reports reached the relatives in Galgadud that Nurta Farah had converted to Christianity,” one source said. “The suspicion that the family is responsible is a solid one. Read the rest of this entry »