Saturday, July 24, 2010

Britain calls for more troops in Somalia

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Britain on Friday threw its weight behind calls for more African troops to be sent to Somalia to battle Islamist rebels, whose suicide attacks in Uganda last week killed 73 people watching the World Cup final.An African Union (AU) summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala, planned before the attacks, has put the Somali crisis at the top of its agenda and more than 30 African heads of state are under pressure to act on the failed state.Central to discussions at the summit is the mandate of an AU peacekeeping force of 6,300 troops, which is protecting Somalia's besieged government. Delegates told Reuters a cap of 8,100 on troop levels would likely be lifted during the meeting."We certainly welcome an increase in numbers," Britain's minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. "We said yes to (lifting the restriction on troop numbers). Absolutely."The AU force may also be given permission to attack the rebels -- it can now only fight when engaged. Bellingham warned the move could backfire."We are cautious about that because we're worried about possible collateral damage," he said. "We have to balance the military option with the moves that are also afoot to try and find some political progress."Somalia's near powerless Western-backed government is hemmed into a few streets of the capital Mogadishu. Troops from Uganda and Burundi make up the AU force -- al Shabaab said that was why it attacked Kampala.Al Shabaab -- meaning "the youth" in Arabic -- controls huge swathes of central and southern Somalia and is fighting to overthrow the government. Last week's bombings were the group's first strike outside Somalia.A U.S. counterterrorism official this week told Reuters that, after the Kampala attack, his government now favoured "aggressive action" against al Shabaab and would increase funding to AMISOM. He did not rule out bombings by U.S. drones.Delegates from around the continent are facing renewed pressure behind the scenes at the summit to pledge troops to AMISOM. AU officials told Reuters that South Africa was negotiating a significant deployment of troops.The AU said on Friday that Guinea would send a battalion of troops to join AMISOM.
ERITREA'S ROLE?
The only nation to be punished for its role in the Somali crisis, Eritrea, made an unexpected visit to the summit despite suspending its membership of the AU last year after the AU called for sanctions against the African nation.In December the United Nations imposed the punitive measures, accusing Eritrea of funding and arming Islamist rebels in Somalia. Bellingham said the international pressure may have told on the small Red Sea state."We just had a meeting with the Eritrean foreign minister. The fact that they have come does show that they don't want to be completely ostracised," he said.Bellingham said the much-maligned nation could play an important role in the peace process in Somalia, citing their alleged links with insurgents."We don't have any time for their regime but they are an important frontline player," he said. "They claim to be very close to al Shabaab, it goes without saying that they might have some influence to bear that other countries don't."Eritrea has consistently denied it has ever funded, lent logistical support or provided weapons to any group fighting an insurgency in Somalia.Last month Eritrea and Djibouti resolved a two-year border dispute, which surprised many analysts who saw it an uncharacteristic attempt by Eritrea to mend bridges with the international community six months after the sanctions.

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

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