Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Renewing fight against al Qaeda in East Africa

War on terror
On 7/ 11, horrific bombings in Kampala killed scores of innocent people, including an American, and wounded many others who had peacefully gathered to watch the World Cup. Shortly after this cowardly attack, a group called al Shabaab claimed responsibility.
This group is based in Somalia. For months, al Shabaab has been threatening to carry out attacks in eastern Africa, and if in fact they did commit this attack in Uganda, it would be their first attack outside Somalia. Confirmation of their responsibility would demonstrate that this terrorist group’s threat is expanding throughout Africa and could soon impact the United States.
To reduce and ultimately eliminate this risk, we have to address the conditions in Somalia that have bolstered al Shabaab, and by extension, al Qaeda. Somalia has not had a functioning central government for almost two decades and has been beset by lawlessness and instability. The country has been in a state of outright war since Ethiopia invaded several years ago, resulting in at least 21,000 deaths and more than 1.5 million persons being displaced.
Meanwhile, al Shabaab has used increasingly brutal tactics to maintain its control over local populations in southern Somalia - carrying out executions, chopping off hands and legs, and forcibly conscripting youth. They have sought to impose repressive social controls in the name of Islamic law, reportedly banning dancing at wedding ceremonies, listening to music on the radio, and playing or watching soccer.
To make matters even worse, al Shabaab has recruited some Americans to travel to the region and join their fight. In October 2008, a Somali-American from Minneapolis, in a coordinated attack by al Shabaab in Somalia, reportedly became the first-known suicide bomber with US citizenship. Late last year, the New York Times reported that roughly 20 young men from Minnesota had been recruited by al Shabaab to join the fight in Somalia.
This is very troubling news. Although the Obama administration is paying greater attention to Somalia, we still don’t have a strategic, long-term vision for the country.
Targeted strikes against some individuals in Somalia can be part of our counter terror strategy, especially if those individuals have clear ties to al Qaeda and pose a direct threat to the United States. But we cannot just rely on a strategy of killing the bad guys. We also must work to address the local conditions and divisions that allow al Shabaab to succeed. In Somalia, this means working to encourage political consensus and reconciliation among different groups, and supporting inclusive and functional governance.
Fighting terrorists is more than just a manhunt — you can pull out some weeds, but until you’ve addressed the conditions that enable them to grow, they will keep coming back. Weak states, chronic instability, vast ungoverned areas, and unresolved local tensions have created idyllic safe havens in which terrorists can recruit and operate. These are the underlying problems we need to address.
We need to place counterterrorism within a broader framework that includes support for a sustainable and inclusive peace, as well as the promotion of human rights, economic development, transparency, and the rule of law. We cannot afford to focus so much of our attention on Afghanistan while overlooking the gathering threat in places such as Somalia.
By implementing policies that address local problems and resolve related conflicts, we’ll have a better chance of reducing the instability that makes Somalia, and other countries in the region, a safe haven for al Qaeda and its affiliates. With this, we can finally get at the root of the problem.
Mr Feingold, a Democrat, represents Wisconsin in the US Senate. He is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairs its Subcommittee on African Affairs. He’s also a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Wednesday, July 21 2010 at 00:00 daily  monitor

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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 Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

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We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

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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