Saturday, August 28, 2010

A capital on edge after hotel attack during Ramadan. Life and death on the streets of Somalia. Somali militants grow more brazen in attack

update  Somali militants grow more brazen in attack
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA - The ceiling of the Hotel Muna was splattered with burned flesh and pieces of clothing, the remains of two Islamist suicide bombers who killed 31 people here Tuesday. The blasts blew out doors and covered mattresses with blood and debris. They also shattered what little sense of security Abullahi Warsame had left. "We are in the worst chapter of our war," Warsame, the hotel's manager, said as he touched a grapefruit-size bullet hole, one of scores that pocked the walls after a gun battle with the attackers. Violence has long riven Somalia. But the carnage at this three-story hotel, painted in soft hues of green and yellow, has triggered a collective dread in the besieged capital that the conflict has entered a dangerous new phase. Over two decades, Warsame has witnessed U.S. airstrikes and warlords battling for territory. But while they have fought year-round, none of Somalia's power seekers had targeted civilians so calculatingly during Islam's holiest month - until now. "How can they kill during Ramadan?" Warsame demanded, stepping over spent bullet cartridges. "Something like this has never happened." The al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabab asserted responsibility for the brazen daylight attack, which many Somalis saw as reflecting the growing influence on the militia of foreign jihadists. The tactics and planning, they noted, mirror those used by militants in Baghdad and Kabul, where assaults on civilians during Ramadan have become routine. "It is very similar to what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan," said Mohamed Hassan Haad, an influential clan elder from southern Somalia. "The brains behind this are foreign. This is not natural to Somali culture." For other Somalis, the attack underscored the impotence of the U.S.-backed Somali transitional government and the helplessness that has enveloped Mogadishu. It unfolded inside government-controlled territory, within walking distance of Villa Somalia, the presidential palace, and it took only two assailants disguised in military uniforms to devastate a hotel known for housing government officials, military commanders and lawmakers, many with their own bodyguards. "I am expecting al-Shabab to overtake the city and the whole country," said Mussa Jama Abshir, whose family has owned the hotel for four decades. "They are powerful. This is the reality on the ground."

Government turf shrinks
It has been a week of mayhem in Mogadishu, a city accustomed to round-the-clock mortar attacks and fierce battles that have killed hundreds and compelled many more to flee their homes. A day before the hotel was attacked, al-Shabab declared a "massive final war" against the fragile government and an African Union peacekeeping force that is preventing it from being toppled. Over the past few days, front lines have been pushed back, shrinking the sliver of territory the government controls. Clashes have erupted along the Muka al-Mukarama, the main road that connects Villa Somalia and government ministries with the airport. On Friday, pickup trucks loaded with gunmen and minibuses filled with fleeing Somalis sped through intersections to evade bullets fired from al-Shabab positions. African Union armored vehicles secured the parliament building, a key target of the militants. Nearby, a patch of earth was covered with tank shells from nights of bombardment. A few yards farther were remnants of burned tires placed by al-Shabab, a bold sign of its ability to infiltrate government-controlled turf. In recent days, hundreds of people seeking refuge have arrived in the Medina neighborhood, the capital's safest area because of its proximity to the airport and the African Union base. Many had fled government-controlled areas that al-Shabab militants overran. Few were willing to predict that they would remain safe. "The war has intensified, and life in Somalia has become more hellish," said Halima Mohammed, 32, who arrived Tuesday with three wounded relatives after a shell hit their home. "Only God knows if the war will come here."

Hardly anyone in the capital had thought the war would reach the Hotel Muna.
The building is nestled in the heart of Somalia's seats of power. Dozens of soldiers protect the Villa Somalia and several government buildings; the Ministry of Information, protected by African Union peacekeepers, is also nearby. The hotel itself had eight guards. The attackers arrived at 9:45 a.m., as neighborhood residents gathered at a coffee shop on the hotel's first floor to hear the war's latest rumors. Boys washed cars nearby; street vendors peddled their wares.
Mohammed Ahmed Bile was on his way to work at the prime minister's office. As he passed the hotel, gunfire erupted, followed by explosions. A grenade tore through a woman standing outside the hotel, severing her head. "Her head hit me in the chest, and I fell down," recalled Bile, who was struck in the abdomen by shrapnel. "I woke up in the hospital." Shrapnel also struck Abdi Wali Ahmed, a bodyguard for a military commander staying at the hotel. Being struck saved his life. He fell to the ground and pretended to be dead while the militants shot up the hotel's tiny lobby, killing four people. "It was just by chance that I escaped," Ahmed said from his hospital bed.

Deepening fear
The gunmen, Somalis in green camouflage fatigues, made their way up the hotel's stairs, going room to room and spraying bullets at anyone they saw, witnesses recalled. Soldiers arrived and fired at the men, as did lawmakers who had guns. Guests and hotel staff were caught in the crossfire. "When they were finally cornered, they exploded themselves," said Isaac Ibrahim Ali, 46, a lawmaker who escaped by jumping from a balcony. He landed on a pile of bodies, he said, fracturing his leg. The attack, and al-Shabab's ongoing push into government territory, has heightened calls among Somalis for more international support. According to the United Nations, the Somali government has received a tiny fraction of the $58 million pledged by foreign donors last year. Soldiers have gone months without pay.
"Al-Shabab can get uniforms easily by buying it from the soldiers," said Abdulqadir Abdullahi Hussein, a frontline commander. "Soldiers even sell their weapons to al-Shabab. The government can't be blamed. They don't have money." Today, fear and suspicion have deepened across Mogadishu. Hotels have bolstered their security. Employees are frisked for bombs; at checkpoints, government vehicles are inspected for impostors.
At Madina Hospital, after a doctor wrapped new bandages on Ahmed's legs, the wounded man said the attack had altered his view of his countrymen. "It's very difficult to trust anyone in the future, especially someone in a military uniform," he said. A few minutes later, relatives of Bile persuaded him to stop speaking to a Western journalist. His sister walked up and, in a low voice, apologized. "You must understand that al-Shabab is everywhere," she said. "They are listening to us. They are observing us. Whatever we say will have consequences."  By Sudarsan Raghavan Washington Post
Life and death on the streets of Somalia

SOMALIA - Mogadishu battle rages on after hotel carnage

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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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