Tag Archives: Alshabaab

President Trump orders more air strikes in Somalia

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Seventy days into his administration, President Donald Trump has issued his first order for military operation in Africa.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump approved a mission proposal from the Pentagon which will allow the U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, to strike at any part of the country designated “area of active hostility.”

A one paragraph statement from Pentagon spokesperson, Jeff Davis, stated that “The president has approved a Department of Defense proposal to provide additional precision fires in support of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces operations to defeat al-Shabaab in Somalia.”

This change is an uptick from the Obama administration authorisation which only allowed strikes in self-defense and in defense of AMISOM.

News outlets in the U.S. reported earlier this month that the head of AFRICOM, Thomas Waldhauser, requested additional authority to give the command more flexibility and timeliness in terms of making decisions to prosecute targets. This is generally understood to mean that the Command wants authority to strike at will, to conduct operations without recourse to the White House for each mission. It is not clear if such authority will be limited to Somalia or cover all parts of the continent that AFRICOM focuses on including Libya and North-east Nigeria.

The statement from the Pentagon did not indicate that the administration has given AFRICOM the authority to strike at will.

However, the approval for additional strikes against al-Shabaab came a day after the administration relaxed preventive rules against rampant civilian casualties. Mr. Trump signed a directive on Wednesday, that designated part of Somalia “area of active hostilities,” thereby making war-zone rules which mean less protection for civilians to be imposed on such places. This is raising alarm given recent reports of civilian casualties in Mosul, Iraq.

In a testimony before the United States Senate on March 9, Mr. Waldhauser, a general, re-stated U.S. commitment to the fight against Boko Haram.

“In West Africa, our primary focus is containing and degrading Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa,” he said.

“With forces from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, we are working with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to enable regional cooperation and expand partner capacity to ensure Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa do not further destabilise the region.”

There is no likelihood of direct operation by AFRICOM in the Lake Chad Basin in the foreseeable future. Mr. Waldhauser declared at the Senate hearing that “the MNJTF has been successful in enabling multinational cooperation and coordinating multinational operations and has placed significant pressure on Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.”

 

Source: Premium Times

Mortar attacks in Mogadishu as Somalia prepares for presidential election

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At least five civilians were reported wounded on Tuesday following al-Shabaab attacks in Mogadishu a day before a planned presidential election, police and said.

Explosions could be heard even as a police officer, Mohamed Dahir, explained they were mortars launched by the militant group. Al-Shabaab wants to disrupt the election, said the officer.

At least five mortar shells fell. Five people were reported injured when two landed near the airport, police said.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility using its radio station, Andalus. Militants also fired several mortars at an African Union military base on the outskirts of the capital, according to Somali police. It was unknown if those had resulted in casualties.

Security has been beefed up in the capital precisely because of fears al-Shabaab might try to disrupt the election.

Authorities in Mogadishu have vowed to ensure a safe vote on Wednesday.

Local flights have been cancelled until Thursday. Additionally, flights from Kenya – responsible for bringing in supplies of the popular stimulant khat – have been cancelled temporarily.

There are also temporary controls on movement inside the country, with all bus service cut for the time being. Residents have been encouraged to walk instead.

Hundreds of Somali forces and AU troops have been placed around the capital to handle security, said Somali security official Mohamed Hassan.

 

Source: NAN

Kenyan Police Chief Quits After Extremist Attacks (Photos of Attack)

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Kenya’s police chief David Kimaiyo has resigned following an attack Tuesday by Islamic extremists from Somalia that killed more than 36 people dead.

Kimaiyo said that he resigned for personal reasons. Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta named a former army general, Joseph Nkaisery, to replace him.

Public pressure had been mounting for the resignations of Kimaiyo and Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku following a previous attack 10 days ago in which 28 non-Muslims were dragged out of a bus and shot dead by Islamic extremists.

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Credit: Yahoo NEWS

Al-Shabab Claims Responsibility for Kenya Bus Murders

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Gunmen from the Somali militant group al-Shabab have claimed responsibility for the deaths of 28 people in an attack on a bus in northern Kenya.

The bus was travelling to the capital, Nairobi, when it was stopped in Mandera county, not far from the Somali border.

The militants claim the attack was in response to recent Kenyan government arrests and raids on mosques in Mombasa.

Credit: BBC

Al Shabaab: Kenya Appoints New Intelligence Chief

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Kenya on Thursday swore in a new intelligence chief, Major-General Philip Kameru, in the bid to address the rising threat from Al Shabaab militants in neighboring Somalia bent on retaliation after U.S. missiles last week killed their leader and co-founder Ahmed Godane.

Major-General Kameru’s appointment as the new director general of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service comes nearly a year after Al Shabaab gunmen killed 67 people in an attack on Nairobi shopping mall.

Kenyan security bosses were lambasted by the public for failing to prevent the four-day siege and Kameru’s predecessor, retired Major-General Michael Gichangi, resigned in August under pressure over a rise in attacks blamed on Al Shabaab.

Al Shabaab had pledged that they would take revenge for Kenyan and Western involvement in Somalia.

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has said he picked Kameru for his success in intelligence-gathering in Somalia.

In a statement from the presidency on Thursday, Kenyatta told the new security chief to work effectively with other government officials.

Al Shabaab Twin Car Bomb Revenge Attack

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Somalia’s Al Shabaab Islamist group claimed responsibility for two car bomb attacks on Monday targeting African peacekeepers and a government convoy. This is the first of such strikes by the group since it vowed revenge for the killing of its leader, Ahmed Godane last week.

Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, spokesman for Al Shabaab’s military operations confirms that,”We are behind the two car bombs driven by mujahideen” (fighters). This statement was made after the attack.  At least 12 civilians were killed in the first blast that aimed at a convoy of African troops and hit nearby civilian vehicles.

U.S. Confirms Al Shabaab Leader Godane Dead

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The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that Ahmed Abdi Godane,  leader of the al Shabaab Islamist group, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Somalia this week, calling it a “major symbolic and operational loss” for the Al Qaeda-affiliated militants.

Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said in a statement that, “We have confirmed that Ahmed Godane, the co-founder of al Shabaab, has been killed.”

His death leaves a gap in Al Shabaab’s leadership and was seen as posing the biggest challenge to the group’s unity since it emerged as a fighting force eight years ago.

Abdi Ayante, director of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, said Godane’s death would be “a game changer in many ways for al Shabaab.”

Before the Pentagon confirmed Godane’s death, Ayante said, “What is likely to happen is a struggle for power.” He adds that,  fragmentation was also possible in the absence of a leader with Godane’s experience and ruthless approach to dissent.

U.S. forces struck Godane’s encampment in south-central Somalia with Hellfire missiles and laser-guided munitions on Monday, but the Pentagon did not confirm his death until Friday, saying it was still assessing the results of the airstrike.