"9 militants killed in attack on Somali presidential palace" by Abdi Guled and Jason Straziuso | Associated Press, February 22, 2014
MOGADISHU, Somalia— Nine Al Shabab militants wearing military fatigues and carrying guns and grenades died after attacking the presidential palace with two car bombs on Friday, in an assault the president called a ‘‘media spectacular’’ by a ‘‘dying animal.’’
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The attack underscores a worrying new trend in Mogadishu: That despite a period of relative calm following Al Shabab’s ouster from Mogadishu in August 2011, militants have carried out a series of deadly assaults in recent weeks that have seen the city hit with mortar fire and pitched battles.
Weapons meant for the Somali army could have been used by the militants in Friday’s attack. A confidential UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea reported this month that the country’s military is selling weaponry in markets where the Al Qaeda-linked militants buy arms.
That'a a good way to make some dough and keep a war going!
In at least one case weapons were sold by a military commander directly to an Al Shabab commander, the confidential report said.
Friday’s attack against the compound where the president and prime minister live began with a car bomb explosion, followed by an assault by gunmen on palace guards, said police Captain Mohamed Hussein. Al Shabab claimed responsibility....
Why would they bomb their benefactors?
Al Shabab has been waging war in Somalia for years as it tries to oust a Western-backed government.
Now we know how!
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Related:
19 die in raid on Somali police station
10 killed in Somalia bombing
Always Al-CIA-Bob!
Also see: Lawmakers oust Somalia prime minister from office
Better than being ousted the terrorist way.
"Somali rebel reportedly killed by drone" Associated Press, January 27, 2014
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A member of the Somali rebel group al-Shabab was killed Sunday by a missile fired by a suspected drone, a rebel commander said, blaming the United States for the strike.
Abu Mohamed said Sahal Iskudhuq, a militant commander who was believed to be close to al-Shabab’s top leader, was killed when his car was hit by a missile in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region. The attack took place in a village called Hawai, he said.
A Somali intelligence official confirmed the attack, describing the victim as a ‘‘dangerous’’ militant. His driver was also killed in the attack, the official said.
Mohamed blamed the attack on the US military, which flies drones over Somalia that occasionally fire at al-Shabab’s top leaders.
Two US military officials confirm that there was a missile strike against a senior al-Shabab leader in Somalia. The officials would not identify the target of the strike, and one of the officials said US intelligence is still ‘‘assessing the effectiveness of the strike.’’
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Last October, a US military strike hit a vehicle carrying senior members of the Al Qaeda-linked group, killing its top explosives expert. Earlier that month, US Navy SEALs had raided a coastal Somali town to take down a Kenyan al-Shabab member.
Oh, shove it, Globe!
The SEALs withdrew before capturing or killing their target — Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir — who was identified as the lead planner of a plot by al-Shabab to attack Kenya’s Parliament building and the United Nations office in the capital, Nairobi, in 2011 and 2012.
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Also see: Somali pirate sentenced to life in prison
For shooting four undercover CIA agents.
Related:
19 die in raid on Somali police station
10 killed in Somalia bombing
Always Al-CIA-Bob!
Also see: Lawmakers oust Somalia prime minister from office
Better than being ousted the terrorist way.
"Somali rebel reportedly killed by drone" Associated Press, January 27, 2014
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A member of the Somali rebel group al-Shabab was killed Sunday by a missile fired by a suspected drone, a rebel commander said, blaming the United States for the strike.
Abu Mohamed said Sahal Iskudhuq, a militant commander who was believed to be close to al-Shabab’s top leader, was killed when his car was hit by a missile in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region. The attack took place in a village called Hawai, he said.
A Somali intelligence official confirmed the attack, describing the victim as a ‘‘dangerous’’ militant. His driver was also killed in the attack, the official said.
Mohamed blamed the attack on the US military, which flies drones over Somalia that occasionally fire at al-Shabab’s top leaders.
Two US military officials confirm that there was a missile strike against a senior al-Shabab leader in Somalia. The officials would not identify the target of the strike, and one of the officials said US intelligence is still ‘‘assessing the effectiveness of the strike.’’
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Last October, a US military strike hit a vehicle carrying senior members of the Al Qaeda-linked group, killing its top explosives expert. Earlier that month, US Navy SEALs had raided a coastal Somali town to take down a Kenyan al-Shabab member.
Oh, shove it, Globe!
The SEALs withdrew before capturing or killing their target — Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir — who was identified as the lead planner of a plot by al-Shabab to attack Kenya’s Parliament building and the United Nations office in the capital, Nairobi, in 2011 and 2012.
--more--"
Also see: Somali pirate sentenced to life in prison
For shooting four undercover CIA agents.
