Al Shabab Militants In Somalia Launch A Series Of Coordinated Attacks In Mogadishu

Deadly Day In Mogadishu Shows Weakened Somali Militants Not Yet Defeated (+video) -- Christian Science Monitor

Al Shabab Militants In Somalia Killed 19 People Sunday In Three Bomb Attacks That Targeted Mogadishu's Main Court Complex And An Aid Convoy.

Al Shabab militants killed 19 people Sunday in bomb attacks that targeted Mogadishu's main court complex and an aid convoy, underscoring the fact that Somalia’s weakened Al Qaeda-allied militia has not yet been beaten.

The first of three bomb attacks exploded just before noon local time Sunday outside the Mogadishu courthouse. Gunmen camouflaged in Somali Army uniforms then stormed the buildings and opened fire. It was the worst day of killings in the capital since late last year, and spoke to the militants' ongoing capabilities despite a series of recent setbacks.

“These attacks appear to have been coordinated and well-planned,” says a political source close to the Somali government.

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More News On Today's Al Shabab Attack In Mogadishu

Dozens dead in Somali courthouse attack -- CNN
Wave of suicide attacks leaves 29 dead in Mogadishu -- The Telegraph
Suicide attacks kill 34 in Somalia -- SKY News
Bombs and gun battles kill at least 19 in Somali capital -- Reuters
9 militants killed after attack on Somalia's Supreme Court -- CBS/AP
Somalia supreme court attack kills at least 20 -- The Guardian
Gunmen launch deadly attack on Somalia courthouse -- BBC
Coordinated Blasts Kill at Least 20 in Somalia’s Capital -- New York Times
Somalia: Two-Hour Mogadishu Court Raid Ends With Fatalities -- allAfrica.com

al-Shabaab's Twitter Account Has Been Suspended

Omar Hammami announced through his Twitter account that al-Shabab had threatened to kill him [Al Jazeera]

Twitter Suspends al-Shabaab Account -- The Guardian

Al-Qaida-linked Somali militants used Twitter to announce death threat against Kenyan hostages, breaking terms of service.

Twitter has suspended an account used by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabaab after the insurgents used the site to post a hostage video and death threat.

The @HSMPress Twitter account was suspended two days after al-Shabaab used the platform to announce a death threat against Kenyan hostages unless Kenya's government met its demands. Twitter's terms of service say it does not allow specific threats of violence against others in its posts.

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More News On al-Shabaab's Twitter Account Being Suspended

Somali militant Twitter account suspended after posting hostage video and death threat -- National Post/AP
Twitter freezes account of Somali al-Qaeda -- Al Jazeera
Al Shabaab says enemies closed its Twitter account -- Reuters
Al Shabaab Has Been Dismantled... on Twitter -- The Atlantic
Al-Shabab Twitter Account Apparently Suspended -- Voice of America
Terrorists Knocked Off Twitter After Threats -- ABC News
Twitter account of Somali militants suspended after death threat tweet against hostages -- Washington Post/AP
Somali militants’ Twitter shut after death threat -- Salon
Al Shabab finally goes too far for Twitter -- Passport/Foreign Policy

Is The U.S. Rendition Program Still In Operation?

Photo: Mahdi Hashi is accused of providing support to Al Shabaab

Mahdi Hashi: Lawyer's Question Over 'Rendition' -- BBC

The lawyer for the family of a man whose British citizenship was revoked over allegations of extremism has questioned how he came to appear before a US court.

Mahdi Hashi, 23, of Camden, was stripped of his citizenship in the summer when he went missing in Africa.

He appeared in a New York court on Friday charged with "providing material support" to terrorist group Al Shabaab.

Solicitor Saghir Hussain said the case has "hallmarks of rendition".

The Home Office has refused to comment on the issue saying it was a matter of national security.

Mr Hashi was born in Somalia and moved to London with his family at the age of five. Three years ago he returned to Somalia and got married.

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More News On the Rendition Of Mahdi Hashi

Missing Briton 'kidnapped' by FBI and facing life in prison: Family stunned as man stripped of his UK passport appears in New York court -- Daily Mail
Three Men Appear in Court in Mysterious Terror Case -- New York Times
Three charged for support of al Shabaab terrorist organization -- Examiner
Missing British-Somali man reappears in New York court -- Bureau of Investigative Journalism

My Comment: I guess we will have to wait for the trial to get more information.

Al Shabab Suicide Attack Kills Somali Lawmakers

Al Shabab Strikes Somali Lawmakers -- Christian Science Monitor

A suicide bombing in a Somali town more than 300 miles from Mogadishu killed at least two lawmakers who were engaged in trying to set up a lasting government.

Al Shabab has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in a Somali province yesterday that killed at least two lawmakers visiting from the capital. They were meeting several other lawmakers to discuss establishing a local administration as part of a larger effort to end Somalia's series of transitional governments.

Most reports indicate there were civilian deaths as well.

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More News On Al Shabab's Attack Against Somali Lawmakers

Suicide bomber kills MPs in central Somalia -- Reuters
Bombs rock Somalia, as brokers warn fragile progress at risk -- AFP
Somalia: Suicide Bomber Kills Eight in Country -- AllAfrica
Somalia MPs killed in al-Shabab suicide attack -- BBC
Al Shabaab bombings in Somalia kill 9, including MPs -- Global Post
MPs killed in central Somalia suicide attack -- Al Jazeera
Bombing in remote Somali city as peace efforts intensify -- Deutsche Welle
Coming face to face with Somalia's al-Shabab -- BBC

Is Somalia's Islamist Al Shabab Group Defeated?

What Does Al Shabab's Withdrawal From Somalia's Capital Mean? -- Christian Science Monitor

The Islamist group Al Shabab withdrew from Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, this weekend, but whether that is a sign of success for the African Union mission and Somalian government is unclear.



On Saturday, al Shabab, southern Somalia’s Islamic rebel movement, pulled out of the capital Mogadishu. For months, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and approximately 9,000 troops from the African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) had been battling al Shabab block by block in the city. In July, Boubacar Diarra, the head of AMISOM, argued in Foreign Policy that the battle for Mogadishu demonstrated what the force could accomplish with donor support. Diarra did not reveal what AMISOM’s strategy would be after taking Mogadishu, except to say that if donors provided the means to increase the force to 20,000, AMISOM could drive al Shabab out of Somalia. Now that the conquest of Mogadishu is at least momentarily complete, a moment of truth has come for the TFG and AMISOM. What comes next?



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More News On Al Shabaab And The Famine In Somalia

Al-Qaida-linked rebels pounded in Somalia -- UPI

Al-Shabaab changes tactics, withdraws from Somali capital -- CNN

Spokesmen: Islamist militia leaving Somali capital -- Washington Post

Shabaab withdraws forces from Mogadishu -- Threat Matrix

Somali Gov't, AU Troops Patrol Mogadishu after al-Shabab Retreat -- Voice of America

Somali Forces Drive Militants out of Mogadishu -- NTD Television

Somali refugees pack capital after rebels quit -- Reuters

UNHCR Humanitarian Airlift Arrives in Mogadishu -- Voice of America

Somali famine: First UNHCR airlift arrives in Mogadishu -- BBC

UN refugee agency makes emergency aid flight to Somalia -- CNN

Somalia: UN agency airlifts emergency aid for famine-hit people in Mogadishu -- UN News Centre

Dispatch from Mogadishu: Looking for Militants in Somalia's War-Torn Capital -- Alex Perry, Time

Withdrawal of Islamic Insurgents a ‘Golden Opportunity,’ says Somali Government Official -- Voice of America

Analyst Warns al-Shabab Retreat is Not Victory -- Voice of America

Al-Shabaab has withdrawn from Mogadishu – but what happens now? -- Mark Tran, The Guardian

Why Somalia Matters -- Rev. Larry Hollon, Huffington Post

Report: Somalia's Al Shabaab Recruiting Somali-Americans For Terrorism

Congressional Report: 40 Americans Training in Somalia Are 'Direct Threat' to U.S. -- ABC News

A new congressional report today expressed increasing alarm on the danger posed by Americans of Somali background who have joined Islamic militants, calling them a "direct threat to the U.S. homeland."

The report said there are 40 Americans believed to be training and fighting with al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda linked terrorist group trying to take control of Somalia.

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More News On Somalia's Al Shabaab Recruiting Somali-Americans To Join Jihad

Al Shabaab recruited dozens of Americans: U.S. report -- Reuters
Warning on American-led Shebab attack on US -- AFP
Somalia's Al Shabab terrorists recruiting in US, warns US congressman -- The National/AFP
Lawmaker: 40 Americans Join Terrorists in Somalia -- ABC News/AP
Peter King: 40 Americans joined terror group -- Politico
40 Americans join Shabaab in Somalia -- News24
Lawmaker: 40 Americans joined Somali terror group -- AP
Rep. King: ‘Dozens’ of Americans in Somali Terror Group -- Wall Street Journal
Attack by Somali Militants Is ‘Cause for Concern,’ King Says -- Bloomberg
Report Shows Terror Recruitment in U.S. Still a Problem -- FOX News
How Al Shabaab Recruited 40 Americans Since 2007 -- Alana Goodman, Commentary

Foreign Al Qaeda Supporters Are Now Dying In Somalia

7 Foreign Shabaab Fighters Killed In Explosion In Mogadishu -- Long War Journal

Seven foreign fighters were among 10 Shabaab operatives killed in a blast yesterday at a safe house in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The explosion took place on Aug. 21 at a compound owned by Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansour, one of Shabaab's top leaders, a member of the al Qaeda-linked terror group told Garowe.

"Several top fighters, both foreigners and Somalis died after two explosive-laden vehicles exploded in the middle of the house," the Shabaab fighter said.

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More News On Al Shabaab

Indian jihadis in Qaida’s Somalia arm? -- Times Of India
Somalia blast kills fighters from Pakistan, India -- AP
'Fighters killed' in Somalia blasts -- Al Jazeera
'Ten killed' in Mogadishu blast as militants blamed -- BBC
Failed bomb attempts kill 11 militants in Somalia -- CNN
Blasts 'level Qaeda building' in Somalia capital -- AFP
How Did al-Shabab Emerge from the Chaos of Somalia? -- Time Magazine
Somalia's al-Shabab: A Global or Local Movement? -- Time Magazine