Somalia’s latest government ‘best hope for stability’

hope for stability’

There has been intense fighting between Islamist insurgents and Somalia government forces in western Somalia.
On Monday, local chiefs reported that at least 17 people, mainly combatants, were killed when fighters from al-Shabab, an Al Qaeda-inspired group that controls much of southern Somalia, attacked government forces in the town of Yet on [...]

Fighting kills at least 12 in Somali capital

Islamic rebels patrol the streets of Mogadishu. Photo/REUTERS
By REUTERSPosted Wednesday, September 23 2009 at 14:01
Fighting in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed at least 12 people and wounded 17 others after Islamist insurgents attacked government forces and African Union (AU) peacekeepers, witnesses said on Wednesday.
The rebels launched overnight raids on bases around the city’s strategic K4 junction, [...]

Obama visits Letterman and brings home a potato

NEW YORK — Add this one to the presidential collection: the heart-shaped potato. By the time Barack Obama came on stage to the taping of the “Late Show” on Monday, host David Letterman had offered up 10 reasons why in the world the president had agreed to do it.
Among Letterman’s theories: Obama said yes without [...]

Insurgents in Somalia vow allegiance to bin Laden

NAIROBI, Kenya — An Islamic insurgent group that controls much of lawless Somalia has released a video showing its members vowing allegiance to Osama bin Laden, training in dusty camps and slamming Somalia’s U.S.- backed president as a traitor.
The tape was released late Sunday by al-Shabab, an insurgent group that last week hit the African [...]

Western firms profit from Somalia’s piracy problem – 09 Sep

Many of the pirates operating off the coast of Somalia were given special forces-style training from Western firms, a special report by Al Jazeera has found. Some security firms currently protect…

Jihad: The Somalia connection

Numbers of young Britons heading for war-torn African country have soared
By Brian Brady

British intelligence chiefs have targeted war-torn Somalia as the next major challenge to their efforts to repel Islamic terrorism, after scores of youths left the UK for “jihad training” in the failed African state. MI5 bosses have warned ministers that the number [...]

Three die in Somaliland demonstrations

The clashes erupted when opposition demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans tried to break into the parliament building after police tried to stop a debate scheduled on a motion to impeach the president.
“They tried to enter the parliament building by force and the riot police stopped them. There were clashes and so far three people have died,” [...]

Somali shelling kills 15, mostly disabled men

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN (AP)
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Mortars slammed into a home for disabled veterans in Somalia’s capital, killing at least 12 disabled men and wounding nearly a dozen, officials said Saturday.
Islamic insurgents fired mortars Friday night toward Mogadishu’s port, but they landed in residential areas, including a home for former national army officers who [...]

SBA Stimulus Lifeline for Small Businesses Too Short for Mission District

By NANCY LOPEZ
President Obama’s stimulus plan to aid struggling small businesses looks good on paper – no fees, higher guarantees and billions of dollars – but small businesses in the Mission District have not benefited from the new programs.
Only four businesses in the 94110 zip code have been approved for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) [...]

US – Arming Somalia (WHO’S NOT HAPPY?)

The United States sent RPGs, machine guns, mortars, and — in the words of one U.S. official — “cash in a brown paper bag” to Somalia last spring. Foreign Policy reports on how the shipments took place, and who’s not happy about it.
BY ELIZABETH DICKINSON | SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
Late in May, as violence consumed the [...]