Friday, March 27, 2009

Mukhtar Robow, a spokesman for Shebab militants, is pictured during a press conference in Mogadishu in 2008

Somalia now shelters an estimated 450 foreign fighters who are working with the Shebab, a home-grown hardline Islamist group that has spearheaded a bloody insurgency since 2006.

While foreign fighters wanted for links to Al-Qaeda have long used Somalia as a backyard, their numbers have swollen dramatically in 2009, experts say.

"There were maybe 100 foreigners last year but now our estimate is up to 450," said Ismail Haji Noor, a former Somali security official who has established a secular militia bent on rooting out the Shebab and their foreign allies.

Noor said the foreign jihadists come from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and often enter the country on regular airlines from the northern semi-autonomous state of Somaliland.

Most of them are concentrated in Garowe, in the northern breakaway state of Puntland, and the southern towns of Baidoa, Merka and Kismayo.

Stripped of their arch-enemy Ethiopia, which ended its two-year military occupation in January, the Shebab have revamped their organisation and moved closer to Al-Qaeda, intelligence officials said.

A 10-member "cabinet" includes several known Somali members who have trained in Afghanistan, including Mukhtar Robow who has been the group's main spokesman.

But it is also believed to include several foreigners, from Saudi Arabia and Sudan, as well as Fazul Abdullah, a Comoran-born Al-Qaeda operative wanted over the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

"They will be targeting Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia. Western powers will focus their efforts on protecting those neighbouring countries instead of tackling the problems inside Somalia," Noor warned.

He said Somalia's new moderate Islamist president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, needed to be urgently shored up if the threat was to be neutralised.

In a recent Internet audio message addressed to "the champions of Somalia", bin Laden urged the Shebab to topple Sharif, heightening fears the group could seek to gain an Al-Qaeda "franchise" with spectacular operations.

In the meantime, the Shebab are consolidating their grip on key towns.

"Everyone here knows that many foreign fighters are among those who fought us in Bay and Bakol regions," said Colonel Adan Abdullahi, a police officer from the Baidoa region, where clashes have killed dozens in recent months.

"A young man who talked to me said he was from Morocco but the group leader is called Mohamed and he is a white American," a local shop owner who said his life would be in danger if his name was published told AFP.

Residents say many white men are among the newly-arrived Islamic fighters in Baidoa, a town 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Mogadishu where the country's transitional parliament normally sits.

"These white men are heavily armed with hand grenades and machine guns. They sometimes come to the mosque and pray with us," resident Ahmed Hasan said.

"They are more disciplined than local fighters, they look very religious, but I don't know why they are here, there is no jihad now that the Ethiopians have left," said 28 year-old Mohamud.

One of the pictures featuring prominently on the Shebab website's gallery of "martyrs" is that of "Abu Horriya" (Father of freedom), a Hispanic American also known as the "Seattle Barber" who was killed in combat in 2008.

His real name is Ruben Shumpert and he was once jailed on gun and counterfeiting charges. He was also wanted for showing jihadist videos to children in his Seattle hair salon.

Washington earlier this month voiced concern that Somali youths in the diaspora were being recruited by hardline groups to fight in their homeland, notably among the large Somali community in the US city of Minneapolis.

Britain, which is also home to a large Somali community, warned in a report unveiling its counter-terrorism strategy and released earlier this week that Al-Qaeda activity could be heating up in Somalia.

Source: AFP, Mar 27, 2009

kucadaye @ 4/1/2009 11:15 AM EST  My guess is that Ismail Haji Noor, if he exists in the first place, is a chronically unemployed UK resident who is trying to make a quick buck from the Somali Misery. He is doing so by selling his soul, and his knowledge of Somalia's current debacle to British and American mercenary Security companies. I believe at this stage Ismail is trying to sell a pie in the sky to these sinister entities who have nothing but ill intention towards us. Check out his sale pitch in WaagaCusb and other websites: "The chief commander of the Gulf Security Group - Ismael Haji Noor - who was speaking to Waagacusub Media said his GSG forces already number 600 highly trained soldiers and will carry out missions against groups of Al-Shabab militants as well as pirates to help restore peace and stability in Somalia. He pointed out that SGS is not commandeered by the new Somali government but supports it and operates with a clear set of operational guidelines agreed with the government within the framework of the Somali and international laws. Kucadaye

momo519 @ 3/30/2009 7:53 AM EST   Hymohamed, I asked you, "Are there foreign fighters in Alhabab camp? Yes or No?" Your answer was, "Haddii dhul lagu xukumayo diinta Islaamka aadna tahay qof Muslim ah oo dhul kale kasoo haajiray ajnabi ma ku tahay mise kuma ahid?" It is funny how you answer a question to a question. But I take it that you concede that there are foreign fighters in Alhabab camp. Here is my answer to you: Religion does not determine person's nationality. Somalis, Pakistanis, and Saudis share the same religion. Yet, they have different nationalities. If you are Pakistani in Saudi Arabia, you are a foreign. If you are Saudi in Pakistan, you are a foreign. If you are Somali in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, you are a foreign. If you are Pakistani or Saudi in Somalia, you are a foreign. Therefore,  the non-Somali Alhabab members in Somalia, are foreign fighters.

hymohamed2004 @ 3/28/2009 12:31 PM EST  momo519, Haddii dhul lagu xukumayo diinta Islaamka aadna tahay qof Muslim ah oo dhul kale kasoo haajiray ajnabi ma ku tahay mise kuma ahid?  Sister, please answer that question and don't try to put certain words in our mouth.   I tell you waht is pathetic and that is supporting warlords backed by Ethios and other kufrs and Qaadiriya Waxmataryaal.   That is what is really pathetic.

somstar @ 3/28/2009 3:38 AM EST  Those elders who have given the Amisom force 120 days to leave Somalia should istead find way to ask these foreign Muslim brothers to channel their energy into bringing peace to the long suffering Muslims of Somalia instead of prolonging death and destruction in our beloved country or otherwise leave us alone

momo519 @ 3/27/2009 10:02 PM EST   Diingaal, Waxaa laga soo daayay AlJezira nin caddaan oo lahaja Maraykan English ku hadlaya oo Alhabab ah oo jooga jobbooyinka. Waxaa kaloo dhowr mar laga soo daayay rag carab ah oo ka hadlaya AlJezira oo Alhabab baanu ka mid nahay leh. Waxaa kaloo idaacadaha Soomaaliyoo dhan lagal sii daayay Rooboow oo leh "nimankaan ajnabiga ah waa walaaleheen Islaam ah oo naftooda u huraya inay diinta Islaamka difaacaan abaal baannu u heynaa gabdhaheena ayaanu u guurin". Markaa Diingaaloow, ma idaacadahaas iyo Rooboow baa been sheegaya mise adigaa been sheegaya? Hymohamed, Waxaad tidhi, "Ninkii muslim ah ee Soomaaliya u jooga inuu walaalahiisa Soomaaliyeed u caawiyo Alle dartii aniga afkayga x@m@an ka heli maayo". That is good and I respect that. But that strikes out your earlier argument where you asserted that there are no foreign fighters in Alhabab camp. You cannot have it both ways. There are foreign fighter in your camp or there aint! Samori, The argument here is wether there are foreign fugitives in Alhabab camp or not. There is no argument about the presence of AMISOM troops. You guys should more confident and take a clear position like Lamadage. Lamadage's position on this issue is clear: he argues that there are foreign fighters in Alhabab camp, but they are Muslims and they are fighting for Islam and we don't consider them foreigners. That is a respectable position. But Diingaal, Samori, and Hymohamed, you guys argue that there are no foreign fighters in Somalia and at the same time argue that they are Islam and point the finger at AMISOM. That is pathetic!