http://www.hiiraan.com Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia en-us © 2006 hiiraan.com Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:53 EDT 5 http://www.hiiraan.com http://www.hiiraan.com/index_files/hiiraan_logo.gif 144 37 Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/rageh_omaar_journalism_with_passion.aspx BEFORE joining the Witness team at the launch of Al Jazeera English, Somali-born reporter Rageh Omaar worked for the BBC for over 12 years. An international correspondent covering stories from all over the world, he reported on the Kosovo War, and Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/police_seek_public_s_help_after_sexual_assault_near_u.aspx Minneapolis police are seeking the public's help in finding three men involved in a kidnapping and sexual assault early Thursday near the University of Minnesota campus. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:33 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/suspected_pirates_captured_in_kenyan_waters_police.aspx MOMBASA (Reuters) - Kenyan security forces have arrested Somali pirates in Kenyan waters for the first time, taking 11 suspected gunmen into custody after a failed attempt to hijack a fishing vessel, police said on Sunday. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:23 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_football_referees_end_fifa_level_training_course_in_djibouti.aspx The first ever FIFA high level refereeing course for 26 Somali football referees concluded this week at Djibouti's Sheraton hotel, where a well-arranged conclusion ceremony was held in the presence of top level FIFA dignitaries, Somali sporting leaders and Somalia's acting ambassador to Djibouti Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Hirabe. Somali football federation secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said at the ceremony that Somali soccer referees haven't had such a high level course for more than twenty years and that is because of the civil strife that has torn Somalia. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:36 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_athletics_team_trains_in_kenya_ahead_of_championships.aspx NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The African Senior Championships might be four months away, but a small group of Somali athletes are in Nairobi to tune up their preparations as they look forward to making a comeback to a competition they have skipped for over a decade. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:15 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/militia_faction_disowns_somalia_peace_pact.aspx Doubts surround a recent pact with a militia faction aimed at consolidating the power of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia after a section of the militia leadership disowned the deal. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:09 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/shooting_back_at_pirates_works_us_official.aspx WASHINGTON: Armed crews are a good deterrent against Somali pirates, but the problem off the Horn of Africa will only be solved when Somalia itself is at peace, a top US official said Friday. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:03 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/doubts_grow_on_somali_offensive_s_chances_at_peace.aspx NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Problems including corrupt officials and a lack of supplies have delayed Somalia's military offensive against Islamic insurgents, but even before the first shot has been fired new warnings have emerged that blood may be spilled for little or no gain. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:40 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/us_ethiopia_spar_over_voa_broadcasts.aspx ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - U.S.-funded broadcaster Voice of America's local Amharic language service in Ethiopia will be blocked because it is destabilizing the country, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said, a move quickly condemned by Washington. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:36 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/puntland_jails_22_somali_pirates_for_six_years.aspx MOGADISHU (AFP) – A court in Bosaso in northern Somalia's breakaway Puntland region on Saturday sentenced 22 pirates to six years in jail, an official said. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 09:41 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/s_afrca_police_investigate_somali_stores_evictions_and_looting.aspx Police said on Saturday they are investigating whether or not eviction letters issued to Somali shop owners and traders in the Morreesburg area are in fact genuine. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 09:37 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_al_shabaab_rebel_commander_shot_dead.aspx MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A senior official of Somali insurgent group al Shabaab was shot dead on Friday in a rare assassination in the southern port of Kismayu, which is tightly controlled by the al Qaeda-linked rebels. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 09:28 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/dutch_navy_frees_20_suspected_somali_pirates—spokesman.aspx THE HAGUE—Twenty suspected Somali pirates nabbed by the Dutch navy in the lawless waters off the restive Horn of Africa nation and the Seychelles coast were freed Friday, the defence ministry said. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 00:56 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_rebels_join_forces_in_cyberspace_un_report.aspx NAIROBI (Reuters) - Armed rebel groups in Somalia are using the Internet for fundraising and recruitment, and they achieve better results through the Web than they do on the ground, a United Nations report said. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 00:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/new_hope_man_arrested_in_alleged_somali_threat.aspx ST. CLOUD, Minn. - A Twin Cities man is in jail after police say a threatening message was posted on Craigslist about an upcoming Somali cultural event at St. Cloud State University. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 00:12 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/we_don_t_care_about_mercy_we_just_want_the_money_exclusive_interview_with_yacht_couple_s_pirate_captors.aspx Rachel Chandler shot. Please call urgently ... That was the dramatic and brutally short text-message sent to us by our Somali contact last weekend. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 00:08 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/fbi_honors_mpls_somali_community_leader.aspx Minneapolis (AP) - Saeed Fahia is executive director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota. He was among more than 50 people nationwide to be honored by FBI Director Robert Mueller during a Friday ceremony in Washington. Saturday, 20 Mar 2010 00:00 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/ethiopia_pm_willing_to_meet_long_time_eritrean_enemy.aspx ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he is willing to meet Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki despite more than 10 years of bitter words and a bloody border war. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:46 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/warships_take_new_strategy_against_somali_pirates.aspx NAIROBI, Kenya -- An international fleet of warships is attacking and destroying Somali pirate vessels closer to the shores of East Africa and the new strategy, combined with more aggressive confrontations Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:09 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/cdn_somali_parents_hide_passports_to_prevent_kids_from_joining_terrorist_group.aspx TORONTO - Some Somali-Canadian parents are hiding their children's passports following reports a student was recruited by a terrorist group and killed fighting for the cause in east Africa, community leaders said Thursday. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:28 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2010/Mar/somalia_the_alleged_inauspicious_high_tech_scandal_second_to_iraq_oil_for_food.aspx Ominous Scandal of high technical corruption Allegation in the International agencies around the world seems to have been allegedly the practice for the last fifty years of the last century. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:04 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2010/Mar/comments_on_president_sharif_s_recent_visit_in_britain.aspx Wednesday, 10th of March 2010 was a historic day for many Somalis in the diaspora. It was that day when hundreds of Somalis in London gathered to welcome Presidnet Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. It was a historic day because it was the first time that a huge crowd of Somalis probably in their thousands had ever come together Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:55 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_pirates_mistakenly_attack_dutch_warship_oops.aspx Boston (CSMonitor) - Chalk it up to another case of poor eyesight - or perhaps outsized ambition. On Wednesday, Somali pirates rolled out of bed, grabbed their AK-47s, hopped in a couple of skiffs and tried to take on the HNLMS Tromp, a Dutch warship. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:33 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/exclusive_former_somali_fighter_warns_of_growing_radicalism_in_canada.aspx TORONTO (National Post) -- Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed works as a security guard at an apartment complex in Toronto's Little Mogadishu neighborhood. It can be a slow job, sitting at the gatehouse, but nobody could call him inexperienced. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:03 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/nato_provides_airlift_support_to_african_union_mission_in_somalia.aspx From Allied Command Operations: In response to the African Union request for strategic airlift support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the USA has conducted airlift missions under the NATO banner in support of the Ugandan troop rotations. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:57 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/family_grieves_for_son_linked_to_terror_group.aspx The family of a Toronto student linked to an Al Qaeda group in Somalia is in mourning after learning online that their son had been killed. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:02 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/insurgent_video_shows_toronto_student.aspx CBC News has confirmed the identity of a Toronto man — believed to have joined an al-Qaeda-linked group in Somalia and killed in battle — on an insurgent group's online video. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:31 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/decision_on_200_billion_yemen_djibouti_development_due_by_april.aspx An ambitious plan to build a 28.5km bridge between Yemen and Djibouti could be approved by the end of April, according to the Dubai-based developer Al Noor Holding Investment. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:27 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/galgadud_villages_abandoned_as_water_shortage_bites.aspx NAIROBI (IRIN) - An acute water shortage after a prolonged drought in central Galgadud region of Somalia has forced thousands of people to abandon their villages, say officials. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:19 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/militants_claim_toronto_recruit_killed_in_somalia.aspx TORONTO — An Islamic militant group is reporting that a Somali-Canadian man, who went missing two years ago, has been killed in Somalia. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:03 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/military_mission_to_somalia.aspx The European Union is on the brink of launching a new military mission, to train around 2,000 Somali security forces in Uganda. A decision is expected from member states in the coming weeks, and the EU Training Mission (EUTM) could start as soon as 1 May. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/s_africa_killer_jailed_for_shooting_shop_owner.aspx THE Port Elizabeth High Court sentenced a Motherwell man to an effective 22 years’ imprisonment yesterday for murdering a Somali shop owner three years ago. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:49 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/bank_of_canada_unclaimed_balances_lacag_la_soo_doonan_waayey.aspx Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/op2_rss/2010/Mar/waa_loo_soo_tuuray_waa_soo_dhacay_iyo….aspx “War yaatahay aan kula raadiyee cid aad is yeelataan?” waxay ahayd su’aashii saddexaad ee uu qof Somali ah iwaydiiyo maalintaydii saddexaad ee noloshayda cusub Netherlands. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:28 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/martyr_video_claims_toronto_man_succeeded.aspx A Toronto man has been killed in Somalia while fighting with the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab, according to a message posted on the Internet. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:02 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/eritrea_rejects_u_n_report_it_backs_somali_rebels.aspx ASMARA, March 16 (Reuters) - Eritrea has responded angrily to a report by a U.N. monitoring group alleging that the Asmara government is still supporting insurgent groups fighting the Somali administration. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:01 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somalia_s_president_assails_u_n_report_on_corruption.aspx The president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, said that much of the information in the report “was not trustful” and “based on people on the street, not reality.” Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:51 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/u_n_council_wants_probe_of_somalia_aid_diversion.aspx Members of the U.N. Security Council want an outside investigation of charges of widespread diversion of U.N. aid to radical Islamist rebels in Somalia, Mexico's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:35 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/inside_al_shabab_how_the_somalia_militant_group_rules_through_fear.aspx On Oct. 27, 2008, Ali Abdullahi Egal saw the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Al Shabab stone to death a 13-year-old girl, Aisha Duhulow, under the charge of adultery. The act was not only brutal, but also, in his view, un-Islamic. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:32 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/un_no_side_strong_enough_to_stabilize_somalia.aspx Photo: AFP - Somali government soldiers man a position near frontline of heavy clashes in northern Mogadishu, 11 Mar 2010 A United Nations report on Somalia says no side in the country's conflict has the strength to impose its will on the others and stabilize the chaotic, war-torn nation. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:27 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/fresh_69_somali_refugees_reach_yemen.aspx HADRAMOUT, March 17 (Saba) - About 69 Somali refugees have arrived at Yemeni coasts on smuggling boats, the Interior Ministry has reported. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:21 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/deported_criminal_freed_in_canada.aspx WINNIPEG - A Somali refugee deemed by a federal judge to be too dangerous to stay in Canada and slated for deportation has been released in Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Sun has learned. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_wins_70_000_compo_for_police_assault.aspx A 22-YEAR-OLD Somali man has received more than $70,000 in compensation over his claim that he was the victim of a police assault and malicious prosecution. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:00 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/nusoj_condemns_journalists_arrest_by_the_al_shabaab.aspx The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has today strongly condemned the arrest and detention of two journalists in southern regions of Somalia by the Al-Shabaab group. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:47 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_government_concern_un_group_report.aspx The Somali Government is seriously concern about the inaccuaracies and allegations in the UN Monitoring Group report on Somalia. We find most of the allegations to be baseless Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:09 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/porter_city_council_hopefuls_are_just_what_toronto_needs.aspx Meeting with Cadigia Ali is like taking a long, cold drink of water in the dead of summer up in Rexdale, nothing but steaming concrete all around. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/healthykidsmn_org_web_site_launched.aspx The Minnesota Coalition for Kids Health Coverage today announced the launch of HealthyKidsMN.org, a statewide resource that aims to connect families with uninsured children to non-profit agencies that can assist Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:07 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/somali_pirates_free_chemical_tanker_official_says.aspx MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates released a chemical tanker and its North Korean crew on Tuesday after holding the vessel for four months, a maritime official said on Tuesday. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:03 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/obama_s_somalia_policy_a_lot_like_ours_bush_advisor_says.aspx The Bush administration’s top Africa policymaker sees little new about President Barack Obama’s approach to Somalia. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:55 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news2_rss/2010/Mar/without_food_and_unable_to_bury_the_dead_in_mogadishu.aspx NAIROBI (IRIN) - Five days of fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, have left residents without food, cut off from their homes and unable to bury their dead, civil society leaders in the city said. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:47 EDT