Thursday February 1, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has shut down 14 news websites, accusing them of spreading the ideology and news of the al-Shabab militant group on Wednesday. This move comes just two days after NISA, for the first time, managed to shut down 20 WhatsApp groups allegedly operated by the extremist group al-Shabab for extortion and intimidation.
While the Somali government had previously blocked access to al-Shabaab websites within the country, the recent action results in a complete shutdown.
The blocked websites were among the largest platforms used by the al-Shabaab group to disseminate their news.
NISA stated, "This operation, involving the collection of websites, their investigation, identification of registered owners, and ultimately closure, has been ongoing for the past few months, leading to the removal of these websites registered over several years."
List of Blocked Sites:
1 - www.radioalfurqaan.com
2 - www.somalimemo.com
3 - www.amiirnuur.com
4 - www.calamada.com
5 - www.shahadanews.com
6 - www.somalimemo.info
7 - www.dhaxalgal.net
8 - www.dhaxalgal.com
9 - www.radioalfurqaan.net
10 - www.somalimemo.co
11 - www.somalimp3.net
12 - www.somalimemo24.com
13 - www.warkiislamka.com
14 - www.calamada.net
Somalia is seeking to disrupt al-Shabab's communication channels and financial transactions as part of a "total war" declared against the group that for years has controlled parts of the country and carried out attacks in the capital, Mogadishu.