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Elaborate Somali insurgent tax system collects almost as much as government

Elaborate Somali insurgent tax system collects almost as much as government

KATHERINE HOURELD  THE Somali insurgent group al Shabaab collects almost as much tax as the government through a sophisticated system of levies on activities from importing goods to irrigating crops, a think tank report has found. The Mogadishu-based Hiraal Institute said al Shabaab's tax collectors were bringing in an estimated $15 million per month. Its report was based on more than 70 interviews with businessmen, government officials, al Shabaab defectors and active members of the insurgents' tax collection cell. It examined receipts and income reports from religious taxes and fees charged on activities such as crossing checkpoints, running businesses, irrigating…
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Dozens reported killed in clashes between Somali government, fighters

Dozens reported killed in clashes between Somali government, fighters

DOZENS of soldiers and insurgents were killed in two days of fighting between Somali government forces and al Shabaab militants northwest of the capital Mogadishu, a witness has told Reuters. Somalia's state news agency Sonna said the military had killed about 50 fighters from the al Qaeda-allied Islamist group. No immediate account of the battle was available from the militants. Hussein Ali, a farmer in the Afgoye area, told Reuters he and other civilians had been trapped in the crossfire during two nights of fighting. "The Somali government transported dozens of dead bodies. Likewise, al Shabaab took dozens of their…
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