al Shabaab - The African Mirror

Jan

2021

Somalia’s al Shabaab says behind Turkish company attack, four dead

A car bomb targeting workers of a Turkish company has killed four people including one Turkish citizen in Somalia, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said. The company's staff were working on the construction of a road between Mogadishu and Afgoye, northwest of the capital, the ministry statement said. Abdiasis Abu Musab, military operation spokesman for the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, said the group was behind the attack. Somali government officials did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The attack occurred outside the capital Mogadishu, according to residents in the area of the blast. Turkey has been a major source of…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Suicide bomber kills six in Mogadishu ice-cream parlour

NEWS

A suicide bomber blew himself up in an ice-cream parlour in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing six people and wounding eight, an official said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the blast, but the Islamist insurgent group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in the capital and elsewhere. The group is allied with al Qaeda and wants to rule Somalia according to its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. The Gelato Divino parlour is located near K4 Junction in the heart of Mogadishu, near the international airport. "A suicide bomber blew up himself in the ice-cream restaurant,"…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Elaborate Somali insurgent tax system collects almost as much as government

BUSINESS

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…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Dozens reported killed in clashes between Somali government, fighters

NEWS

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…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

At least 13 Somali soldiers killed after clash with al Shabaab

NEWS

FEISAL OMAR and ABDI SHEIKH AT least 13 Somali troops have died after the army attacked militant group al Shabaab in jungle and farms near the district of Afgoye northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, a military official said. Al Shabaab has battled since 2008 to overthrow Somalia's internationally-recognised central government and establish its rule, based on its own interpretation of Islamic law. "We left Afgoye district and attacked al Shabaab in the farms outside Afgoye," Major Mohamed Ali told Reuters, describing Wednesday's incident in the district about 30 km (19 miles) from Mogadishu. "We killed four militants and chased al…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Super efficient’ Somali Islamists rake in millions in cash

NEWS

SOMALIA'S Islamist insurgents are moving millions of dollars through the formal bank system and appear to be investing in businesses and real estate, according to a United Nations report offering a rare glimpse into their finances. Al Shabaab has for years been battling Somalia's internationally-backed government to impose strict Islamic law in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. "Al Shabaab remains in a strong financial position and is generating a significant budgetary surplus, some of which is invested in property purchases and businesses in Mogadishu," said the report by the U.N. sanctions panel on Somalia. The report by the group,…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Three Somali special forces killed, US officer wounded in car bomb -Somali official

NEWS

ABDIQANI HASSAN THREE Somali special forces soldiers were killed and a U.S. officer was seriously wounded in a car bomb outside the force's base in the country's south, a regional Somali government official said. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said they were behind the attack and put the number of dead at 20. A Somali soldier was also wounded in the attack in Jana Cabdalle village, some 60 km (37 miles) from the port city of Kismayu, which is also Jubbaland region's capital. "Two soldiers of Danab (special) forces died and two others were wounded. A U.S. officer was seriously wounded,"…