Puntland Supports Kenya Intervention in Southern Somalia

Puntland has rallied behind Kenyan incursion in parts of Somalia to bolster the ongoing Somali-led military campaign aimed at dislodging Al-Shabaab militants from Jubba Valley regions.

In a press release today, Puntland does not see the Kenyan military intervention as a violation of Somali sovereignty, as the security interest of the whole IGAD region is inter-connected

It said in line with the IGAD Communiqué of June 2010, Kenya has a legitimate right to defend its own security and to provide assistance to Somalis already engaged to liberate their home regions from terrorist groups, including many foreign fighters.

Puntaland says Al-Shabaab pose a great threat to the peace, security and stability of Somalia and the wider region, adding that it remains vitally important to implement a holistic common strategy to neutralize the terrorist threat in the whole region.

Foreign airstrikes hit parts of Lower Juba

Reports from Somalia’s Port city of Kismayo say suspected U.S drone has attacked Al-Shabaab bases in an area outside the city.

The airstrikes targeted militia bases located 1140 km from Kismayo town along the Somali coast.

Eyewitnesses told Bar-kulan that the militia suffered several casualties. There also reports of civilian casualties resulting from the attack.

It is not yet clear whether the attack was carried out by U.S drones or Kenyan jet fighters but locals suspect the U.S.

The attack comes days after alleged Kenyan fighter jets on Sunday bombed several military bases in the city. No casualties have been reported so far.

Locals say Kenya fighter jets attacked Kismayo port and Al-Shabaab’s Congo military base north of the city. But Kenya has denied the attack.

Earlier Kenya has deployed its troops in parts of Lower Juba in pursuit of Al-Shabaab fighters for their alleged abductions of foreigners in northern Kenya.

The Kenyan military have been reportedly advancing to the port city of Kismayo in its effort to isolate the rebel fighters into small areas.

Several dead after bus explosion, northern Kenya

Eight people have been killed in a grenade attack in a Kenyan town of Mandera, along the Kenyan Somali common border.

Local media reported that armed militia men sprayed a bus ferrying national examination papers with bullets before lobbing a grenade that instantaneously exploded killing all on board.

Kenyan police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said they received a report of a banditry attack in Mandera District about 110 km from Mandera town involving a vehicle carrying government officials.

Kiraithe said the District Police Commander and his security team were proceeding to the scene of the attack.

Those killed include a secondary school headmaster, the area district education officer, and two Kenya police reserve among others.

This is the third grenade attack in the past five days bringing the death toll in suspected Al-Shabaab related attack to 9.

Mandera is in Kenya’s sparsely populated far northeast, close to the porous borders with Ethiopia and Somalia.

Kenyan troops deployed into anarchic Somalia 12 days ago in an offensive against Al-Shabaab militants blamed for a series of kidnappings on Kenyan soil and frequent cross-border incursions.

Al-Shabaab had warned it would strike back.

Two grenade attacks in the capital Nairobi on Monday killed one person and wounded more than 20. A Kenyan man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one of the attacks and being a member of Al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group.

Somalia urges its nationals in Kenya to abide the Kenyan rule of law

Somalia has urged its citizens in Kenya to abide the Kenyan rule law and desist from bribery.

Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Noor (Americo) said whilst the Kenyan government has the right to crackdown people who are illegally in the country, Somali nationals should be abide the country’s law.

In an exclusive interview with Bar-kulan, Americo said the Somalis should respect and follow the rules governing the country since they are in the country.

He said the Somali embassy in Nairobi will soon meet the Somali community in Kenya to chat ways forward in living the country peaceful.

He revealed that he recently met with Kenyan Foreign Affairs ministry officials and appealed to them that the current security crackdown in the country should not target the Somali refugees in the country.

The ambassador appealed to his compatriots to legally acquire refugee document to allow them stay in the country.

Americo expressed his concern over the plight of thousands of Somali refugees in Kenyan camps, saying that the Somali government has already discussed with the UN Refugee agency to have its medical staffs resume their work in these camps after temporarily suspending their services in the area for security concerns.

President Sharif warns of tough actions against ‘criminal’ soldiers

Somalia’s President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Thursday issued a tough warming to government soldiers that they risk immediate actions if they are found mishandling the public.

The president expressed his sadness that government soldiers were acting contrary to their obligation by either killing or robbing civilians instead of protecting them, calling it unfortunate.

He threatened that his government will not tolerates for soldiers who goes against their constitutional obligations, adding that those found of committing such offences against civilians will be dealt with.

Meanwhile, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has announced that his government will soon set up a factory inside the country to process armed forces’ uniform.

His sentiment comes amid growing concern that armed gangs dressed in government military uniform were on the prowl, terrorizing locals in the area.

Kenya tells UN Security Council Somalia approved its incursion

Kenya hasinformedthe U.N. Security Council that it had permission from Somali government to cross their shared border and pursue Al-Shabaab militants attacking Kenya.

Kenya’s U.N. Ambassador Macharia Kamau said in a letter circulated Tuesday that his government decided to take pre-emptive actions “in direct consultations and liaison with the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu” after an escalation of terrorist acts and incursions by Al-Shabaab militants.

He attached an Oct. 18 communiqué in which Kenya’s Foreign Minister Moses Wetang’ula and Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Hussein Arab Isse agreed “to undertake coordinated pre-emptive action and the pursuit of any armed elements that continue to threaten to attack both countries.”

Kamau said in the Oct. 17 letter that Kenyan military and police have repulsed dozens of incursions and “scores of Kenyans have lost their lives over the past 36 months in border towns and communities” as a result of attacks by al-Shabaab militants.

The joint Kenya-Somalia communique states that Wetang’ula and Somalia’s president Ahmed held “crucial talks” on Oct. 18 “against the backdrop of the growing spate of armed attacks by the Al-Shabaab elements on Kenya.”

Based on the discussion, it said the two sides agreed that Al-Shabaab “constitutes a common enemy to both countries” and therefore both countries should continue working together on a number of fronts.

Somalia’s President Sharif Sheik Ahmed has on Monday publicly said that his government and the Somali people have not approved the Kenyan incursion.

Kenyan troops drove across the Kenya-Somalia border earlier this month after a string of kidnappings by Somali gunmen on Kenyan territory.

Under the U.N. Charter, all countries must immediately report measures taken in self-defense to the Security Council.

Somali deportees from Netherlands held in Kenya

Two Somali nationals who were deported from Netherlands after their refugee status were rejected few days ago are in Kenyan custody.

The deportees, Ali Mohamud Mohamed and Saleban Ibrahim are reportedly being held in Nairobi, Kenya after they were returned from Mogadishu.

Osman Abdi, a camp-mate of Mr. Mohamed told Bar-kulant that Dutch government deported the two after rejecting their refugee applications.

He said the two were first brought to Kenya and immediately flown to Somalia but later they were returned to Kenya, where they are been held in custody.

Abdi said he knew Mohamed for the last four years in Netherlands, where they were in the same refugee camp waiting for refugee status.

He added that Dutch authorities rejected Mohamad’s refugee application on October 19, this year. Mohamud was immediately deported from Netherlands to East Africa together with Mr. Ibrahim whose refugee application was also rejected.

It is not up to now clear why they are being held in Kenyan custody.