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. |
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