Ref: WW/XW/Press Release/11 Date: August 22, 2010

Press Release

Alshabab Imam who died in yesterday’s car bomb identified

Somali Imam, Awais Abu Yusuf, has been identified as the Imam who was involved in the Al Shabaab own goal yesterday, offering final prayers as evil men prepared to take innocent lives.

Somali Minister of Information, Hon. Eng. Abdurahman Omar Osman said:

"Now that we have identified the Imam, I cannot imagine the emotional pain and social humiliation that this man’s family will endure. It doesn’t just affect him, it affects everyone. He is a traitor to his family and his country.

"Somalis have no purpose in supporting these foreign fighters who are corrupting our society and violating the rights of our vulnerable people. These people have nothing to offer Somalis but violence, murder and the destruction of our culture.

they are using the Somali conflict for their own end but there is now something inexplicable in that for the last 5 months the number of own goals and internally compromised operations seems to be increasing. The question is why?"

Ministry of Information, Mogadishu

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