Did The US Counterterrorism Campaign In Africa Lead To The Mali Conflict?

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrives in Rome, Jan. 15, 2013. Panetta is on a six-day trip to Europe to visit with defense counterparts and troops. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Panetta: 'No Question' US Counterterrorism Campaign In Africa Led To Mali Conflict -- The Hill

Washington's increasingly aggressive counterterrorism campaign to crack down on al Qaeda-affiliated terror cells in Africa may have set the stage for the group's resurgence in northern Mali, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta admitted on Monday.

"There's no question, as you confront [Islamic extremists] in Yemen, in Somalia, in Libya, that they're going to ultimately try to relocate. So, you know that certainly, I think, is a consequence," Panetta said Monday.

"Obviously with the turmoil in Mali, they found it convenient to be able to use that situation to gain some traction there," he told reporters while en route to a series of meetings with top Western European defense leaders set for this week.

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My Comment: There are other factors involved. The Libyan civil war ended up with scores of extremists having weapons and money to fight somewhere else .... and Mali with it's dysfunctional government/military, vasts tracts of land, and relative isolation .... was a perfect place for these groups to migrate to.

Somalia's President Survives Assassination Attempt

Somalia President Survives al-Shabab Attack -- Voice Of America

Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has survived an assassination attempt by al-Shabab militants.

Gunmen opened fire on the president's convoy Tuesday in the Alamada area, about 15 kilometers west of the capital, Mogadishu.

A VOA reporter traveling with the convoy says the president was unharmed, but a bodyguard was killed and seven other people were wounded.

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More News On The Somalia President Surviving An al-Shabab Attack

Somalia's al-Shabab ambush President Ahmed's convoy -- BBC
Somali President escapes rebel ambush on convoy -- Reuters
Somalia's president survives militant ambush -- FOX News/AP
Somalia: Al Shabaab rebels ambush presidential convoy -- Global Post
Somali president escapes Islamist ambush unhurt: official -- Daily Star
Somali president unscathed in ambush -- Al Jazeera

Al Qaeda On The Run In Somalia

Somalia Launches Offensive To Clear Al-Qaeda From Refugee Camp -- The Telegraph

A major offensive has begun to clear Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied Islamist army from the world's largest camp for people displaced by war and famine.

The attack is the first time that Somalia's government troops, backed by African Union peacekeeping soldiers, has moved out of Mogadishu and taken the fight directly into al-Shabaab strongholds.

It follows months of relative stability in the capital since the Islamists retreated in August last year, and shows that al-Qaeda's affiliate on the Horn of Africa is again on the back foot, analysts said.

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More News On The Somali Military Offensive Against Al Qaeda

As troops advance in Somalia, thousands flee -- Seattle PI/AP
African Union Begins Anti-Rebel Offensive North of Mogadishu -- Bloomberg
Somalis flee Afgoye advance by African Union troops -- BBC
AU, Somali troops attack Islamist stronghold of Afgoye -- AFP
Somalia: African Union Troops Close In On Al Shabab Camp -- International Business Times
Somali, AU troops target militant stronghold -- CNN
AU forces intensify attack on Somali rebels -- Reuters
AU, Somali troops launch offensive against al-Shabab -- Deutsche Welle
Islamists flee as Somali, AU troops advance on key base -- New Vision
Al-Qaeda on the run as troops advance in Somalia -- Somaliland Press

A New Rapid Reaction Force For Somalia

Britain To Spend £20 Million On New Rapid Reaction Force For Somalia -- The Telegraph

Britain is to spend £20 million on a new civilian rapid reaction force to secure parts of Somalia wrested from the control of the Islamic militant group al-Shabaab, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

The deal will be unveiled by British officials at a landmark London conference on Thursday, at which more than 40 countries will convene to discuss the future of the war-torn African state.

Under the plans, Britain will contribute £20 million to a 'stability fund' for Somalia to help its new government secure the territory it has won from the al-Qaeda backed insurgency.

This will pay for a civilian force of “chino-clad warriors” who will be sent into vulnerable areas to help establish a police presence, health care facilities, schools and basic services before the militants can return.

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Previous Post: Are The British And EU Preparing To Launch Air Strikes Against Rebels In Somalia?

My Comment: And if this new civilian rapid reaction force to secure parts of Somalia, PM Cameron is very blunt that this will then follow.

What's my prediction .... it is going to take more than £20 Million to fund a civilian reaction force to stabilize a large and dysfunctional country like Somalia.

Somalia's Conflict Is Intensifying

Somalia Al-Shabab Militant Base Of Baidoa Captured -- BBC

Ethiopian and Somali troops have taken a strategic stronghold of Islamist militants in south-western Somalia.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that about 50 vehicles, including some 20 tanks, had entered Baidoa, which was not defended.

The BBC's Mohamed Dhore in the capital, Mogadishu, says Baidoa was the most important al-Shabab base after the southern port of Kismayo.

Al-Shabab, which has recently joined al-Qaeda, confirmed that it had withdrawn its forces.

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More News On The Conflict In Somalia

Ethiopian, Somali troops capture key Somali town from al-Qaida-linked militants, residents say -- Washington Post/AP
Ethiopian troops seize key Somali rebel bastion -- Reuters
Key town recaptured from Somalia's al-Shabab -- Al Jazeera
Somalia's al-Shabab 'forced whole classes to fight' -- BBC
Kenya Refocuses Fight Against Al-Shabab -- Voice of America
UN to bolster Somalia peacekeeping force Amisom -- BBC
UN Votes to Increase African Force in Somalia -- ABC News/AP
World leaders seek ‘second chance’ for Somalia at London talks on fragile nation’s future -- Washington Post/AP
Leaders meet in UK over fragile Somalia's future -- AP
Will the London conference help Somalia? -- Mary Harper, BBC
High Hopes, Tempered Expectations for International Somalia Conference -- Voice of America
Briefing: Somalia's political roadmap -- IRIN
Kenya Blames Somali Militants for Food Crisis -- New York Times/Reuters
Oxfam criticizes approach to Somalia, calls for humanitarian focus -- L.A. times
On Somalia's front line -- Andrew Harding, BBC
Life under Somalia's al-Shabab militants -- BBC
Somalia: Far from a failed state? -- BBC

Heavy Fighting Reported In Somalia

Ethiopian, Somali Troops Clash With al-Shabab -- Voice of America

Witnesses say Ethiopian and Somali government troops have clashed with al-Shabab militants in central Somalia.

VOA's Somali Service reports the sides battled Tuesday in a village between the towns of Luq and Bardale. Bardale is located 60 kilometers west of Baidoa, an al-Shabab stronghold that was once the seat of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

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More News On The War In Somalia

Ethiopian tanks advance on key Somali town -- AFP
US urges support for Somali areas seized from rebels -- AFP
Al-Shabaab vows to step up attacks -- UPI
Missile strikes rebel stronghold near Somalia port -- Reuters
Fears of terror strike in heart of Somali capital after car bomb explodes -- The Telegraph
Somalia: Tense of Fighting Rises in Southern Regions -- allAfrica.com
Child soldiers fighting in Somalia -- UPI
Somali children 'cannon fodder' in combat: rights group -- AFP
Somali Militants Al-Shabaab Forcibly Recruiting Children: Report -- IBTimes
Rights Group Calls on Somali Fighters to Protect Children -- Voice of America
Jihadist training ground -- Sydney Morning Herald
In "failed state" Somalia, instability is lucrative for some -- Reuters

The UN Supported Invasion Of Somalia Is Now Spiraling Into Chaos

UN-Backed Invasion Of Somalia Spirals Into Chaos -- The Independent

In a rare dispatch from the badlands of Southern Somalia, Daniel Howden sees how Kenya's war has made things worse.

The famine camps with their domed shelters made of rags and sticks are now surrounded by fields of green. The survivors sit among the clouds of flies and mosquitoes watching the planting season pass them by, living on handouts. The drought in southern Somalia is over but no one is going home.

People who have endured civil war, oppression under a brutal religious sect and starvation now find themselves caught between the lines of a border conflict that is entering a new and dangerous phase.

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My Comment: Little if any proper long-term planning. Limited resources with no money. A local population that does not care about its future. No leadership. This UN sponsored invasion .... and much more .... is becoming the poster child on how the UN should not intervene in conflicts. Read it all .... and weep for Somalia.

Somali Islamic Militants Now Using Twitter As A Weapon

Somalia’s Insurgents Embrace Twitter as a Weapon -- New York Times

NAIROBI, Kenya — Think of it as the Battle of the Tweets.

Somalia’s powerful Islamist insurgents, the Shabab, best known for chopping off hands and starving their own people, just opened a Twitter account, and in the past week they have been writing up a storm, bragging about recent attacks and taunting their enemies.

“Your inexperienced boys flee from confrontation & flinch in the face of death,” the Shabab wrote in a post to the Kenyan Army.

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More News On Somalia Islamic Militants Using Twitter

Al-Shabaab in war of words with Kenyan army on Twitter -- The Guardian
Somali al Qaeda affiliate takes to Twitter -- KTVQ
Kenya army, Somali militia swap Twitter insults -- CTV
Al Shabaab vs Kenya: The Twitter war -- Daily Maverick

Kenya And Somalia Seeking 'Big Countries' To Help Fight Militants

Image: Somalia has called for a naval blockade of Kismaayo, a seaport controlled by the Shabab. The New York Times

‘Big Countries’ Are Sought To Help Fight In Somalia -- New York Times

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Kenya and Somalia on Monday called for other nations to help in their fight against Islamist insurgents, as an aid organization said that five civilians were killed and more than 50 wounded when a military aircraft hunting the militants struck a displaced-persons camp in southern Somalia.

Most of the victims and wounded were women and children, the organization said.

In a meeting in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, delegations from Somalia and Kenya, which has sent hundreds of soldiers backed by tanks and gunships into Somalia in a premeditated assault to vanquish the Shabab Islamist militant group, called for a naval blockade on the Shabab-controlled seaport of Kismaayo.

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My Comment: There are going to be no takers .... at least publicly.

Somalia`s Civil War Is Heating Up

Somali Gov’t Claims ‘Remarkable’ Gains In Mogadishu Fighting; 7 Killed In Latest Violence -- Washington Post/AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia said Tuesday that pro-government troops have made “remarkable” gains during an offensive in the capital over the last two days, where the latest fighting killed at least seven people.

Police displayed the bodies of what they said were four al-Qaida-linked militants. Three civilians were reported killed.

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More News On the Fighting In Somalia

Somali PM vows to defeat rebels in 90 days -- Reuters
42 die in southern Somalia clashes -- Press TV (Iran)
7 die in Somalia fighting; police display bodies -- FOX News/AP
Somalia clashes kill 12 -- AFP
Somalia: Fighting, Shelling Erupt in the Capital -- allAfrica.com
SOMALIA: Recruitment of child soldiers on the increase -- IRIN
Minister: More states ready to send troops to Somalia -- Africa Review
EU Seeks Benchmarks in Extension of Somali Government -- Voice of America
EU stern on Somali progress -- UPI

The Civil War In Somalia Continues

AU Peacekeepers In Somalia "Take Three Key Insurgent Bases" In Mogadishu -- People's Daily

African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops propping up the fragile Somali government in Mogadishu on Wednesday said they seized three key positions from the Islamist insurgents after early morning fierce battles, the force spokesman said.

The fighting broke out after AU peacekeeping forces fanned out into the insurgent-held side of the Somali capital Mogadishu where fierce clashes ensued between radical Islamist fighters and the peacekeepers.

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More News On The Civil War In Somalia

Somali troops in new push against rebels -- Reuters
Somalia says it has captured key locations from militants -- CNN
Al Shabaab fighters in Somalia lose a key base in the capital Mogadishu -- BBC
EU stands by Somalia amid attacks -- UPI
Somali militants display bodies of 5 dead peacekeepers, hold Burundian soldier captive -- Canadian Press
Around 50 dead in clashes across Somalia: witnesses -- AFP
New clashes kill 130 in Mogadishu -- Press TV

Another American Killed Fighting For An Al Qaeda-Connected Terror Group In Somalia

American Jihadi Killed In Somalia Shootout -- ABC News

Somalis Say Militant 'Commander' Killed In Street Battle Had US Papers

An American member of an al Qaeda-connected terror group has been killed in fighting in Somalia, according to intelligence and government officials there. The fighter, a Somali-American man known as Dahir Gurey Sheikh Ali Guled, was found dead in Mogadishu after a street battle between the militant group, Al Shabab, and pro-government forces.

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My Comment: This news report was released at the same time that a report was released outlining how the U.S. is unprepared in confronting homegrown terrorism. A coincidence .... maybe .... but there is no question that one day many of these "American Jihadists" will return home .... and the question that needs to be examined is .... will they bring their war home.

Heavy Fighting Being Reported In All Parts Of Somalia's Capital Mogadishu

Armed groups in Somalia have been fighting the government for years [Reuters]

'Slow Genocide' In Somalia's Capital Mogadishu -- BBC

The sound of gunfire echoes through almost every street in Mogadishu.

Residential areas frequently come under heavy, indiscriminate shelling, corpses litter the alleyways, and neither side seems to be gaining the upper hand.

For the past two weeks, Somalia's once-beautiful capital has been the scene of fierce fighting between African Union-backed government forces and Islamist militants.

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More News On Somalia's Civil War

Somali refugees tell of hellish scene in Mogadishu -- Yahoo News/AP
Somalia: Desperate Civilians Flee Fighting in Mogadishu -- New York Times
Somalian Fighting Leaves at Least 12 Civilians Dead in Capital, 34 Injured -- Bloomberg
AU attacks al-Shabaab in Mogadishu -- New Vision
Bombers hit Somali airport, killing 9 others -- AP
Somali suicide attackers hit Mogadishu airport -- BBC
Al-Shabaab fighters hit Mogadishu airport, 5 dead -- CNN
Suicide Bombers Attack Mogadishu Airport -- Voice of America
Suicide Attack on Somali Airport -- New York Times
Somalia airport comes under attack -- Al Jazeera
No Easy Solution for Peace in Somalia -- Voice of America

The Slow Slide Of Yemen And Somalia Into A Permanent State Of Anarchy

Threat Persists in Yemen, Somalia -- Wall Street Journal

While Washington obsessed Monday over President Barack Obama's plans in Afghanistan, as well as over a new burst of violence next door in Pakistan, some unsettling news arrived to remind everyone that the extremist threat isn't limited to those troubled countries.

Reports from Yemen said government forces had killed 59 Shiite rebels in the country's north. The death toll is a sign of the intensity of the government's current fight against a Shiite revolt that has forced tens of thousands of Yemenis out of their homes.

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My Comment: As much as we like to focus on the problems that these countries bring to the international table, there is very little that we can do to better the situation. Dysfunctional and failed states will take enormous blood and treasure to correct, a situation that is neither possible or palatable for all of us in the West to accept.

Bomb Kills 20 Somalis, Imperils Peace Deal

A woman was injured by a roadside bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

From MSNBC:

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An explosion killed at least 20 people in the Somali capital Sunday, according to witnesses and a hospital official, just as the government struggles with a political crisis that threatens its peace deal with elements of an Islamic insurgency.

The bomb, hidden under a pile of garbage, exploded on a main road. Ten of those killed were women street cleaners.

"It was an ugly scene with blood everywhere," said another witness, Farah Abdi. "I could not count the dead, I just glanced once and I ran away for my life."

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More News On Somalia

Somalia bomb kills 21 women street cleaners -- CNN
Somalia: Bomb blast in capital kills 20, half of them women -- Somalinet
At least 20 killed in Mogadishu bomb carnage -- AFP
Bomb Blast Kills at Least 15 Women in Somalia -- New York Times
Political Rift Widens in Somalia -- Gleektopia
SOMALIA: Prime Minister moves to stem political crisis -- Reuters
Ethiopia recalls top generals as Somalia rift deepens: sources -- Garowe Online

My Comment: It is hard to see how a failed state can get worse .... well we are witnessing it right now. The emphasis is on 21 innocent mothers and children being killed in a bomb blast, but the underlying disaster that will kill hundreds of thousands is being laid down right now.