British al Qaeda/Shaabab leader may have been killed after calling home
Relatives of Bilal al Berjawi think he was traced after calling his wife, who had just given birth.
Relatives of Bilal al Berjawi think he was traced after calling his wife, who had just given birth.
Kenya said its war against Shabaab is “halfway done” as it has effectively targeted logistics and command and control centers in the south. Some Shabaab and al Qaeda leaders believe that an informer divulged the location of Bilal al Berjawi, who was killed in a Jan. 21 drone strike.
Threat Level Rising: How African Terrorist Groups Inspired by al-Qaeda Are Gaining Strength
British ‘al-Qaida member’ killed in US drone attack in Somalia
Shabaab pressed more than 200 young men in Afgoye into their military to wage jihad against Somali and African Union forces. “Gunmen” abducted an American engineer and beat his driver in Galkayo.
Bilal al Berjawi, a British citizen of Lebanese origins, “was from the early people who came to jihad in Somalia.” Shabaab said he was killed today in a US drone strike. He was second-in-command to slain al Qaeda leader Fazul Mohammed.
Shabaab said Bilal al Berjawi, a British national who has waged jihad in Somali for years, was killed in an airstrike. Shabaab claimed it defeated African Union and Somali forces that advanced outside of Mogadishu.
African Union forces have advanced outside of Mogadishu for the first time to battle Shabaab forces. Six people were killed in a suicide attack at a refugee camp in Mogadishu. A Somali militia claimed it killed a Shabaab leader in Dusamereb.
Shabaab released the pictures and identities of Kenyan hostages who were captured during a raid in Kenya’s Wajir district earlier this week. Medecins Sans Frontieres closed several medical centers in Mogadishu after its employees were killed in December.
The UN said that Eritrea continues to support Shabaab. The British Royal Navy may have to free 14 pirates as no country is willing to prosecute them.
AQAP carries on after al-Awlaki
Kenyan troops killed six Shabaab leaders in an attack on a command post in Tatar. Ethiopian and Somali forces clashed with Shabaab forces in Beledweyne; no casualties have been reported.
Kenyan aircraft killed seven people, including four children, in airstrikes in Jilib. Five Shabaab fighters surrendered to the government in the Gedo region.
Heavy fighting in Buuhoodle between Somaliland forces and SSC militiamen resulted in widespread destruction and forced civilians to flee for the Ethiopian border. The Shabaab stronghold at Jilib, north of Kismayo, was bombed by Kenyan aircraft, reportedly killing militants and civilians. The British Royal Navy captured 13 Somali pirates yesterday.
Shabaab paraded the four abducted Kenyans that have been missing since Wednesday, in the town of Bardhere, Gedo region. Shabaab said it will “punish” the four captives within 24 hours. Somali and Ethiopian troops are preparing to attack Shabaab positions in the region of Hiran located in south central Somalia.
Somali pirates struggle against international crackdown
Somali piracy ‘boosts Puntland economy’
Shabaab killed four people in Afgoye and stoned a Kenyan “spy” in Kismayo to death. The Red Cross suspended aid deliveries after Shabaab interfered with operations.
Shabaab denied Kenyan military claims that 60 of their fighters were killed during recent fighting in Garbaharey. A Shabaab leader asked the leader of the Tabliqis to join their movement after African Union forces shelled a Tabliqi moaque in Mogadishu.
The Long War Journal has confirmed that Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax is the Shabaab fighter who has been seen with Omar Hammami. Faarax, who is from Minneapolis, was indicted by the US for terrorist activities in in October 2009.
Ten civilians were killed during clashes between Shabaab and government forces in Mogadishu. Kenya officially joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Shabaab threatened to attack Djibouti for sending troops to Somalia and accused AMISOM of shelling a mosque in Mogadishu.
A previously unknown American called Abdullah al Amriki was recently pictured with Shabaab commander and fellow American Omar Hammami.
The Kenyan military claimed it killed 60 Shabaab fighters and destroyed nine technicals during airstrikes in Garbahare. Ethiopia said its forces in central Somalia will be replaced by African Union peacekeepers.
For Iranians Held by Pirates, US to the Rescue
Suicide Attacks in Nigeria: Islamist Terror Network Gains Strength in Africa
UK: Fate of ransom payments to pirates unclear
Kenyan forces killed a Shabaab commander known as Sheikh Hassan Hussein and two fighters during an assault on Fafadun. One Kenyan soldier was killed during the fighting.
Ten people were killed during fighting between a pro-government militia and Shabaab forces near Dhusamareb. Ethiopia said its forces would remain in Beledweyne. Shabaab leader Abu Zubayr decried the presence of foreign armies in Somalia.
Somali Islamists bolster positions around key town
Ethiopian and Somali troops seized control of Beledweyne from Shabaab fighters. A pro-governemnt militia and Shabaab are fighting near Dhusamareb.