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Fazul Abdullah Mohamed	Fazul Abdullah Mohamed	al-Qaeda in Africa	Africa: East	Comoran	At Large	Big Shot	20030826
Fazul Abdullah Mohammad	Fazul Abdullah Mohammad	al-Qaeda	East/Subsaharan Africa				20021204
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	al-Qaeda	East/Subsaharan Africa				20031105
	Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	al-Ittihaad al-Islamiyyah	Home Front: WoT				20040615	Link
	Fazul Abdullah Mohammed	al-Qaeda in Africa	Africa: East				20040110
Fazul Abdullah Muhammad	Fazul Abdullah Muhammad	al-Qaeda	Terror Networks				20020616

Africa Horn

Kenyan Shabaab Leader Flees After Fallout

2017-11-24

[RadioShabelle] A Kenyan who rose through al-Shabaab ... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia... ranks to become the poster boy for the terrorist organization is on the run after falling out with other commanders who want him executed. Ahmed Iman alias Kimanthi, who appeared in numerous al-Shabaab propaganda videos taunting Kenyan troops fighting in Somalia, the group’s stronghold, is now seeking to surrender to Kenyan forces and get amnesty, the Nation has learnt. Until the row, he was close to the current al-Shabaab supremo Ahmed Diriye and Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahim Mohammed Warsame, who commanded Shabaab’s Amniyat, its intelligence wing, when button men stormed Garissa University College and killed 147 students in April 2015. In the video clips, which are unavailable after they were pulled down by YouTube, Iman says the killings were carried out to avenge the killing of radical Moslem holy mans. In those videos, he named the holy mans as Aboud Rogo, Samir Khan and Sheikh Abubakar Shariff alias Makaburi. International security sources operating in Somalia told the Nation that Iman has been the head of a group of imported muscle who together with him, are now on the run from the main group loyal to Diriye and Karate. A number of Kenyans and other foreigners who joined al-Shabaab snuffies in Somalia have since been captured and executed. On November 6, a 25-year-old Kenyan from Garissa was among four people who were publicly executed by the snuffies in Somalia. Omar Adar Omar was killed by firing squad on accusations of spying for the Africa Union Mission in Somalia, which comprises the Kenya Defence Forces. The fall-out is further complicated after the emergence of a faction that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Syria, while Diriye’s group maintains its formal partnership with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Nation has further learnt that Iman, in a bid to escape from Somalia, has evaded several dragnets to capture him. Al-Shabaab is well known for executing bully boyz within its own ranks whenever there is a fallout. The latest developments are a repeat of what happened to Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who was killed in a set up laid by Godane Ahmed Abdi Godane alias Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, who was Diriye’s predecessor. Godane was later killed in a joint operation by US and KDF in Somalia. Besides assuming the role of commander of imported muscle in Somalia, Iman also has a great influence in Jaish Ayman, another al-Shabaab faction operating in Boni Forest which spreads across the Kenya-Somalia border in Lamu County. Furthermore, Iman is also said to be getting foreign funding directly, further angering indigenous Somali commanders, the sources also said. A 2016 security report published by the Nation, revealed that Iman and accomplices in Nairobi collected millions of shillings every year by renting shops and kiosks in Umoja and Majengo, and the money is smuggled to Somalia to fund terrorism activities. In one al-Shabaab propaganda video, he was seen clad in KDF uniform, holding a walkie-talkie and an M-16 rifle, which he claimed was one of the arms looted from El-Adde Forward Operating Base, which was overran by the snuffies in January 2016. Besides Kenya, whose soldiers are operating in southern Somalia, al-Shabaab is also being fought by the US and other countries in Amisom, including Æthiopia, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti.

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Africa Horn

Trader who 'hosted' Fazul Abdullah barred men from home

2015-04-11

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A witness testifying in a case against a businessman and his son accused of hosting slain Al Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah on Friday said no man was allowed in the trader's house. Ms Neema Juma said the businessman, Mr Mahfudh Ashur Hemed, who has been charged alongside his son Ibrahim Ashur, never allowed men inside his house in order to protect his family. She told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Maxwell Gicheru that the reason for the accused's action was also in accordance to religious teachings. The defence witness told the court that she worked for the accused as a house help for over ten years until 2005. The witness who was being led in her evidence by defence lawyer Abdalla Mazrui said she used to visit the family even after quitting her job. Upon cross examination by prosecutor Dominic Mate, the witness said she was also tossed in the calaboose at the house and taken to Malindi Police Station before being released. The witness further said that she did not know what happened in the house at night. HOSTED TERRORIST The father and son are alleged to have hosted Fazul on unknown dates between December 2007 and August 2, 2008. Another defence witness, Eric Howai, told the court that the accused have been his neighbours for almost ten years. Mr Howai also told the court that he had not seen any male visitor entering the house without the owner, Mr Hemed. "He (Mr Hemed) did not have a guest room, the was no place to host a visitor," said Mr Howai, adding that he heard that the accused and his son were incarcerated Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! because of hosting someone. Upon cross examination by another defence lawyer Jared Magolo, the witness said there was no way there could be a visitor in the house without his knowledge. The witness, who told the court that he was a contractor, said he could not explain what went on inside the house throughout the day The court declined to allow an application by the defense to call one more witness to clarify some religious issues, saying it was not necessary. Thirty seven prosecution witnesses, six of them are from the United States, have already testified. Other charges facing Mr Hemed and Mr Ashur are that they were an accessory to the fact after murder, where it was alleged that as well knowing that Fazul Abdullah who was the head of Al Qaeda's operations in East Africa, they harboured, assisted and maintained him in order to enable him escape punishment.

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Africa Horn

Are these the faces behind city mall attack?

2013-09-30

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Ahmed Abdi Godane, alias, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr Al-Shabaab founder and overall commander. A leaked National Security Intelligence (NIS) report says that early this year Godane held meetings in Somalia to come up with strategies on how to execute attacks in Kenya. The FBI has put a $7 million bounty on him. Godane, who was born in northern Somalia, now known as Somaliland, has been leading al-Shabaab since 2008. He studied accounting in Pakistan and while there he occasionally travelled to Afghanistan where he came into contact with al-Qaeda, led by the late Osama bin Laden. When he returned home he founded the northern wing of Somalia's al-Ittihad al-Islami (Islamic Union), which was established by Somali Mujahiddins returning from Afghanistan. He was to later start recruiting and indoctrinating the militia who were later to start attacks against Western interests in Somalia, including kidnapping and killing of Western nationals. Godane was to later join the Council of Islamic Courts before teaming up with Aden Hashi Farah to form al-Shabaab when they split from CIC. ********** Sheikh Mukhtar Robow alias Abu Mansur Al-Shabaab deputy leader A leaked NIS report says Muktar Sheikh Robow and Dahir Aweys arrived in Hela Marer area, Gedo region, from Ufuro area in the Bay region, Somalia, on March 22. They held a meeting with 50 other leaders where they discussed the mode of training for their operatives as well as plan on how to carry out attacks on vital installations in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Mombasa and Nairobi. The FBI has put a $5 million bounty on Robow. Robow, the deputy leader of al-Shabaab, is also a former spokesman for the group. He was one of the founders of the terror group. He is from Baidoa in the Bay region of Somalia, where his Rahanweyn clan holds overwhelming influence. Robow established the first militant Islamist training camp in Somalia, al-Hudda, in Huddur in 1996. He reportedly left Somalia in 2000 to train with the Taliban in Afghanistan. He returned to Somalia after the Taliban fell from power. In 2003, he helped create al-Shabaab from the remnants of al Ittihad al Islami. *********** Sheikh Ahmed Iman Ali According to a leaked National Security Intelligence report, Iman -- who was appointed by Al-Shabaab as its de facto leader of Kenyan fighters in Somalia -- was among the masterminds of the Westgate attack. "Al-Shabaab remains focused on conducting attacks through individuals that have not been arrested before. The masterminds of the intended attacks are Kenyans, who are in middle and senior management levels of the terror group. Among them; Maalim Abass Guyo, Ahmed Iman Ali and Jan Mohamed Khan alias Abu Musab Al Mombasa," the NIS report says. Last year, Iman released a video declaring war against Kenya on behalf of Al-Shabaab. Interviews with those who know Sheikh Iman, a former chairman of Muslim Youth Centre (MYC) in Pumwani, Nairobi, say he has been controversial since his days at Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology, where he graduated with a degree in engineering. Born either in 1973 or 1974, Iman presents security agents with something new in the fight against terrorism. Those who know him say he was a charming preacher with a fanatical following among various Kenyan communities. ************ Samantha Lewthwaite a.k.a. "White Widow" The British media has claimed she was involved in the terrorist attack on the Westgate Shopping Mall. There is no evidence so far to link her to the attack but police and security forces say Samantha Lewthwaite-- the widow of one of the four suicide bombers who devastated London in July 2005 -- was involved in the Kenya attack, let alone being a "mastermind," as the British papers have claimed. The International Police (Interpol) has issued a red-alert calling for arrest. She is wanted by Kenya "on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011" as part of a suspected plot to bomb cities along the Kenyan coast at Christmas. ************ Abu Sandheere He is believed to have been the one who escorted the terrorists who attacked Westgate Shopping Mall. He is suspected to be a 50-year-old Kenyan man who is an associate of the late Al-Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah. Sandheere, whose parents were a Maasai and a European, is thought to have escaped moments after the assault started on Saturday. "He escorted the attackers to the mall and then left as people were fleeing. He then travelled to the border and crossed to Somalia," said an intelligence source. According to counter-terrorism sources, the man seconded to Al-Shabaab by the Al-Qaeda network arrived in Somalia on Friday after days of avoiding the tight security that had been mounted across the country to stop suspected terrorists from escaping. Sandheere, said to be the regional Al-Qaeda man in charge of intelligence, logistics and special operations, escaped from Westgate with two other unidentified terrorists. He is also described as being "extremely sharp".

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Africa Horn

Assault mastermind said to be a Kenyan, 50, associated with ex-Qaeda leader Fazul

2013-09-29

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The criminal mastermind of the Westgate shopping mall terrorist attack is suspected to be a 50-year-old Kenyan man who is an associate of the late Al-Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah, the Sunday Nation has established. Abu Sandheere, whose parents were a Maasai and a European, is thought to have escaped moments after the assault started on Saturday. "He escorted the attackers to the mall and then left as people were fleeing. He then travelled to the border and crossed to Somalia," said an intelligence source.

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Britain

Islamic fanatics behind Kenya massacre in massive UK terror plot

2013-09-27

[EXPRESS.CO.UK] Members of the Al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... terror group also set their sights on ­London suburbs such as Golders Green and Stamford Hill. They listed targets in a training manual which contained a blueprint for this week's gun and bomb rampage at Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall. Al-Shabaab's "international operations" document was recovered after one of its most feared warlords was bumped off in Somalia. It said: "Our objectives are to strike London with low-cost operations that would cause a heavy blow among the hierarchy." One British-based security expert said yesterday that an Al Qaeda-backed attack on a UK shopping centre was a distinct possibility. The revelations came amid forensic inquiries into the terror attack in Nairobi which left at least 67 dead. Scotland Yard detectives were among foreign Sherlocks combing through the debris for DNA and ballistics evidence. At least 18 foreigners -- including six Britons -- were said to be among the dead. Five gunnies were also shot and another 11 placed in durance vile Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! Unconfirmed reports suggested that when all the bodies have been recovered, the corpse count could rise by another 60, with the British tally climbing as high as 10. The Al-Shabaab document was found on the body of Al Qaeda commander Fazul Abdullah Mohammed who was bumped off in Mogadishu, Somalia, two years ago. Written after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, where gunnies killed 164 people in the Indian city, it appears to describe the tactics used in Nairobi. The two-page paper details plans to hit Eton -- whose former pupils include Princes William and Harry and Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... -- during an open day. Referring to the Ritz in Piccadilly, the document says: "The plan is to hit the hotel when it's fully booked to ensure maximum casualties. "Key players from all around the world stay in these hotels. "We plan to book in advance and take plenty of petrol with the brother and then set the 1st, 2nd, 3rd floor on fire...while we block the stairs so no one can run down. "The martyrdom seeker would then make his way to the exits and start killing anyone fleeing the area."

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Africa Horn

Fury as wanted al-Shabaab suspect eludes police

2012-01-30

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Anti-terrorism operations in Kenya suffered a setback last week after a British woman suspected to be an Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban... financier eluded a police raid in Mombasa and sneaked out of the country. The escape of the suspect, identified as Ms Natalie Webb, has raised deep concern within the security organs as the circumstances point to possible complicity. The Nation has reliably learnt that a senior officer with the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit involved in last Tuesday's botched operation has been summoned to Nairobi and an investigation ordered into how the suspect beat feet. Top coppers in the region declined to comment on the issue, terming it "sensitive". Police front man Eric Kiraithe confirmed that they had raided an Al-Shabaab safe-house and recovered 60 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, but no arrests were made. He added that it was unfortunate that the occupants managed to escape. "We knew the general location, but got the exact place just after the suspects had beat feet," said Mr Kiraithe. He said the suspects were on the run but police had a lot of details about them, including DNA. Coast police boss Aggrey Adoli confirmed that a joint force raided a house in Mombasa. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... according to impeccable sources within the terror fighting unit, the woman was actually found in the house, but was allowed to escape under mysterious circumstances. Providing information The raid at the Shanzu area was carried out by officers drawn from the Flying Squad, the General Service Unit and the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit. The National Security Intelligence Service was also involved in the operation and provided information on her whereabouts. Nation journalists who have been on the trail of the Sherlocks for the last one week, confirmed from police that the house where the suspect was living in belongs to a wife of former terror criminal mastermind Musa Hussein Abdi. Abdi, a Kenyan known by colleagues in the terror networks as Dheere, was killed alongside another terror criminal mastermind, Fazul Abdullah, in Somalia last year. (READ: Fazul man was freed by Kenyan court) A team of officers had managed to track down the suspect and kept the house under surveillance for a number of days. More information indicated that several bags from a local bank, that are usually used to ferry money, were found at the suspect's house.

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Africa Horn

African Union to join Kenya in fighting Shabaab

2011-11-17

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Kenya and the African Union are to combine their forces in the campaign against Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... in a major strategic shift which could change the face of the Somalia war. The operation will bring together African Union forces operating around Mogadishu, Kenya Defence Forces and Transitional Federal Government forces to fight the thug group throughout Somalia. An agreement reached by Presidents Kibaki, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Somalia's Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed will see Ugandan and Burundi-led AU forces backed by soldiers from Kenya. (Read: Missiles strike rebels as more support Kenya) Operations against the group will now be coordinated more closely between the two groups as more forces are expected from Djibuti, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. This would more than double the current number of AU troops operating in Somalia from 9,000 to 20,000. Most of these will be deployed to areas where KDF and Amisom forces have defeated Al-Shabaab. On the day marking exactly one month since Kenya sent its troops into Somalia to chase the bully boyz accused of abductions in Kenya, Presidents Museveni and Shariff flew to Nairobi for a meeting with President Kibaki. Al-Shabaab used the occasion to criticise Kenya's military incursion and made an appeal to Kenyans to prevail upon the government to withdraw the forces. Al-Shabaab front man Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said in interviews that the Kenyan military was not advancing any further. But the front man for the KDF, Maj Emmanuel Chirchir, dismissed the allegations, saying the operation was about to move to phase two which would also include an exit strategy. He did not expound on the statement but Kenya's military operation swiftly took towns and centres in the south of the country and they are now camped outside Afmadow, a town 105km inside Somalia and near Kismayu. The Kenya Air Force and Navy are also operating unchallenged within Somali air space and waters. A joint communique issued after the State House meeting said: "The meeting discussed the status of the joint Kenya-Somalia security operation in pursuit of Al-Shabaab forces of Evil and noted the gains already made by Amisom, TFG and KDF forces and the need to galvanise international support for this purpose."

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Africa Horn

Missile raid targeted top Shabaab leaders

2011-11-16

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The Sunday night missile attack near Mogadishu targeted a meeting of top Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... commanders. Among those at the meeting at the cut-thoats' bases were spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Ahmad Godane Abu Zubayr and a Mr 'Amerika'. The whereabouts of the three remained unknown on Tuesday night amid reports that they had been killed. "There were air strikes in Afgoye and K50, which are controlled by Al-Shabaab. The area of concentration was Afgoye where the three Al-Shabaab commanders were holding a meeting. "We are informed that they hit their targets," said African Union Mission for Somalia deputy special representative Wafula Wamunyinyi. Mr Wamunyinyi could not, however, confirm whether the three were killed or injured during the strikes, saying information from the ground was still scanty. He could also not confirm whether the air strikes were carried out by the Kenyan forces or the African Union troops. "All we know at the moment is that the allied forces hit their targets, some forces of Evil were killed and others were maimed but it is difficult to tell because the forces of Evil who control the town have blocked anybody from reaching the scene," he said. In Nairobi, President Kibaki welcomed the support Kenya was receiving from regional governments in its drive to wipe out Al-Shabaab. The Head of State said a stable and peaceful Somalia would create an environment conducive for development in the region. The President was officially opening a regional infrastructure conference in Nairobi. He added: "I therefore welcome the support Kenya has obtained from both its citizens and regional governments as we embark on the operation to deal with forces of Evil based in Somalia who have sought to destabilise our economies." East African Community members Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi are among those that have backed the joint Kenya's armed forces and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government soldiers to weed out the rag-tag militia. Kenya also has support from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development members with Djibouti offering troops to hold areas taken over from Al-Shabaab. The country also has backing from the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , the US, Japan, South Africa and Egypt among others. Media reports claimed that two Al-Shabaab commanders were killed in the Sunday raid on Afgoye. They quoted Somali officials claiming that Sheikh Dahir Aweys and Mr Gobane were killed in a massive blast in the town located about 32 kms west of Mogadishu. The kaboom was at a "compound" known to be used by the cut-thoats, according to Sunatimes and Mareeg Online.

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Africa Horn

Israel to back Kenya offensive in Somalia

2011-11-15

[Iran Press TV] Kenyan officials say Israel is ready to help their country in its offensive against al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... fighters in Somalia, Press TV reports. Practice against the time when Egypt becomes Somalia-on-the-Nile? Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has requested Tel Aviv's assistance in carrying out intensified offensives inside neighboring Somalia. In response to the request, Israeli President Shimon Peres has vowed to aid Kenya with whatever it needs in its fight against Al-Shabaab fighters. Meanwhile Al-Shabaab says its fighters have killed 27 Kenyan troops and destroyed a military vehicle carrying ammunition. Kenyan troops invaded Somalia last month in a bid to fight off the local fighters. Kenya blames the fighters for a spate of abductions of foreign nationals in northern Kenya, near the Somali border. The hard boyz deny the allegations.

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Africa Horn

Kenya: 30 Somalia insurgency recruits take amnesty

2011-11-12

(AP) -- A police official says more than 30 young men living in Kenya who belong to a Somalia-based al-Qaeda-linked beturbanned goon group have accepted an amnesty. Police front man Eric Kiraithe said Saturday that the recruits from the Somali beturbanned goon group al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... are providing information on the group. Kenyan troops entered southern Somalia last month in pursuit of al-Shabaab Islamic fascisti who the government blames for a string of kidnappings and attacks on European tourists. Al-Shabaab has threatened to retaliate with large-scale terror attacks in Kenya's capital. Police blame the group for several attacks in recent weeks in which seven people were killed, some by grenades. A non-Somali Kenyan national was convicted to life in prison for one of the grenade attacks.

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Africa Horn

Al-Shabab ambush kills 30 Kenyan troops

2011-11-12

[Iran Press TV] Somalia's al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... fighters say they have killed at least 30 foreign soldiers in an attack in the country's south, as violence rages on the lawless Horn of Africa nation, Press TV reports. The incident occurred when the Somali fighters ambushed a convoy of Kenyan troops, which resulted in an hours-long battle. The fighting began on Thursday afternoon and continued overnight between the southern Somali towns of Tabda, where Kenyan soldiers are operating, and Bilis Qooqaani. Al-Shabaab fighters said they also managed to destroy six Kenyan military trucks. Somali government officials, however, has put the number of mortalities at about 21. They said only three trucks destroyed in that attack and four other vehicles were captured by the fighters. The conflict is the latest outbreak of violence in southern Somalia, where Kenyan forces and al-Shabaab fighter have been engaged fierce battled over the last weeks. In October, Kenya dispatched soldiers into neighboring Somalia and began air and ground offensives against al-Shaboobs, who Nairobi blames for a string of kidnappings in Kenya. . Tension has been growing between the hapless Somali government backed by Kenyan troops and al-Shaboobs over control of towns in south Somalia. Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew the country's former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia remains one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world.

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Africa Horn

French copter crashes in Somalia

2011-11-12

[Iran Press TV] Nine people are believed to have died after a French helicopter crashed near Somalia's Southern port city of Kismayo, Press TV reports. The military chopper crashed late on Friday as it was patrolling the area between the town of Kuda and Kismayo, local Somali official, Captain Sabriye, said. The crash caused a massive kaboom and sent flames high into the sky. French helicopters fly over the area, to provide backup for Kenyan forces, who launched an incursion into Somalia in October in pursuit of al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... fighters. In late October, French military front man Colonel Thierry Burkhard said Gay Paree would transport air-borne military equipment to Kenyan soldiers near the Somali border.

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