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Hassan Dahir Aweys	Hassan Dahir Aweys	al-Qaeda	Africa Horn				20060625	Link
Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys	Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys	Somali Islamic Courts	Africa Horn				20060517	Link
	Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys	Al-Ittihad al-Islami	Africa: Horn				20050910	Link
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys	Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys	Islamic Courts	Africa Horn				20060628	Link
	Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys	Council of Islamic Courts	Africa Horn				20060701	Link

Africa Horn

Ex-governor turned candidate running for parliamentary seat killed in Somalia

2022-01-24

[Garowe] A former governor was on Saturday night assassinated by al-Shabaab ...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all of which have enough problems without them... turbans in the latest wave of killings by the Death Eater group, which has been targeting innocent civilians, security forces, and government officials. Abdirahman Ibrahim Maow who served as Hiran region governor went titzup after two button men fired at him just when leaving a nearby Mosque within Wadajir District in the Somali capital Mogadishu. State media said local officials confirmed the tragic incident which comes just days after the al-Shabaab turbans killed over 10 people in three separate events within Mogadishu in a short period of time. Abdirahman Ibrahim Maow, besides serving as Hiran region governor, also worked with the Islamic Courts Union from 2006-2007. Critically, in 2009 he joined Hizbul Islam, then led by Hassan Dahir Aweys. The al-Shabaab turbans did not immediately reveal the reasons behind the shooting but did confirm that they were behind the incident. The al-Shabaab have been targeting senior government officials including those who have since quit the government. Currently, al-Shabaab controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, but a concerted military effort has significantly weakened the group. al-Shabaab turbans are keen to topple the fragile UN-backed Somalia administration. The African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Mission Forces [AMISOM] have been working closely with Somali National Army [SNA] in the war against al-Shabaab. The United States and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... also work closely with the Somali security forces.

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Africa Horn

Leading Shebab figure dies in Somalia

2015-05-29

[AlAhram] A leading figure in the Somali-based Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab movement has died in Somalia, the Islamic myrmidon group said Thursday. In a death announcement and obituary carried by jihadist media, the Shabaab said Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Turki, known as Hassan Turki, died on Wednesday evening in the Middle Juba region south of the capital Mogadishu. Turki was in his 70s and suffered from poor health. "Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Turki died last night in Hargeysa Yarey township. We pray to God to give him his mercy and accept his long-term good deeds," Shabaab front man Ali Mohamud Rage said in an audio message. Rage said Turki "was one of Somalia's greatest scholars" who had met "Al-Qaeda leaders, led by the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now sometimes referred to as Mister Bones... , twice in Afghanistan and another time in Sudan" and had fought against US soldiers in Mogadishu in 1993, the year 18 US soldiers were killed in the so-called Black Hawk Down incident during an ill-fated intervention. The Æthiopian-born former soldier was a veteran Islamist who played a series of leading roles in Somalia's civil war. Turki was a founding member of Al-Itihaad Al-Islami in the early 1990s alongside Hassan Dahir Aweys, often regarded as the godfather of Islamic militancy in Somalia. Together they also formed a successor group called Hizbul Islam. Turki played a key role in the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly controlled Somalia in 2006, and helped establish the Shabaab which emerged in the wake of the US-backed Æthiopian invasion that ended its rule. In 2004 the US put Turki on its list of global Al-Qaeda leaders after accusing him of involvement in the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania six years earlier. In 2008 he survived a US air strike targeting him and other myrmidon leaders in southern Somalia. In recent years Turki's influence and importance waned as old age and ill-health took their toll.

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Africa Horn

Turkey to issue arrest warrant for Shaboob leaders

2014-06-03

Turkey will apply to INTERPOL following a court in Ankara’s ruling to issue an arrest warrant for five al-Shabab leaders in relation to a suicide attack in Somalia. Ankara’s 6th Penal Court has ruled to issue an arrest warrant on five Ethiopian al-Shabaab leaders as part of a probe into a suicide attack on the Turkish Embassy, which killed an embassy personnel in Mogadishu in July last year. Ankara’s public prosecutor will also apply to INTERPOL to issue a red alert on the suspects after determining that the attack was held upon their leaders’ instructions. On July 28, al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants staged a suicide attack on a Turkish Embassy annex, killing one Turkish guard and wounding three others. The court ordered the arrest in absentia of Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed, the leader of the terrorist organization, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, the deputy leader, a senior commander Fuad Mohamed Khalaf, the spiritual leader Hassan Dahir Aweys and Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, another senior leader. During the attack police officers who guarded the Turkish Embassy annex, housing Turkish diplomatic staff, managed to kill two assailants but a third attacker detonated a vehicle laden with explosives. Personally I think the Turks should send out a hunting party, and load up on mustache wax and truncheons...

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Africa Horn

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys' home raided

2014-05-27

MOGADISHU -- Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) officers have raided a home housing former leader of the now defunct Hisbul Islam insurgents and Al Shabaab terror group Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, seizing his laptop, TV and mobile phone, Garowe Online reports. Following an audio recording provided to Somali media by Aweys aides, Independent sources tell GO that Mogadishu-based security agencies have been tracking Aweys who was placed under house arrest near the heavily fortified compound of Villa Somalia in late January. Aweys was transferred from Habar Khadijo intelligence base to a residence near the presidential palace. The seizure of electronic devices which were a source of information for Aweys comes after Federal Government of Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has expressed his dismay over the recent tape by the wanted Al Shabaab chief. In an audio message distributed to media outlets on May 15, date on which youth groups hold rallies commemorating Somali youth Day heated up the debate about the fate of Hassan Dahir Aweys at public places, mainly teashops in Mogadishu. As a result of bitter feud and violent dissension within Al Shabaab ranks, Sheikh Aweys escaped from Barawe coastal town of Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, after Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Godane dispatched Al Shabaab death squads to Aweys and other officials including his deputy Ibrahim Haji Jama Micad (Ibrahim Afghani), who had made allegations against Godane. Sheikh Aweys was transported by plane from Adado district in Galgadud region of central Somalia, where he reportedly "surrendered" to Himan and Heeb local administration, which later transferred to Federal Government in Mogadishu in June 2013.

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Africa Horn

‘Terror Chief Aweys’ placed under house arrest in Mogadishu

2014-01-31

MOGADISHU -- A wanted Al Shabaab official Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys who has been in custody over the past six months was put under house arrest in Mogadishu on Wednesday evening, Garowe Online reports. Unfortunate since he could have been put under mortuary arrest... According to independent sources, Somali Federal Government soldiers last night escorted Aweys shortly after he was released from an intelligence base as a result of lengthy discussions between Mogadishu-based government officials and Hawiye clan elders. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud previously described Aweys a ‘stubborn person' who isn't willing to renounce violence but political analysts say the latest move succumbed him to abide by his clan elders' suggestions. For now... Sources within Somalia Federal Government tell Garowe Online News Agency that Aweys was relocated to a heavily fortified building in one of Mogadishu's neighborhoods: "Hassan Dahir Aweys had been in Habar-Khadijo intelligence base and now he remains under the protection of government forces," said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the news. Speaking to the media in Mogadishu, Mohamed Osman Arus former spokesman of the defunct insurgent group Hisbul Islam said that Aweys is still in detention. "This means he was released from custody and again placed in another detention," added Arus. Following bitter feud and violent dispute within Al Shabaab ranks, Sheikh Aweys escaped from Barawe coastal town of Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, after Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Godane dispatched Al Shabaab death squads to Aweys and other officials including his deputy Ibrahim Haji Jama Micad (Ibrahim Afghani), who had made allegations against Godane. Sheikh Aweys was transported by plane from Adado district in Galgadud region of central Somalia, where he reportedly "surrendered" to Himan and Heeb local administration, which later transferred to Federal Government in Mogadishu in June 2013.

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Africa Horn

Federal Govt of Somalia 'plans to release' terror chief

2013-08-19

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The Somali Federal Government in Mogadishu is planning to free wanted Al Shabaab official Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who has been in custody for the past two months according to independent sources, Garowe Online reports. The source, which is close to Villa Somalia, noted that Sheikh Aweys was temporarily released from an intelligence base in Mogadishu on Saturday night, a first move to be reported since late June when Aweys was detained by the Federal Government. As always, we prefer that terror chiefs be released at a high altitude... The source added that a meeting held at a building near Villa Somalia brought together self-proclaimed Hawiye clan elders, Aweys's close allies, ex-warlords, and government officials including Somali Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled, who together discussed the fate of Sheikh Aweys and the methods needed to release him from custody. In addition, the source confirmed that key points -- including retiring from Somali politics -- was prepared in print and presented to Aweys, but he reportedly refused to sign the printout. Speaking on VOA Somali Service, Ahmed Dirie Ali, Hawiye clan elders' spokesman said, the meeting "did not produce agreeable points". Continuing, Dirie added: "Hassan Dahir is a prominent politician and an elder, also the Federal administration is a legitimate government". Political analysts said the reported plan would be considered as a failed step and a weak anti-terrorism policy as the public is keen on to hear indictment by courts. Following bitter feud and violent dispute within Al Shabaab ranks, Sheikh Aweys escaped from Barawe coastal town of Lower Shabelle region, in southern Somalia, after Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Godane dispatched Al Shabaab death squads to Aweys and other officials including his deputy Ibrahim Haji Jama Micad (Ibrahim Afghani), who had made allegations against Godane. Sheikh Aweys was transported by plane from Adado district in Galgadud region of central Somalia, where he reportedly "surrendered" to Himan and Heeb local administration, which later transferred to Federal Government in Mogadishu.

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Africa Horn

al-Shaboobs implement positive leadership development program

2013-08-05

MARKA, Somalia -- Heavy fighting erupted in Gobale vicinity of Lower Shabelle region between the loyalists of Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Godane and former Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Mukhtar Robow (Abu Mansur) on Saturday, Garowe Online reports. Local reports say that the fighting lasted for nearly "seven hours" with Robow loyalists gaining the upper hand. "The battle began Saturday's afternoon and stopped at midnight, Militants loyal to Robow are now controlling the area and the local communities fled here," said an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being killed. "Many militants including two foreigners died in the battle and one of the foreigners seemed as battle commander," he added. As dissension and splitting continue to spread within Al Shabaab ranks, in an audio recording provided to Somali media last week, Ahmed Godane, Al Shabaab chief, said an enemy wants to split 'Mujahedeen" lines and I warn those figures not to encourage the group's division. Sheikh Robow is one of senior Al Shabaab members who accused Godane of straying from the path of Jihad and following an attempt to arrest him by Godane militants months ago; he escaped from Ramo Adey village of Bay region where he had bases. Al Shabaab militants loyal to Ahmed Godane previously executed Godane's deputy Ibrahim Haji Jama (Micad) and Abdihamid Hashi Olhaye (Moallim Burhan) in Barawe, a coastal town in Lower Shabelle region. The growing violent dispute within Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group also resulted to be detained one of their prominent officials, Hassan Dahir Aweys who had been serving in different administrative capacities by the Somali Federal Government after he fled to his native region of Galgudud in late June 2013.

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Africa Horn

Govt calls for calm after protests over terrorist chief's arrest

2013-07-03

MOGADISHU - Somalia's federal government has called for calm on Mogadishu streets after protesters took to the streets demanding the release of terrorist chief Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Garowe Online reports. "Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is in good health and is currently in the custody of the Somali Federal Government," Somali Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled told a Tuesday press conference in Mogadishu, adding: "Sheikh Aweys will not be transferred over to any foreign government and we call upon the Mogadishu public to calm down". Minister Guled warned against "some groups who are inciting the public with false information, and public incitement is a threat to peace, stability and governance". On Monday, hundreds of people protested in Mogadishu between Banadir and Tarabunka junctions, with protestors shutting down local businesses, chanting anti-government slogans and demanding the release of Sheikh Aweys from prison. Interior Minister Guled apologized for the violent incident on June 29, when Sheikh Aweys was transported by plane from Adado town in Galgadud region of central Somalia to Mogadishu by a group of parliamentarians, elders and warlords. Somali security forces at the Mogadishu airport reportedly "used force" to arrest Aweys upon landing at the airport, while the group of parliamentarians, elders and warlords who accompanied Aweys to Mogadishu were "beaten up and arrested" by the security forces, but everyone was released except Aweys. "This was an unfortunate and unplanned incident, and we apologize to the affected individuals," said Minister Guled. Aweys escaped to his native region of Galgadud in late June 2013, after Al Shabaab death squads were sent to assassinate senior members of Al Shabaab militant group in Barawe coastal town of Lower Shabelle region, in southern Somalia. Al Shabaab death squads sent by Godane reportedly assassinated other senior Al Shabaab members, including Ibrahim Afghani and Moallim Burhan.

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Africa Horn

Al Shabaab admits killing its own senior officials

2013-07-01

MOGADISHU - Al Shabaab militant group in Somalia has publicly admitted killing two senior officials, underscoring the growing violent dispute within the militant group, Garowe Online reports. That is just grand... In an audio recording provided to Somali media, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, Al Shabaab's military spokesman, said Al Shabaab group killed Ibrahim Haji Jama Micad (Ibrahim Afghani) and Abdihamid Hashi Olhaye (Moallim Burhan) in an operation to arrest them. "We are informing their family members of the killing and we [Al Shabaab] buried them," said Abu Musab. He dismissed media reports that Ibrahim Afghani and Moallim Burhan were captured and executed by Al Shabaab militants. Instead, Abu Musab claimed that the two deceased Al Shabaab officials were killed in an operation to arrest them after they fought back. "You'll never take us alive!" "We don't intend to!" Abu Musab said an Al Shabaab court had ordered their arrest and the two deceased officials fought against militants sent to arrest them in Barawe, a coastal town in Lower Shabelle region. Similarly, Abu Musab said another operation in Ramo Adey village of Bay region to arrest a senior Al Shabaab member, Muktar Robow Abu Mansur, resulted in the killing of an Al Shabaab fighter sent to arrest Abu Mansur, who later escaped. Abu Musab said unnamed persons "who were dividing Al Shabaab had escaped Barawe", and some reports said Abu Musab was referring to Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was detained in Galgadud region after escaping Barawe and is currently jailed by the Somali federal government in Mogadishu. This development marks the growing violent dispute within Al Shabaab ranks, as Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane is fighting former comrades for domination of Al Shabaab group. Ibrahim Afghani was Godane's deputy and was wanted by the U.S. government with a US$7million bounty.

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Africa Horn

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys questioned

2013-07-01

From the map, the 'government' has a ways to go... A top Somali Islamist, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has been transferred under armed guard from the airport in the capital Mogadishu following his arrival there on Saturday. He is now being questioned at a government intelligence base. Marquess of Queensbury rules? He was moved after a fight broke out between government officials, members of the security forces and clan elders over what to do with him. "Shoot him! Shoot him now! I demand you shoot him now!" "Quiet, Daffy..." He was held after fleeing fighting between factions of the Islamist group, al-Shabab, amid reports of a split in the group. A delegation that accompanied Hassan Dahir Aweys from central Somalia has accused the government of reneging on a promise to grant him an amnesty. The Somali government has made no official comment. They did however snicker loudly... On Saturday, Sheikh Aweys was flown from the northern town of Adado, escorted by government security forces, but it was unclear whether he had surrendered or defected. The United Nations says he gave himself up to government allies after infighting, but clan elders deny this. "Lies! All lies!" Regarded as the elder statesman of Somali Islamists, he has been on a US list of people "linked to terrorism" since shortly after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The exact cause of the al-Shabab split is not known, but there has been a long-running internal power struggle between its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and those seen as more moderate who oppose links with al-Qaeda, analysts say.

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Africa Horn

Top Somali militant leader flees former Shebab comrades

2013-06-27

[Pak Daily Times] Veteran Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has fled former comrades in the Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab, officials said Wednesday, the most visible sign yet of splits in the long-running insurgency. Is that him in the photo? Gentlemen, hold this example before your eyes when you ponder putting henna on your beard... then let it go grey naturally. On behalf of the world's womanhood, I thank you in advance. Aweys, on both United States and UN Security Council terrorism sanctions lists, has sought shelter in the central Somali province of Himan and Heeb, after festivities with top Shabaab commander Ahmed Abdi Godane. "It looks like he escaped attacks by Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... ," said Mohamed Omar Hagafey, Himan and Heeb front man, adding he was due to appear in the region's main town of Adado "escorted by the local authorities". Initial reports suggested he was not being held against his will. Himan and Heeb, an autonomous region best known for its pirate and kidnap gangs, is not controlled by Mogadishu's internationally-backed government. Aweys' forces have been allied with Shabaab troops since 2010, but he has been in outspoken opposition to Godane's leadership for more than a year. But the septuagenarian influential holy man -- listed on UN sanctions lists as aged 78 -- is more of a spiritual figurehead than an active commander, and his split alone is likely to have little if any impact on the operational capacity of the Shabaab. A wily but outspoken strategist, Aweys was a top leader of the Islamic Courts Union, a radical group that ruled Somalia in 2006 before being tossed by Æthiopian troops who stormed Somalia in a US-backed invasion. A respected former army colonel who fought in the 1977-78 Æthiopia-Somali war, he later commanded the Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya and Hizb al-Islam forces, before allying his gunnies with the Shabaab three years ago in a common fight to overthrow the government. Aweys, who has recently been based in the southern port of Barawe, one of the few towns left in Shabaab hands, reportedly fled after festivities broke out between troops loyal to him and those of Godane, the main Shabaab leader. Aweys has reportedly been aligned with a rival-Shabaab faction led by Afghan-trained leader Mukhtar Robow. Washington has offered multi-million dollar bounties for several top leaders, including $7 million for Godane and $5 million for Robow, but has offered no reward for Aweys. However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... US sanctions lists in 2001 named him as a supporter of terrorism.

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Africa Horn

Kenya army in new battles as advance resumes

2011-11-18

[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Kenyan troops on Thursday took up positions outside a key Al-Shabaab ... successor to the Islamic Courts... stronghold as they prepared to launch a fresh offensive to capture Kismayu. After weeks of relative inactivity, residents reported that troops in the central sector of the operation had reached the edge of Afmadow Town. If the town is taken, the soldiers will then push south towards Kismayu and link up with others approaching from Bur Gabo in the south. Military front man, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, said the troops had encountered pockets of resistance from the Orcs and similar vermin as they positioned themselves outside Afmadow. Some resistance "We have now gone beyond Busar where we received some resistance from Al-Shabaab and are heading to Afmadow. As we speak, our men are at a place called Hayo, a short distance of about seven kilometres from Afmadow," Major Chirchir said. Kenyan troops had engaged in a fierce shootout at Busar on Wednesday, he said. "Our troops and the TFG fighters attacked Al-Shabaab bases in Busar yesterday. We killed 12 of them and did not suffer any casualties," he said. Afmadow's capture will open the way for a march on Kismayu port, a key objective of the Kenyan operation. m mThe Orcs and similar vermin generate millions of shillings every year from the port, which they use to sustain their bloody campaign in the Horn of Africa. Kenyan troops in the southern sector were on Thursday believed to have taken control of Kolbio, a town a few kilometres inside Somalia along one of Al-Shaabab's transport corridors. Major Seif S. Rashid, the second in charge at this sector, told Nation there had been "major developments" in the area, where the troops have been concentrated over the past three days. "We believe the trading centre has been taken by Kenyan forces. We are yet to get proper details on that so it would have to be confirmed after some time," said Major Rashid. The capture of Kolbio will set the pace for movements of the troops towards Baddada, a town about 60km away and is understood to have been the destination for Al-Shaabab fleeing Ras Kamboni and Bur Gabo. Reports quoting locals in Lower Juba and Gedo regions in Southern Somalia indicated that Kenyans troops had been seen moving from Dobley and Tabto towns towards Afmadow. "Kenyan forces in armoured vehicles occupied new positions outside the town of Qooqani," said a resident who refused to be identified for security reasons. "They kept on engaging in military manoeuvres," he added. An aid worker in Afmadow, who spoke to Nation, said the troops were at Hayo. "Al-Shabaab are all over this place. There is no tension in the town and people are going about their businesses peacefully. "I think the heavy rains have really curtailed any movement at the moment," said the aid worker. Somali media quoted residents saying the Kenyans set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock an unidentified number of youngsters in Beles Qooqani and surrounding areas. An Al-Shabaab official in Busar claimed his Orcs and similar vermin had killed eight soldiers from the Kenya Defence Forces and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and captured three others. This was immediately denied by Major Chirchir, who reconfirmed 12 Orcs and similar vermin had been killed. On Wednesday night, a position held by Ras Kamboni Brigade, a group allied to the TFG at Kulbio near Dobley, was also attacked by Al-Shabaab fighters. Meanwhile, ...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... the whereabouts of Al-Shabaab's spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys remained unknown four days after Arclight airstrikes hit a building in Afgoye where the thugs' commanders were holding a meeting. Amisom military front man Lt Col Paddy Ankunda said it was not clear whether Sheikh Aweys had been killed or injured in the attack. "We do not know the condition of Sheikh Dahir Aweys who is said to have been seriously injured during the Sunday attacks; the other two, Godane and the front man Mohamud Rage have spoken, but Aweys has not," said Lt Col Ankunda.

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