@Somalia Report

African Union Forces

Thirty people were killed as African Union peacekeeping forces (known as AMISOM) and Somali government forces on Monday seized strategic areas controlled by al-Shabaab insurgents in an offensive designed to eradicate the insurgents from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

Somali military force commander, Major General Abdikarim Adan Yusuf (Dhaga Badan), told local media during a press conference today that government and AMISOM forces took over a former pasta factory building and two districts in the northeast of Mogadishu. He vowed to continue with operations to restore stability and law immediately.

Osman Yonis, a Daynile resident, told Somalia Report that he saw the bodies of at least 19 al-Shabaab fighters and that 13 others who had been wounded and were being treated in a hospital in Afgoi district of Lower Shabelle region.

Abdi Nasir Hersi Edle, an editor Radio Xurmo in Mogadishu, told Somalia Report that ten people, including four civilians, were killed in the fighting today.

AMISOM Spokesman Paddy Ankunda told the reporters that one government soldier had been killed and six others suffered minor injuries.

The al-Shabab miltia still controls Daynile district of southern Mogadishu and the main road linking the city to Afgoi district.

©Somalia Report

Pro-TFG forces

Transitional Federal Government forces backed by Ras Kamboni, a pro-government militia, have taken over Afmadow town in Lower Juba in South Somalia from militant Islamist group al-Shabaab, witnesses said.

“The government forces and Ras Kamboni fighters overtook the town without resistance,” Ali Mohamed, a government official in Afmadow, told Somalia Report. “Al-Shabaab retreated from Afmadow after government forces advanced to the outskirts of the town.”

Ras Kamboni and government forces were seen inside Afmadow overnight Sunday, residents told Somalia Report. Government officials said that the situation in Afmadow is calm and there were no casualties reported.

On Saturday, TFG forces and Ras Kamboni, with air support from Kenyan helicopters, seized Qooqani village in Lower Juba after al-Shabaab deserted the settlement.

Kenya has sent forces over the border to pursue al-Shabaab after three separate incidents of kidnapping of foreigners on Kenyan soil by Somalia gunmen - kidnappings Kenya blamed on al-Shabaab with little evidence. The Kenyans are looking to create a buffer zone to prevent insecurity spilling over the borders. They have previously carried out small-scale incursions over the border - despite official denials - and trained militiamen while backing the creation of an autonomous state called Azania as part of plans to secure its borders.

This, however, is the first time Kenya has announced a large offensive in Somalia, and al-Shabaab - which denies involvement in the seizure of two MSF aid workers, a British tourist, and a French woman living in Kenya - accused its neighbor of using the kidnappings as a pretext to fulfill its ambitions of invading Somalia.

The spokesman of Somali government forces in Lower Jubba, Mohamed Dahir Afrah, denied Kenya was involved in the fighting.

“It’s true that the Kenya government is supporting us logistically, but the Kenyan troops are on the border," he said.

However, a TFG military officer in Lower Juba and local residents told Somalia Report that more than 50 Kenyan military vehicles and at least four helicopters have supported TFG forces over the last two days.

“Military helicopters from Kenya are helping us to eradicate al-Shabaab; they are blasting the main bases before we reach; also Kenyan footsoldiers are helping us,” the military officer said on condition of anonymity.

Residents in Liboi said that a Kenyan helicopter involved in operations crashed, although it appeared to be a mechanical problem that caused the incident.

Abdi Yarow, a resident Liboi district, told Somalia Report, he saw the helicopter crash 20 kilometers from the border between Kenya and Somalia.

Al-Shabaab has been trying to rouse residents to resist the foreign forces, raising the spectre of a repeat of Ethiopia’s disastrous invasion, which marshalled support for the insurgents.

The former chairman of Ras Kamboni fighters and current al-Shabaab officer, Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Hersi (Sheikh Hassan Turkey), held a press conference in Bu’ale district of Middle Juba region on Sunday and declared war against Kenya.

“The Mujahideen will fight against Kenya and will test them with the pain of the bullet,” he said. “I’m calling on all Somali people, especially the community of Lower and Middle Juba regions, to stand to defend their land from the enemy.”

Al-Shabaab spokesman Ali Dhere, speaking on Monday, also warned Kenya to remember Uganda, a reference to the twin bomb blasts in Kampala that killed dozens of people watching the World Cup final in July 2010. The attacks were carried out in revenge for the presence of Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

The insurgent group has the capability to carry out bombings in the Kenyan capital Nairobi by calling on sleepers in the large Somali community, and could aim for the many upmarket shopping malls frequented by foreign aid workers and middle-class Kenyans, most of which represent very soft targets despite token attempts at security.

Amid the focus on Kenya's involvement, TFG officials said that they were looking to advance toward al-Shabaab’s coastal stronghold of Kismayo.

“Our forces are currently advancing toward Kismayo and we will continue fighting until we oust them (al-Shabaab) from the region and the rest of the country,” Mohamed Farah, spokesman of the TFG forces in Lower Juba, said. “They (al-Shabaab) are weak and will not be able to resist our offensives."

Al-Shabaab quit much of Mogadishu over two months ago to focus on securing areas outside of the capital and to conduct guerrilla tactics in the capital. However, the group has seen more territory lost in Gedo and Lower Juba, and late last week said it would attempt to retake the capital and had sent forces back.

Analysts say that it will be difficult for al-Shabaab to regain its previous status as a major force in face of opposition from the TFG, AMISOM, militia groups and now the Kenyans.

There have also been many disagreements on how to conduct the insurgency, and according to an al-Shabaab official, these differences of opinion are growing.

“Some of the Mujahideen proposed to vacate all the big towns, since we can’t fight against those troops, and then carry out hit-and-run attacks, while the others want to defend the region directly - they want to bring back all the fighters who left from this region to Mogadishu,” he told Somalia Report on condition of anonymity.

@Somalia Report

Flooded Village (File Photo)

At least ninety homes were destroyed and washed away in parts of Somalia's Gedo region after heavy rains and floods hit in the area.

The governor of Gedo Region, Mohamed Abdi Kalil, told the local media that the rains affected many buildings and business centers, but no casualties have been reported.

Hawa Shire, a resident in Ceel-waq District, told Somalia Report that she was scared to death last night after the floods hit her home.

"I was forced to flee with my two children. The flood took everything from my home," she said.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled the drought to camps in Gedo also lost their homes in the flooding.

A corespondent from Universal TV in Balad-Hawa district, Mohamed Ali, told Somalia Report the rains severely affected IDPs in Balad-hawa. Many lost their makeshift shelters and any remaining items they brought with them as they moved to the camp.

The rains come after thousands of people in the southern regions died in the past few month from malnutrition, most of them children, due to consecutive drought and the ongoing war between the al-shabaab militia and Somalia forces.

“We heard and saw a big explosion with black smoke everywhere. We believe it was an American drone,” charcoal laborer Geyle Abdi Farah told Somalia Report. He reported seeing the bodies of 21 al-Shabaab fighters and 14 civilians as well as at least 49 people who had been injured in the attacks.

Meanwhile, a TFG military officer in Lower Jubba region, who requested anonymity, told Somalia Report that the airstrikes did hit al-Shabaab camps, but could not confirm whether they were American drones or Kenyan military aircraft.

“We had information that two al-Shabaab main camps were shelled and destroyed, but I can’t confirm if they were drones or Kenyan helicopters. I think they were Kenyan helicopters since Kenyan forces and Ras Kamboni fighters are operating that area,” he explained. On Thursday morning, pro-government militias of Ras Kamboni and Kenyan military forces seized the strategic coastal district of Ras Kamboni near where the airstrike hit on Friday.

Ras Kamboni was one of the largest bases of al-Shabaab in southern Somalia and used for training new fighters. Ras Kamboni was the base of Sheikh Hassan Abdulahi Hersi (Hassan Turki), who is believed to be the teacher who founded the extremist Islamic group in Somalia.

At least seven airstrikes have hit in Lower Jubba region over the last five months, targeting al-Shabaab military camps The strike came after a day Kenyan President Moi Kibaki praised Kenyan soldiers involved in the operations against al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia and declared the government will do anything to secure Kenya.

"We don't know their state of health now, but we have confirmed that they are being held at Elasha Biyaha," one of the witnesses, Mohamed Wehliye, told Somalia Report late on Friday.

The witnesses claimed that the abductors handed over their victims to senior al-Shabaab leaders after an exchange deal involving money.

"My friend called me, I was surprised when I saw the hostages in his car," said Wehliye, who claimed to be a friend of one of the kidnappers.

He said it was unfortunate that the gunmen targeted charity workers whose mission was to aid the suffering Somali refugees.

The Spanish volunteers who worked for the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were seized by suspected al-Shabaab fighters last week from Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp.

The abduction is the latest in a string of attacks against foreigners.

In September, a British couple on holiday in the Kenyan coast was attacked by Somali gunmen near the border with Somalia. The armed attackers killed the husband before speeding off with his wife.

In a separate incident, Somali gunmen also abducted a French woman in the Kenyan resort town of Lamu. The sickly elderly woman died this week in the hands of her captors and her body is yet to be released to family members.