Mohammed Omer Mulla

In a video released earlier today, the Islamic State’s Somali Province (also known as the Islamic State Somalia, or ISS) eulogized several of its killed fighters. The list included at least one Canadian citizen and several regional foreign fighters who were within its ranks. The video mainly featured archival footage of the group’s members in Somalia’s northern Puntland region, where the common trope of the so-called caliphate’s ‘paradise’ is played out. The jihadists were seen swimming and at the beach, while nature shots were also played as a testament to the region’s beauty. One scene also features several fighters pledging bayah, or allegiance, to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Many fighters who have been killed since ISS began in late 2015 were featured in the video. The majority of these are local Somalis, while others appear to be from Ethiopia’s Ogaden region or Djibouti – two areas with a predominate Somali population. The Somali clans and subclans of Majeerteen, Lailkase, Sh...

Police have refuted reports that Silvia Romano, the Italian volunteer abducted from Malindi, Kilifi County, on November 20, 2018 has been taken to Somalia. Ms Romano, 23, is within Kenya, Coast regional police commandant Marcus Ochola said on Saturday. “We are following leads to rescue her and arrest the abductors. We appeal to the public to cooperate with police by giving us critical information," Mr Ochola told reporters during a brief at the headquarters in Mombasa on Saturday. "Our operation is guided by intelligence from the public. We promise confidentiality. Give us vital information to manage security in this region," he added. The police boss said he was optimistic about the operation. Police earlier cited harsh weather and poor communication as setbacks. A multi-agency security team comprising police and army officers sealed off Boni Forest and areas bordering Lamu, Garissa and Tana River counties as the hunt for the kidnappers continued. The gang ...

The Federal Government of Somalia and aid agencies operating in the country have today launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and called on donors to provide sufficient and early funding to sustain aid operations in Somalia in 2019. The response plan seeks $1.08 billion to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks and displacement across the country. The improvements in the food security situation due to good 2018 Gu rains, the sustained humanitarian response throughout 2018 and a more focused definition of needs have resulted in a 32 per cent decline in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, from 6.2 million in 2018 down to 4.2 million in 2019. However, continued conflict and climatic shocks threaten to reverse these gains. In addition, humanitarian needs remain above the pre-crisis level from two years ago. Over 1.5 million people, mainly IDPs and rural populations,...

The  US military  said it carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed 52 al-Shabaab extremists, in response to an attack on Somali forces. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. A US  Africa  Command statement said the airstrike occurred on Saturday near Jilib in Middle Juba region. The US said Somali forces had come under attack by a “large group” of the al-Qaida-linked extremists. The statement did not say how many Somali force...

The Ethiopian National Defense Force is confirming an ambush by al-Shabab extremists on an Ethiopian peacekeeping convoy in neighboring Somalia and says Ethiopian forces are preparing a “massive offensive” in response. A statement on Saturday rejects reports and an al-Shabab claim that several Ethiopian troops were killed. It does not give further details on casualties. The ambush was reported as the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the deadly hotel assault in Nairobi and deadly attacks on forces inside Somalia. The statement does not say exactly when the ambush occurred. Ethiopia contributes troops to a multinational African Union peacekeeping mission. It also has troops in Somalia independently under Ethiopian army command. The statement says the ambush occurred when the Ethiopian convoy was traveling Burhakaba to Baidoa in Somalia’s southwest. Al-Shabab, which formed more than a decade ago in response to the presence of Ethiopian forces inside Somalia...

After close to four years of calm in urban areas, Al-Shabaab demonstrated its continued threat to peace in Kenya with the operation launched in an upscale apartment and restaurant complex in Nairobi. The gun, grenade and bomb assault will raise inevitable questions about why the country has been targeted successfully so many times over the last eight years. First, it is worth looking at some of the more positive aspects of Tuesday’s attack. Between 2011 and 2014, Al-Shabaab seemed to have succeeded in stretching the cord that holds Kenya together to the limits. The group deliberately sought to exploit the country’s ethnic and religious diversity and, in its propaganda, it highlighted these as offering it a chance of triggering sectarian strife. “Thank God Kenyan society is divided and facing ethnic clashes,” said one of the group’s ideologues, Sheikh Mohammed Dulyadeyn, in a video released in June 2014. UNITY He urged militants to increase their attacks in the country...

A Nairobi court has allowed police to continue holding five suspects arrested over the Dusit hotel attack for 30 days to allow detectives complete investigations. Milimani Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku ordered their detention, arguing that the charges they are facing are serious and the investigating officer might be required to travel to various parts of the country. The suspects are: Joel Ng'ang'a Wainaina, Oliver Kanyago Muthee, Gladys Kaari Justus, Guleid Abdihakim and Osman Ibrahim. Two of the suspects were arrested on Wednesday morning during police raids in houses suspected to have been hideouts. One was arrested in Ruaka estate - on the outskirts of Nairobi - and the other in Eastleigh. Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti confirmed the arrests. The assault that took place on January 15 spilled over into the next day, leaving 21 people dead and more than 700 rescued. Condemning the attack during a press conference on W...