Somalia's al-Shabab frees Kenya's Mule and Wainana

Two Kenyan hostages have been reunited with their families after being freed by militant Islamists in Somalia.

Al-Shabab still stages frequent attacks in Mogadishu

Yesse Mule and Fredrick Wainana were abducted from the Kenyan town of Gerille in January 2012 by fighters of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.

Mr Mule told the BBC they moved to 19 different locations, and were kept chained and blindfolded in Somalia throughout their captivity.

Kenya denied paying a ransom for the release of the government officials.

Al-Shabab has taken numerous foreigners hostage, including the French spy Denis Allex who was executed in January after a botched French operation to rescue him.

Mr Mule and Mr Wainana were seized some three months after Kenyan troops entered Somalia to fight al-Shabab.

'Padlocked'
Its troops are currently part of the African Union (AU) force helping the UN-backed Somali government fend off threats by the al-Qaeda-linked group to overthrow it.

The BBC's Idris Situma reports from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that there were emotional scenes when the freed hostages were reunited with their families and friends at a thanksgiving ceremony on Thursday.

Al-Shabab had handed them over a day earlier to traditional elders who had negotiated their release, Mr Mule said.

Mr Mule was the Wajir County district officer and Mr Wainana a government clerk when they were captured during an attack by about 100 al-Shabab fighters on a police camp in Gerille, a town on the Kenya-Somalia border.

Eight Kenyans were killed during the raid.

Recalling the ordeal, Mr Mule told the BBC: "It was one of the worst moments. You are not sure about your life. You don't know what will happen in the next second or minute."

He and Mr Wainana were taken to Somalia where their captors moved them from place to place, he said.

"Every room within a house is a cell. You are blindfolded and chained. Both hands are padlocked to your legs," Mr Mule added.

Mr Mule said he and Mr Wainana were not afraid to return to their jobs, but the government had given them the option of being transferred to a different region.

Somalia to get LTE, but targeted at military bases

By Richard Cutcher

Somalia is seemingly next on the African LTE watchlist, after it was revealed to HumanIPO a new entrant into the market has been granted a licence to roll out the super fast service.

The Nordic Group, based in Denmark and Dubai, has been awarded its first licence in the young republic, with the company also in the process of applying for a licence in Afghanistan.

Speaking to HumanIPO at the LTE Africa conference in Cape Town, chief sales officer Travis Gee said they hope to have the service running by first quarter of 2014, but are yet to choose an infrastructure and support partner.

Gee said: “Because of the low penetration of devices, we will be targeting the military bases with coverage first.”

Regarding how they are going to power their LTE network, Gee said they were examining a number of vendors which already have networks in the region including Huawei, Smile Communications and Alcatel-Lucent.

He said using a microwave backhaul was also an option because of the costs involved in running a whole new cable network.

The Nordic Group is also on the hunt for investment of between US$15 million to US$20 million.

Why Did Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Hit Turkish Embassy in Somalia?

Staff of the Turkish Embassy carry their wounded colleague on a stretcher after a suicide car bomb attack at the gates of an office housing embassy staff in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, July 27, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Feisal Omar)

By: Mustafa Akyol for Al-Monitor Turkey Pulse

On July 27, the Turkish Embassy in the Somali capital Mogadishu was hit by a suicide car bomb attack. One Turkish security officer was killed and three others were seriously wounded. Soon, al-Shabab — an al-Qaeda-affliated militant group — claimed the bombing on its Twitter account. They said that Turkey was targeted for “supporting the apostate regime [in Somalia] and seeking to suppress the Sharia order.”

 

Arguably, it is not too difficult to understand why al-Shabab is hostile to Turkey. The organization — whose name means “youngsters” in Arabic — is fighting against the central government in Somalia, which enjoys the support and friendship of Ankara. Since 2011, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan became the first non-African leader to visit Somalia in nearly 20 years, Turkey has poured $400 million of aid to this Muslim nation traumatized by famine and civil war. The growing Turkish presence in Somalia is welcomed by most Somalians and their government, but not by al-Shabab which condemns other Muslims as “apostates” simply for not accepting their harsh and militant creed.

So, it might well be concluded that Turkey’s goodwill in Somalia has been hit by a group of religious zealots. But, well, not all Turks think like that. Some writers in the Turkish media, especially in newspapers that support the government, argue these days that al-Shabab must be seen only as a “subcontractor,” and “its bosses behind the scenes” must be taken into account. And these “bosses” are, of course, Western powers.
Ibrahim Karagul, the editor-in-chief and a columnist for daily Yeni Safak, makes his argument in his Aug. 1 piece titled “The terror contract, London and Turkey's War in Somalia.” Accordingly, the power that hit Turkey’s embassy in Mogadishu is actually not al-Shabab, but “the European Union, our partners, England, France.” These countries, Karagul argues, are disturbed by Turkey’s increasing role in Africa, and hence they are giving a warning message to Ankara via al-Shabab’s bombs:

“They are saying, ‘What are you doing in Africa, go and deal with your own problems, do not go outside of Anatolia.’ They are encouraging terrorist groups to attack elements of Turkey. They are doing this to cleanse us from the region, and they are doing this openly.”
Insisting that Turkey is being attacked “by its own [Western] allies,” Karagul assures his readers, “Do not focus on who pulled the trigger, who threw the bomb. Do not mind that. Just look at those who commissioned the job.”

Notably, Karagul does not show any evidence proving that the EU and its prominent members such as France or the United Kingdom really “commissioned” al-Shabab to attack the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu. But, well, he does not need to. The view that all terrorist organizations in the world are actually orchestrated by Western powers is a very widespread belief in Turkish society. (Those who dispute this view can also be blamed to be the agents of the same evil powers, as I have encountered firsthand over the years.)

Another writer, Sedat Laciner, who writes for daily Star, also presents a similar analysis of the Mogadishu attack in his piece titled “The message that is given to Turkey.” He argues:

“Turkey’s Middle Eastern policy, which is independent from and alternative to the West, is worrying the real owners of the [world] system. This is one of the reasons why Turkey is left alone in Syria and Iraq, and is asked not to involve too much in the affairs. As long as Turkey insists on change, somebody will try to put Turkey outside of the system. The terror attack of the Turkish Embassy in Somalia is one of the clearest signs of this. It cannot be considered as a simple attack by al-Shabab. Turkey has been told, ‘Know your limits, get out of our way.’”

Again, why we should not consider an attack claimed by al-Shabab “as a simple attack by al-Shabab” is not very clear. Instead of a factual basis, it rather seems to be based on Turkey’s popular notions about “the world system”: a giant machine whose trivial arms such as al-Shabab — or the whole al-Qaeda — are controlled by a central intelligence concentrated in certain Western capitals.

These are only two examples of various comments that have appeared in the Turkish media since the Mogadishu bombing, and which all have underlined the same theme: Al-Shabab must be just a “subcontractor,” and there must be Western forces behind it. And while this is a reflection of Turkish age-old political culture — in which non-state actors are always attributed to states — it also is a manifestation of the new outlook among the government and pro-government circles: A deep suspicion toward the West and its intentions about Turkey.

This trend has some precedents, but it erupted with the Gezi Park protests. While the government perceived these mass demonstrations as a “coup attempt” that deserved being subdued by the police, most Western governments supported the protesters or at least their right to protest. On the government side, this led to conspiracy theories which depicted the whole Gezi Park affair as a Western plot to destabilize and weaken Turkey. Soon, the coup in Egypt further deepened the distrusts in Ankara: The mass protests in Cairo indeed turned into a military coup, which has been tolerated, and even sugarcoated, by the West.

In short, a very deep suspicion about the West is running high in Turkey these days, especially within the pro-government circles, as the readily attribution of the al-Shabab attack to the West shows. Those who care about Turkey’s relations with the West should take this into account and think of ways for confidence-building. More dialogue between the Western political elites and their Turkish counterparts might be a step forward. Turkey is just too important to be left to its own fears.
 
--------
Mustafa Akyol is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse and a columnist for Turkish Hurriyet Daily News and Star. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian. He is the author of Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty. On Twitter: @AkyolinEnglish 

Somalia, Remittances and Unintended Consequences: in Conversation With Abdirashid Duale

INTERVIEW

Abdirashid Duale, chief executive of Dahabshiil, 
the largest money transfer business in the Horn of Africa

By Edward Paice,

In May 2013, Barclays informed three-quarters of its clients in the money services business that it was closing their bank accounts. These included many handling overseas money transfers from diaspora communities in the UK to destinations as diverse as Somalia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Yemen, Sri Lanka and Poland.

The International Association of Money Transfer Networks (IAMTN) says that up to 250 companies have been affected by the decision. Notice periods of no more than two months were given. Barclays justified its actions as a move to reduce the risk of being implicated in money-laundering or terrorist financing.

Edward Paice, director of Africa Research Institute, talked to Abdirashid Duale, chief executive of Dahabshiil, the largest money transfer business in the Horn of Africa, about the crucial importance of remittances to the Somali region and the potential impact if money transfers are reduced.

What will be the impact on Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland if money transfers from the UK are curtailed because Dahabshiil and other money transfer agencies are denied access to UK banking facilities?

I can honestly say it would be a recipe for disaster. It is estimated that remittances from the diaspora provide essential support to 40% of the Somali territories. We have nearly 300 branches in the territories and thousands of agents servicing people in towns and rural areas. For them, money sent from relatives overseas is an economic lifeline. It is mainly spent on food, medicines and school fees - for the absolute basics, not for luxuries.

How substantial are these remittances?

More than US$1.2 billion is remitted to the Somali territories annually. This is over half of Somalia's gross national income. So you can see the importance of remittances to the region. About US$500m is sent from the UK. At Dahabshiil's branches in the UK, we process hundreds of thousands of transactions each year. The average transaction size is US$200-300.

Are people sending money to their relatives the only users of money transfer services to the Somali region?

Not at all. All the international aid agencies and NGOs use money transfer businesses (MTBs) to operate. They and their partners use us to pay staff, buy equipment and supplies, and make cash payments as part of social safety net programmes.

Oxfam, Save the Children, UNDP, CARE, BBC Media Action, Islamic humanitarian agencies - you name it, they use MTBs. Even Somali veterans who fought for the British in World War II, and their widows, are paid their grants through Dahabshiil.

A great many local charities and NGOs use MTBs to collect donations, pay salaries and buy things. At the weekend, when Olympic double gold medal winner Mo Farah protested about the imminent closure of the bank accounts of Somali MTBs, he highlighted the impact it would have on the activities of the Mo Farah Foundation.

Finally, I would mention the private sector. In Somaliland and Puntland, which have been relatively peaceful for many years, many people are investing in businesses and property. Now the same is happening in southern and central Somalia as well. Investors send their money through MTBs.

This investment is crucially important for economic development in the region. Factories are being built. If I am a local businessman, how do I pay for building materials or diesel from the Gulf or Ethiopia? I use an MTB. International oil and mining companies are also prospecting in the region now and they too use MTBs. No business can operate without them.

NO SOMALI BANKING SYSTEM

Will the impact on the Somali region be different to that on other countries affected by the Barclays decision?

It will be much more acute. You see, in Somalia there is really no alternative to using MTBs. The whole banking infrastructure collapsed in the civil war in the early 1990s and it has never been rebuilt. So MTBs are the banking system now. That's the way things are. Under the circumstances, which have been as difficult as you can imagine, it's a system that works very well. The larger firms are very professional and efficient.

We also provide a service for the people who might not use banks even if they could - for the unbanked in the UK, Somalia and elsewhere. Forget the Somalia end of things for a moment. We fill a gap for diaspora communities.

If you go to a Dahabshiil location or agent in the UK - where there are more than 100,000 people of Somali origin - most open early in the morning and work up to 10 o'clock at night, 7 days a week. You deal with people you know, the service is fast and friendly, it is easy to use, and it is half the cost of the big Western money transfer companies.

If you go to any bank in the world and say you want to send money to Somalia or Somaliland, they cannot do it. The big global money transfer companies like Western Union can't do it either. They have one branch in Hargeisa, in Somaliland. Western financial institutions have no links to the Somali banking network because there isn't one.

If the Somali MTBs are forced to pack up in the UK and elsewhere, how would money get to the Horn of Africa?

Well, a great many people would simply stop sending money altogether. That is a certainty. For some, it has to be said, remittances are an unpopular obligation. They can be quite a burden. Any excuse to stop sending money would be seized upon by these people.

If Somalis could no longer send remittances it is likely that the UK taxpayer and other foreign taxpayers would be asked for more aid. Will they willingly fill the gap caused by a drastic reduction of remittances? I don't think so - not in the middle of a financial crisis in the West.

Others would resort to sending cash with unregulated couriers - which will be much more expensive and less reliable than the current system - and by illegal means. Lorries and planes of cash would come in from neighbouring countries. Lots of small informal operators would fill the gap left by Dahabshiil and the regulated firms whose transaction records can be inspected.

We have seen this before - when al-Barakat's money transfer business was closed down in the USA after 9/11. As far as aid agencies and businesses are concerned, I have no idea how they could carry on operating as usual.

Basically, the transfer business would be driven underground. It would be much smaller and it would be exploited. I understand the global concern about money-laundering and terrorist financing by a small minority of MTBs, but bashing the regulated and reputable firms like Dahabshiil is not the way to counter this. When law enforcement agencies come to us, we always help them.

THE BARCLAYS DECISION

When did you first receive notice from Barclays that they would be closing your banking facilities with them?

Well, this is a funny thing. Barclays wrote to the board of Dahabshiil on May 8th. That was exactly the same day that I had been asked by the Foreign Office to speak at their Somali "Trade and Investment Forum" during the UK-Somalia government conference. I was asked to speak about financing, and the role of the diaspora in development.

There were members of the Barclays senior management also present at these events. They met Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, and they were talking about the importance of developing the private sector in Somalia, and the opportunities. So were people from the Department for International Development (DFID).

The special role of money transfers in Somalia, the diaspora, and their importance to the country's reconstruction was recognised by everyone at the conference, including the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The recent World Bank and UK government-sponsored review of Somalia's public financial management system even envisaged using Somali money service businesses to pay civil servants and the salaries of the security services.

Anyway, I gave my talk and the next day I received the termination letter from Barclays. They said that Dahabshiil did not meet their "amended eligibility criteria". That was that.

We were given two months' notice to find another bank and no opportunity to try and meet the new criteria - despite the fact that we had banked with them for 15 years and are an authorised payment institution (API) regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

It was all very sudden. The process was not at all transparent and it came out of the blue. We've never been given the chance to understand what the game was about. There are many companies in our position.

Did anyone at the FCA or at Barclays voice any concerns about the way you conduct your business in the months preceding the decision to close your accounts?

No. If they had, our response would have been to comply with their requests no matter what the cost. Barclays has regularly inspected and monitored our systems, as have the regulatory and tax authorities.

If any of them had demanded a special forensic audit, we would have done it gladly. If they had asked for changes in our "Know Your Customer" - or KYC - procedures, we would have made them. But we've never actually been reprimanded or accused of anything by Barclays or the regulators. Our business has been based on compliance.

It is ironic that a letter we received from Barclays on 20 June stated "please understand that the decision to exit our business relationship with you is not a negative reflection of your Anti-Money-Laundering standards, nor a belief that your business has unwittingly been a conduct for financial crime. It is, however, a commercial decision we have taken due to the risks of the sector in which we operate".

Can't Dahabshiil and others simply transfer their accounts to another bank?

Well, it is not so easy. Despite what was said at the UK-Somalia conference, Barclays has told us that the money transfer business is "at particular risk" of being used for money-laundering and financing terrorist activity.

Other leading banks share this concern and have already withdrawn from the sector or are not taking on new clients. HSBC pulled out of the sector in February.

I understand that the new management at Barclays have problems like the LIBOR fixing scandal and the mis-selling scandals to deal with and they want to put all that behind them. But I also share their determination to prevent money-laundering and terrorist financing.

SOMALI REACTIONS AND IMPACT ON UK GOVERNMENT FOREIGN POLICY, DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN OBJECTIVES

What will be the reaction of Somalis towards the British government if money transfers from the UK diminish markedly because MTBs can't get anyone in the UK to provide them with banking facilities?

The situation in the Horn of Africa remains very fragile at the moment and very sensitive. When the system is under stress bad things emerge - like piracy and violent extremism.

If money transfers stop, or are much less, there is a real danger that Somalis will start saying the West is against them. It may also increase sympathy for radicals who already fight and preach against the West and the people who say the West is in our country to destroy it, not to help.

If people become desperate as a result of economic hardship, they can become angry. Foreign governments need to understand the potential consequences of their banks effectively cutting off the money supply to Somalia at this crucial time.

The presidents of Somalia and Somaliland have written to the UK government to make this clear. People in the Somali region don't distinguish between the UK government and British businesses.

As for Somalis in the UK, apart from job losses and closed businesses there would be a great sense of disillusionment. I know this for certain.

What is the solution? How can the transfer of remittances and investment to Somalia be maintained?

I can say one thing - shutting down the bank accounts of money transfer companies in two months, which was what we were told in May, is not the solution to anything.

In June, we asked Barclays for a 6 month extension to enable us to explore our options properly. We were given one month more - until 12 August. Today we received a second extension to the end of September.

The UK government needs to take the lead. It has significant foreign policy involvement in Somalia. It is pumping DFID money into Somalia and in the UK there are many Somali businesses and voters. I can't speak for Bangladesh and other countries affected, but I am sure the UK government has interests and objectives in them as well.

The British government has often called on Somalis to help themselves. This is what we are determined to do. But we can't rebuild everything if the key component of the region's economic infrastructure is knocked out. That is a fact.

If everyone gets together - government, banks, money service businesses, lawyers and other experts - and there is real consultation, I am sure that a solution can be found.

This needs to happen quickly, or at least an interim solution must happen quickly, because if everyone just talks for 2 years it will be too late. Where will that leave the UK government and other foreign governments, let alone Somalis?

Edward Paice is director at Africa Research Institute. This interview was conducted on 29 July 2013. The views expressed by Abdirashid Duale are not necessarily those of Africa Research Institute.

Source: Africa Research Institute (London)

Newly declassified documents on phone records program released

Senate Intelligence Committee members seek clarification of NSA surveillance programs and FISA courts in wake of Snowden leaks.

By Ellen Nakashima, E-mail the writer

Obama administration officials faced deepening political skepticism Wednesday about a far-reaching counterterrorism program that collects millions of Americans’ phone records, even as they released newly declassified documents in an attempt to spotlight privacy safeguards.

The previously secret material — a court order and reports to Congress — was released by Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper as a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing opened Wednesday morning in which lawmakers sharply questioned the efficacy of the collection of bulk phone records. A senior National Security Agency official conceded that the surveillance effort was the primary tool in thwarting only one plot — not the dozens that officials had previously suggested.

In recent weeks, political support for such broad collection has sagged, and the House last week narrowly defeated a bipartisan bid to end the program, at least in its current form. On Wednesday, senior Democratic senators voiced equally strong doubts.

“This bulk-collection program has massive privacy implications,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.). “The phone records of all of us in this room — all of us in this room — reside in an NSA database. I’ve said repeatedly, just because we have the ability to collect huge amounts of data does not mean that we should be doing so. . . . If this program is not effective, it has to end. So far, I’m not convinced by what I’ve seen.”

Administration officials defended the collection effort and a separate program targeting foreigners’ communication as essential and operating under stringent guidelines.

“With these programs and other intelligence activities, we are constantly seeking to achieve the right balance between the protection of national security and the protection of privacy and civil liberties,” Deputy Attorney General James Cole said. “We believe these two programs have achieved the right balance.”

Cole nonetheless said the administration is open to amending the program to achieve greater public trust. Legislation is pending in the Senate that would narrow its scope.

The NSA program collecting phone records began after the September 2001 terrorist attacks and was brought under the supervision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2006. But its existence remained hidden until June, when the Guardian newspaper in Britain published a classified FISC order to a U.S. phone company to turn over to the NSA all call records. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked the order to the newspaper.


READ DOCUMENTS

Government unveils secret order to Verizon

On Wednesday, the Guardian published new documents provided by Snowden that outlined previously unknown features of an NSA data-retrieval system called XKeyscore. The newspaper reported that the search tool allowed analysts to “search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals.”

NSA slides describing the system published with the Guardian article indicated that analysts used it to sift through government databases, including Pinwale, the NSA’s primary storage system for e-mail and other text, and Marina, the primary storage and analysis tool for “metadata.” Another slide described analysts using XKeyscore to access a database containing phone numbers, e-mail addresses, log-ins and Internet user activity generated from other NSA programs.

The newspaper said the disclosures shed light on Snowden’s claim that the NSA’s surveillance programs allowed him while sitting at his desk to “wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal ­e-mail.” U.S. officials have denied that he had such capability.

In a statement responding to the Guardian report, the NSA said “the implication that NSA’s collection is arbitrary and unconstrained is false. NSA’s activities are focused and specifically deployed against — and only against — legitimate foreign intelligence targets.” The agency further said: “Access to XKEYSCORE, as well as all of NSA’s analytic tools, is limited to only those personnel who require access for their assigned tasks. . . . Not every analyst can perform every function, and no analyst can operate freely. Every search by an NSA analyst is fully auditable, to ensure that they are proper and within the law.”

On Wednesday, Clapper disclosed the FISA court’s “primary” order that spells out the program’s collection rules and two reports to Congress that discussed the program, which is authorized under Section 215 of the “business records” provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Administration officials released the documents to reassure critics that the program is strictly supervised and minimally invasive.

For instance, the primary order states that only “appropriately trained and authorized personnel” may have access to the records, which consist of phone numbers of calls made and received, their time and duration, but not names and content. Officials call this metadata. The order also states that to query the data, there must be “reasonable, articulable suspicion,” presumably that the number is linked to a foreign terrorist group.

But the documents fueled more concern about the program’s scope among civil liberties advocates who are pressing the administration to release the legal rationale that might explain what makes such large numbers of records relevant to an authorized investigation. Perhaps most alarming to some critics was the disclosure, in the order, that queries of the metadata return results that are placed into a “corporate store” that may then be searched for foreign intelligence purposes with fewer restrictions.

That disclosure takes on significance in light of Deputy NSA Director John C. Inglis’s testimony last month that analysts could extend their searches by “three hops.” That means that starting from a target’s phone number, analysts can search on the phone numbers of people in contact with the target, then the numbers of people in contact with that group, and then the numbers of people in contact with that larger pool. That is potentially millions of people, said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who also testified Wednesday.

The Office of the DNI earlier released a statement that fewer than 300 numbers were queried in 2012. That could still mean potentially hundreds of millions of records, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said at the hearing.

Also, according to the order, the NSA does not need to audit the results of searches of the corporate store.

The order asserts that phone metadata could be obtained with a grand jury subpoena. That may be true for one person or even a group of people, but not for all Americans’ phone records, critics said.

Privacy advocates criticized redactions in the reports to Congress of information about the NSA’s failure to comply with its own internal rules. That is “among the most important information that the American public needs to critically assess whether these programs are proper,” said Mark Rumold, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

At the hearing, Leahy voiced upset with the administration for suggesting that the program was as effective in thwarting terrorist plots as another NSA program, authorized under Section 702 of FISA and targeting foreigners’ communications. “I don’t think that’s a coincidence when we have people in government make that comparison, but it needs to stop,” he said of attempts to conflate the two programs’ utility.

He noted that senior officials had testified that the phone logging effort was critical to thwarting 54 plots, but after reviewing NSA material, he said that assertion cannot be made — “not by any stretch.” Pressed by Leahy on the point, Inglis admitted that the program “made a contribution” in 12 plots with a domestic nexus, but only one case came close to a “but-for” or critical contribution.

Carol D. Leonnig and William Branigin contributed to this report.

Somalia: Jowhar Residents to Get ID Cards in Two Months

Buundada Wabiga Shabeele ee Magaalada Jawhar

Jowhar — The Mayor of Middle Shabelle regional capital of Jowhar Mohamed Amin Osman has told that the municipal authorities will distribute ID cards to Jowhar residents within two months on Wednesday, Garowe Online.

Speaking on Puntland-based independent station Radio Garowe, Jowhar Mayor Mohamed Amin Osman said the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National security of the Somali Federal Government will help the Municipal authorities to give each and every resident in Jowhar an ID card showing whether the resident is known legally and legitimately to curb the recurring insecurity in the city.

He added that the local government in line with the security forces commenced advocacy of peace among local communities to ensure the stability "Following the recent security operations jointly conducted by AMISOM and Somalia forces which netted over 15 people who were suspected of being Al Shabaab members, we began to address the local communities at public venues and to order them to cooperate with the security forces including AMISOM".

Jowhar is agriculture-rich district and former Al Shabaab stronghold. Somali government forces backed by AMISOM troops liberated it from Al Shabaab militants in December 2012 and the security operation comes after Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab fighters attacked Jowhar Airport which situates 10 KMs away from the city on 22 July.

GAROWE ONLINE

Somalia: The Somali Govt Signs an Agreement for Developing a Coast Guard Service

Somalia's Minister of Defense

Somalia's Minister of Defense has signed a contract with the Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group to deliver structure, assets and services in order to develop an effective and sustainable Coast Guard in Somalia.

In a press statement the Ministry said that creating a Coast Guard was essential for the establishment of the rule of law within Somali waters and for the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The agreement will con tribute to the stability and economic recovery of Somalia and supports the country's Six Pillar Policy. The

Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group, which has its headquarters in the Netherlands, says the main objectives of the Somali Coast Guard will include monitoring, patrolling and securing the Exclusive Economic Zone; securing trade and ports; protecting natural resources and fishing grounds from illegal foreign fishing boats; prevention of dumping of toxic materials; and general search, rescue and anti-smuggling service.

In addition to building up and equipping the Coast Guard Service, Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group has also agreed to develop education and training program for the Somali Coast Guard Directorate and develop a Coast Guard Training Center.

Somalia: Puntland Security Agencies On High Alert for Possible Terror Attacks

A. Farole Puntalnd Somali Regional President

Garowe — Somalia's Puntland government has put the entire security sector on standby for possible terror attacks as eight days remain the end of the holy month of Ramadan, Garowe Online reports.

Speaking at a press conference held in Puntland capital of Garowe on Wednesday, Nugal Governor Abdi Hirsi Ali Qarjab told that Puntland security forces launched a massive security operation in Garowe last Tuesday to captures vehicles with tinted windows which are a source for crimes including bombings and assassinations.

"Al Shabaab wants to carry out terror attacks on or before the end of the Ramadan inside Puntland and the targets include key structures, therefore we have to increase our surveillance by keeping a vigil on those hiring houses and unknown individuals" said Governor Qarjab.

Speaking to the public, Governor Qarjab advised the locals to remain vigilant against terrorists and to cooperate with the security forces.

"We ask you [people] to increase security at every place, we deployed special security forces to Hotels and other public places to extremely tighten the security and to combat anyone who wants to harm our people, I am telling the security forces to beef up security and conduct serious stop and check operations" added the Governor.

With eight days left in Ramadan, Intelligence reports disclosed that Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group is planning to carry out deadly bombings and assassinations across the country including Puntland which previously launched a successful operations against underground terrorist cells and Al Shabaab fighters who are hiding out in Golis mountains.

Al Shabaab recently claimed to have carried out 108 terror attacks during the holy month of Ramadan alone and Mogadishu has been a scene for random violence including car bomb attacks and military style ambushes which reached record heights this month.

Garowe Online

Somalia: Magaalo ka mid ah Somalia oo hadda kadib lagu gali doono kaar aqoonsi

JAWHAR

Jowhar Somalia - Duqa magaalada Jowhar ee gobolka Shabeelaha Dhexe Maxamed Amiin Cusmaan, ayaa shaaca ka qaaday in dowladda hoose ee maglaada ay sharciyo aqoonsi (ID CARDS) u qeybin doonto dadka deggan magaalada, laba bil gudahood.

Wareysi uu bixiyey ayuu Maxamed Amiin ku sheegay in wasaaradda arrimaha gudaha iyo amniga qaranka dowladda federaalka ay maamulka Jowhar caawimaad ka siin doonto sidii qof kasta oo magaalada deggan loo siin lahaa kaar aqooni, si loo ogaado dadka sharci ahaan deggan magaalada.

Waxa uu tallaabadan ku macneeyey mid looga gol lee yahay in wax looga qabto xaaladda amni ee magaalada oo bilihii dhowaa ahayd mid aan cago adag ku taagneyn.

Waxa uu intaa ku daray in dowladda hoose ee Jowhar iyo taliska ciidamada magaalada ay dadka deegaan kala kaashan doonaan sidii loo xaqiijin lahaa ammaanka magaalada.

“Kadib howl galkii dhowaan ka dhacay magaalada ee lagu qabtay 15 qof oo xubno ka ah Al-Shabaab, waxaan billownay inaynu dadka deegaanka u qabanno kullamo loogu sheegayo inay la shaqeeyaan ciidamada ammaanka iyo kuwa Amisom” ayuu yiri Maxamed Amiin.

Jowhar oo ah magaalo qani ku ah kheyraad dabiici ah, islamarkaana horey ay u heysatay kooxda Al-Shabab, ayaa dhowaan waxaa ka dhacayey shaqaaqooyin dhinaca ammaanka ah oo ay ka dambeyso kooxda Al-Shabab.

US officials fume over Russia granting asylum to Snowden

July 12, 2013: In this image provided by Human Rights Watch, NSA leaker Edward Snowden, center, attends a news conference at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks, left. (AP)

FoxNews

The White House and U.S. lawmakers fumed Thursday after NSA leaker Edward Snowden apparently was allowed to leave the Moscow airport and enter Russian territory on temporary refugee status. 

"If these reports are accurate, Americans in Washington should consider this a game changer in our relationship with Russia," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement, calling Russia's decision "provocative" and "a sign of Vladimir Putin's clear lack of respect for President Obama." 

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, asked at the daily briefing about the move, said it "undermines" law enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and Russia and reiterated the call for him to be returned to the U.S. 

"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step," Carney said. Carney said the White House is re-evaluating whether a planned fall summit with President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin should still occur.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called it a "slap in the face of all Americans." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called the development a "setback to U.S.-Russia relations." 

Earlier Thursday, Snowden's representatives said he had been issued papers that allowed him to leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he was stuck since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. He apparently has been given a one-year temporary asylum. 

WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that is supporting Snowden, also confirmed the details of Snowden's departure on its Twitter page, claiming Snowden "successfully acquired refugee status in Russia." In a statement on the group's website, it reported that Snowden thanked the Russian government for accepting his request. 

The development comes more than a month after Snowden arrived at the Moscow airport from Hong Kong, and was effectively marooned in the airport's transit zone while he and his supporters tried to sway a number of countries to accept his petition for refugee status. 

Snowden has petitioned several Latin American countries hostile to the U.S. -- including Venezuela -- to take him in. However, the logistics of reaching any of those countries are complicated because his U.S. passport has been revoked. 

Meanwhile, Russia has refused to grant requests from the Obama administration to hand over Snowden to face federal charges. 

While Snowden was holed up in the transit zone at the Moscow airport, he continued to leak U.S. secrets to the media. In the most recent report based on Snowden's documents, The Guardian reported on Wednesday on an NSA program that allegedly allows analysts to scour emails, browsing histories and online chats. 

But Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that Snowden could receive asylum in Russia on the condition he stops leaking U.S. secrets. Snowden lawyer Anatoly Kucherena has said Snowden accepted the condition. Kucherena said the material cited in The Guardian newspaper article was provided before Snowden promised to stop leaking. 

The Snowden case has further strained U.S.-Russian ties already tense amid differences over Syria, U.S. criticism of Russia's human rights record and other issues. 

Snowden's father said in remarks broadcast Wednesday on a Russian television that he would like to visit his son. Kucherena said he is arranging the trip. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.