KENYA: Only four shooters at Kenya mall and they may have escaped alive, says NYPD

Simon Maina / AFP - Getty Images

Gunmen stormed a crowded shopping mall frequented by Westerners in a brazen midday attack

By Tom Winter - NBC News

Only four men may have carried out the attack on a Kenyan mall that killed more than 60 civilians in September, and they probably escaped alive, according to an NYPD report made public Tuesday.

The report debunked many of the assertions made by Kenyan authorities, who claimed that as many as 15 attackers were involved, including some who might be foreign nationals, and that they were holding hostages.

More than 60 civilians and six soldiers died in the Sept. 21 assault by terrorists from the al Qaeda-affiliated group al Shabaab on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. After a two-day siege and a series of explosions, Kenyan authorities said they had cleared the mall and killed four attackers.

At a Manhattan press conference Tuesday morning, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said investigators didn’t know “with certainty” how many people were involved, “but we believe there were only four shooters.”

The NYPD report also said the attackers carried only light weapons, and that there is no evidence any of them tried to take hostages or remained in the mall after 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 22. It also said the female British jihadi known as the “White Widow” was probably never in the mall, despite tabloid rumors, and that the Kenyan military looted the high-end shopping complex.

Lt. Detective Commander Kevin Yorke, who prepared and presented the report, also questioned the Kenyan authorities’ theory that the attackers died when explosions collapsed portions of the mall.

"As a cop, I’m very skeptical of claims until I see proof,” said Yorke, and added that  there is “a lot of doubt in my mind it is true.”

The NYPD sent several detectives to Nairobi with the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate the assault, and Yorke assembled their findings into the report.

Slideshow: Gunmen attack mall in Kenya

Simon Maina / AFP - Getty Images - Gunmen stormed a crowded shopping mall frequented by Westerners in a brazen midday attack

According to the NYPD’s reconstruction of events, the four attackers operated in two-man teams and coordinated their movements by cellphone. After throwing three grenades and entering the mall, they used AK-47s in single-fire mode to shoot their victims. More than one-third of the dead were attending a children’s cooking contest that was being held in tents in the mall’s roof parking lot. The attackers killed them within 15 minutes of arriving at the mall.

The report said the attackers had grenades and several hundred bullets in eight magazines, but no body armor, handguns or heavy weapons. They did not try to take hostages, but killed as many victims as they could, sparing some who could recite Muslim prayers or name the Prophet Mohammed’s mother. A Russian hand grenade was found on the roof with the pin removed but unexploded.

No women were involved. Rumors had circulated during the siege that British citizen Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a suicide bomber who attacked the London train system and killed 26 people as part of the “7/7” plot.

The NYPD report credits private security guards and personnel with clearing many people from the mall, though some may have fired on each other since they didn’t use badges. Some civilians “played dead” as the terrorists walked past, while others who tried to hide, many in small stores, were shot dead.

Kenyan law enforcement initially thought they were responding to an armed robbery at the mall. The first Kenyan tactical team didn’t arrive until 1:45 p.m., about 90 minutes after the attack began, and the Kenyan police commissioner arrived at 1:50 p.m.

The police department tactical team entered the mall at 3 p.m., without police markings or identifications, and were fired on by Kenyan soldiers, killing the commander of the unit.

According to the NYPD report, the responding Kenyans “had no idea what the mall looked like internally,” and didn’t know they could access the closed circuit television system.

One terrorist was shot in the leg. The shooters tilted or destroyed cameras in order to hide their whereabouts. By 6 p.m. they were in a mall storeroom near the loading docks, and waited there for six hours, tending their wounded comrade and praying. They can no longer be seen on closed circuit footage after 12:15 p.m., when the NYPD believes they slipped away.

The siege continued for two more days. In his presentation, Yorke dismissed the Kenyan government’s claims that 10 to 15 shooters were involved or that the terrorists had created smoke by setting mattresses on fire. He said he didn’t know what had caused the mall to collapse, but said the Kenyan military may have used rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles on the building, and that heat from fires caused by the explosions may have weakened the poorly built structure.

Yorke said that while the Kenyan military may not have killed any of the attackers, there was “significant” physical and video evidence that they had looted the mall.

Source: 

Project XPat: Turkey Ball In Djibouti

Rachel Pieh Jones

Here in the States, many folks play American-made football — touch, not tackle — on Thanksgiving Day after the megameal.

But in other parts of the world, no one will be the wiser if you make a substitution — and play American-made baseball. Turkey Ball instead of Turkey Bowl, perhaps?

That has become the tradition for Rachel Pieh Jones and her family in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. "We cook, entirely from scratch," says Rachel — transplanted from Minnesota — whose husband, Tom, teaches at the University of Djibouti. "Pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing, dinner rolls. If we're lucky, we have a turkey. If not, we substitute rotisserie chicken or Chinese take-out."

After the Thanksgiving repast, the Jones family joins "other expats — not all Americans — for the annual baseball game," says Rachel, who about the expat experience. "We take over a soccer field and play until dark. Not all know how to play; some run the bases backwards, throw the bat or just play catch."

At day's end, everyone from all over the world gets together for desserts — from all over the world.

**

We hope American expatriates will share photos of Thanksgiving celebrations and tables and gatherings from around the world. Please send them to us on Thanksgiving Day — and over the long holiday weekend — at or post them using the hashtag #nprexpat. We will display as many as we can.

Hussein Halane tops the candidates to replace Somalia’s outgoing PM

Hussein Abdi Halane

By Somalicurrent

Hussein Abdi Halane is the leading candidate to replace the outgoing Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdi Farah Shirdon, Somali Current sources reveal.

Somali Federal Parliament ousted Shirdon on October 2, after lawmakers criticized his low performance and lack of activities as the country’s Prime Minister, during his year in office.

SC sources close to the Presidential Palace confirm that Hussein Halane is the ideal candidate to replace Shirdon, although he faces a stiff competition from Abdiwahid Elmi Gonjeh, who was the Deputy Prime Minister and federal Minister for Transport during PM Omar Abdirashid’s term.

Halane is a well-regarded figure in the international community and was the former Minister of Finance of the previous Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, led by PM Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

He has been working with Non-profit humanitarian organizations in the last 23 years. In addition, he was the country director of Save the Children.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who has 19 days to appoint his next Prime Minister, will have to choose between Halane and Gonjeh, according the Somali Current sources.

Gonjeh was presented himself as a candidate in Somalia’s 2012 presidential elections and later he was among resigned candidates.

Number of politicians has presented themselves to the President in an attempt to win his confidence, and sudden change may happen anytime.

Nuradin Dirie, who was among the presidential candidates in 2009 Puntland Elections, is also among the candidates running for the post.

Nuradin served as senior special advisor to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to appoint his new Prime Minister in the next two weeks.

[By: Mohamed Farah and Tahlil Hassan]

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation expresses condolences upon Nelson Mandela's death

by MIF

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation wishes to express its great sadness upon the passing of Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa.

Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said:

“Nelson Mandela, the man who inspired our work to fight for better leadership, the father of African good governance, has died. Today we are orphans.

The way to honour his life is to double our efforts to secure development, democracy, justice and dignity across Africa. Our mission must be to complete his work.

Madiba somehow embodied the tenacity of the fighter with an overwhelming humanity and humility. We have much to learn from his example.

Our condolences to his family, comrades, the South African Nation, but above all to Africa and Africans. Today we are all orphans.”

For his outstanding contribution to governance and leadership in Africa, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation made Nelson Mandela an honorary laureate of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2007. His legacy continues through the work of three Foundations he created: The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and The Mandela-Rhodes Foundation.

Ethiopia spearheads green energy in Africa

 

Ashegoda - From the sky, the 84 glimmering white turbines at Ashegoda wind farm shoot up from the ground like massive spokes, standing out high amid vast expanses of yellow wheat.

Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, mostly populated by cattle farmers who grow the country's staple grains, is an unlikely site for a modern French-run wind farm, let alone sub-Saharan Africa's largest.

With its multi-billion dollar projects in wind, hydropower, solar and geothermal energy, Ethiopia's pioneering green energy efforts aim to supply power to its 91 million people and boost its economy by exporting power to neighbouring countries.

"Ethiopia stands alone in Africa as using green energy for transformative growth," said Ahmed Soliman, from Britain's Chatham House think tank.

Current energy production capacity stands at 2 177MW, with ambitions to reach 10 000MW by 2015.

Ashegoda's turbines, which tower above young boys in tattered clothes watching over their livestock, have a total capacity of 120MW, making it the biggest on the sub-continent.

Growing interest

The project was built by France's Vergnet Group, and is the first of several planned wind farms in the country, including a 204MW Chinese-built site under construction in the southeast.

Ashegoda, 780km from Addis Ababa, is part of ambitious plans to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income, carbon-neutral country by 2025.

The $313m wind farm, funded by the French government and several private French banks, is an indication of growing interest from European companies in Ethiopia, where Chinese, Indian and Turkish investments are also growing.

Both France and Ethiopia's government are "very enthusiastic to reinforce even more links", said Romano Coutrot, site manager at the wind farm, adding Ashegoda is one of Vergnet's "most important" projects globally.

The project took four years to complete and became fully operational in October, but faced several hurdles along the way.

Soaring up to 80m high, the turbines had to be driven to landlocked Ethiopia on semi-paved roads from Djibouti, which posed a major challenge.

Completion was further delayed to relocate the site 5km north after the aviation authority said it was interfering with its airspace.

Coutrot admitted that doing business in Ethiopia can be challenging, with infrastructure shortfalls and crippling bureaucracy.

"The taxation system, customs, the relationship with authorities, it's sometimes a bit difficult," he said, speaking from his office on site amid the imposing turbines.

Ethiopia ranks 125 out of 189 countries on the World Bank's ease of doing business index.

"Government services like customs, land issues, other government services are improving," said Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu, insisting the government was committed to improving conditions for investors.

Aggressive investments

The government says its investment in green energy is a central pillar of its development plan, crucial in a country where the majority of people live on less than $2 a day.

"Health, education, communication, water supply, industry, these all need sustainable and reliable power supply," Alemayehu said.

Only 53% of the country currently has access to electricity, with large swathes of Ethiopia's rural regions in the dark and relying on firewood for basic household needs.

"Unless you have this kind of ambitious plan, the pace of population pressure will take over and you won't see any change," said Belay Simane, professor of environment at Addis Ababa University.

The country is already exporting power to Djibouti and Sudan, with a line to transport energy to Kenya under construction.

Soliman said it will solidify Ethiopia's role as a leader in green energy in the region.

"Ethiopia will have a competitive regional advantage, not having to rely on economically and technically less-feasible sources of energy such as gas or oil to meet growing demands, which many East African countries are doing," Soliman said.

The hard currency earned from these power exports will go toward increasing the number of renewable energy projects in Ethiopia, according to the government.

Heavy investment in the green energy sector extends beyond economics: the country is keen to avoid the mistakes of countries such as China or India, that experienced rapid economic growth but with grave environmental costs.

"If we invest in these resources, we can develop in a green way without affecting the environment like they did in Europe," said Fisseha Gebremichael, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation's Ashegoda project manager.

Alemeyahu said he hopes Ethiopia's aggressive investments in wind and other renewable energy resources will persuade other African countries to follow suit.

"We don't want to keep African populations in the dark for a long time, we have to run very fast to access light for industry and for social and economic development," he said.

- AFP

Saudi Billionaire Plans Two Cement Plants in Ethiopia

By William Davison - 

Saudi billionaire Mohammed al-Amoudi, the biggest private investor in Ethiopia, plans to build two more cement factories in the Horn of Africa nation amid an improving investment environment.

The plants will add to the $351 million facility al-Amoudi’s MIDROC Derba Cement opened in December 2011, the 67-year-old investor said in an interview today in the capital, Addis Ababa. Derba Group, an amalgam of three Ethiopian companies owned by al-Amoudi, plans to invest $3.4 billion in Ethiopia over the next 5 years, the company said in March 2012.

“Africa’s opportunity lies in involvement of private sector working with stable and responsible government like Ethiopia,” al-Amoudi said in a speech at the African High-Growth Markets Summit in Addis Ababa. Continuing improvements in the business climate will probably to lead to a “great” increase in investment, he said, without elaborating.

Ethiopian-born Al-Amoudi ranks as the world’s 134th richest person, with a net worth estimated at $8.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is the second-richest person inSaudi Arabia, after Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Ethiopia’s economy is projected to expand 7.5 percent next year, compared with an estimated 7 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said in its World Economic Outlook in October.

Three farming companies owned by al-Amoudi developed 62,000 hectares (153,205 acres) of land in Ethiopia, al-Amoudi said. Elfora Agro-Industries, Horizon Plantations Ethiopia and Saudi Star Agricultural Development will have prepared an additional 160,000 hectares in the next 2 1/2 to 3 years.

Source: bloomberg.com

SOMALIA: Puntland President announces Conflict Resolution Committee, candidates reject to endorse

Garowe  - Puntland regional President Abdurahman Mohamed Farole, who is also a presidential candidate has today appointed the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Committee which will be responsible in selecting and vetting the region’s new upcoming parliament members ahead of the presidential election, RBC Radio.

The region is preparing for presidential election in January 2014 facing high number of candidates running for the presidency in the next four years.

“The appointed committee members are from all the regions of Puntland as I hope they will have the confidence of the candidates and the people.” Farole said during a press conference in Garowe Presudency today.

Following are the eight members of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Committee appointed by President Farole;

1, Eng, Yuusuf Abshir Cadami                                   Chairperson

2, Cismaan guureeye Kaarshe                                   Member

3,Eng, Maxamuud Axmed Xasan                               Member

4,Maxamed Cabdulaahi Faarax                                 Member

5,Caaqil Cabdiraxmaan Axmed Xaaji Diiriye             Member

6, Caaqil Abshir Cabdiraxman Caraale (Dhegcas)    Member

7,Caaqil Siciid Xasan Xaaji yuusuf (Warabecade)     Member

8,Maxamed Cabduqaadir Cismaan                           Secretariat

But soon after President Farole released the list, the other candidates of the current presidential election opposed to endorse the committee and called as “illegal committee”.

SOMALIA: Puntland President announces Conflict Resolution Committee, candidates reject to endorse

Garowe  - Puntland regional President Abdurahman Mohamed Farole, who is also a presidential candidate has today appointed the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Committee which will be responsible in selecting and vetting the region’s new upcoming parliament members ahead of the presidential election, RBC Radio.

The region is preparing for presidential election in January 2014 facing high number of candidates running for the presidency in the next four years.

“The appointed committee members are from all the regions of Puntland as I hope they will have the confidence of the candidates and the people.” Farole said during a press conference in Garowe Presudency today.

Following are the eight members of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Committee appointed by President Farole;

1, Eng, Yuusuf Abshir Cadami                                   Chairperson

2, Cismaan guureeye Kaarshe                                   Member

3,Eng, Maxamuud Axmed Xasan                               Member

4,Maxamed Cabdulaahi Faarax                                 Member

5,Caaqil Cabdiraxmaan Axmed Xaaji Diiriye             Member

6, Caaqil Abshir Cabdiraxman Caraale (Dhegcas)    Member

7,Caaqil Siciid Xasan Xaaji yuusuf (Warabecade)     Member

8,Maxamed Cabduqaadir Cismaan                           Secretariat

But soon after President Farole released the list, the other candidates of the current presidential election opposed to endorse the committee and called as “illegal committee”.

Somalia: Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa Bans Schoolbooks Promoting Suicide Bombings

BY OSMAN MOHAMUD

Mogadishu — Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa (ASWJ) has banned schools in Somalia's central regions from using a book entitled "Islamic Education", which contains chapters that justify the use of suicide bombers and promote the notion of apostasy.

ASWJ had implemented a similar ban on schools in the regions under its control five years ago and renewed it November 18th after it was discovered that various schools started using the book in question, ASWJ's Executive Committee Deputy Chairman Ahmed Abdullahi Mohamud told Sabahi.

ASWJ appointed a committee to look into the book's content and ordered schools to stop using it after they found text that used language that justified suicide bombing, Mohamud said.

The ban has affected more than 50 schools in the districts of Dhusamareb, Adado, Guriel, Harardhere, Hobyo and several other areas in central Somalia, he said.

"[The book] is from an educational curriculum that is said to have been prepared for all of Somalia by the Ministry of Development and Social Affairs," Mohamud said. "These books were brought to the regions controlled by Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa to be taught in elementary, middle and high schools."

Mohamud said ASWJ had not reported its findings to the federal government, but he said the government was aware of the issue "from the media or through other means".

He expressed concern that the book's extreme ideology has been spread to most of the provinces in Somalia.

"I would like to call on the top leaders of the government to pay attention to this matter and not trivialise it because it is incomprehensible to teach two million children that suicide bombing is a [religious] duty," he said.

However, schools contacted by Sabahi in the Benadir region said they were not using the book in question.

For his part, Mohamed Abdulkadir Nur, head of the education department at the Ministry of Development and Social Affairs, said the allegations against the government by ASWJ were baseless.

"So far there have been no books based on a new Somali education curriculum that [the department of education] has issued or delivered anywhere in Somalia. The accusations from ASWJ are unfounded," Nur told Sabahi.

Books used in schools around the country are chosen by various school associations that work independently, he said.

Any issues concerning education should be reported directly to the department of education, Nur added, noting that his office found out about the allegations through the media.

Combating al-Shabaab's distorted ideology:

Residents of the districts where the books were banned welcomed ASWJ's decision, but remain confused about who is supplying the book.

Farah Jama, a store owner in Dhusamareb, said he is not clear on who exactly provided the books but welcomed the fact that the extreme ideology espoused in the book is being rejected by Somalis.

"It is something to be happy about that books talking about terrorism are prohibited in schools," he said. "The important thing is that the public [continue] to work together to fight these types of dangers," he said, urging all communities in Somalia to monitor schoolbooks and reject anything that contains ideology that supports terrorism.

Asha Samatar, a 42-year-old mother of eight and Dhusamareb resident, said she was surprised when she heard that al-Shabaab's distorted ideology was incorporated into local school curriculums.

"I am happy that Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa clerics, who have a deep understanding of the religion, are prohibiting our children from being taught al-Shabaab's wrong ideology about suicide bombing," she told Sabahi. "All praise is due to God for guiding our clerics to prevent such dangers."

"I have no idea what to do," said Sadia Mohamed, a 35-year-old mother of four who lives in Guriel district. "I would like to educate my children, but I was deeply shocked when I heard that the new curriculum [allegedly] prepared by the government includes lessons instructing children that suicide bombing is an obligation. Thank God they have banned [the book] from the schools."

"A child is not born believing in suicide bombing and viewing other Muslims as infidels," she told Sabahi. "This is an idea that is indoctrinated and it will cause many societal problems if it is not combated."

Source: Sabahionline.com

Somalia

Court Declines to Release Four Westgate Attack Suspects On Bail 

Four suspected terrorists behind Westgate shopping mall attack have been denied bail. Nairobi Chief Magistrate Kiarie … see m

Somalia: Court Declines to Release Four Westgate Attack Suspects On Bail

Four suspected terrorists behind Westgate shopping mall attack have been denied bail. Nairobi Chief Magistrate Kiarie Waweru has declined to release the four on bail cited security concerns in the country as reason behind his ruling.

Waweru added that public safety supersedes individual rights not to be detained. The accused are Mohamed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullah Omar, Adan Mohamed and Hussein Hassan Mustafah.

The magistrate also noted that investigations regarding the suspects are underway in various countries and releasing them could jeopardise such. The case will be mentioned on December 18, 2013.

Somalia

The Distrust of Prime Minister Shirdon Would Be the Disbelief of All Somali Institutions 

Yesterday morning; the Somali Parliament in Mogadishu has voted no confidence in the Prime Minister's claim for Shirdon … see more »