GULF OF ADEN Sep. 20, 2010 : Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Toowoomba Boarding Party conducts a thorough and effective search. The search of the suspect vessel revealed a cache of weapons including a Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher (RPG), six AK47 Assault Rifles, a G3 Assault Rifle and a large quantity of ammunition.

HMAS Toowoomba successfully thwarted a piracy attack by answering a call for assistance and conducting a boarding of a suspect vessel, 50 miles off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Late on Sunday night Australian time (September 20), Toowoomba responded to an emergency radio call from the Merchant Vessel BBC Portugal, which reported sighting a boat carrying a group of armed personnel closing at high speed. Under the command of Commander Ivan Ingham, Toowoomba immediately responded to the developing situation by moving to the scene at high speed to investigate and provide assistance.

 

Source : MP.net

AMISOM hands over two generators to Benadir Hospital in Mogadishu

 MOGADISHU, Somalia, March 1, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has handed over two generators to Benadir Hospital. Presenting the generators, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Honorable Wafula Wamunyinyi said AMISOM is making good progress in the implementation of projects in support of the people of Somalia as outlined during its press briefing on February 17th, 2012.
“The two generators are 110 KVA and 60 KVA respectively and have been purchased at a cost of 91,300 United States Dollars. The donation of these two generators is part of AMISOM’s Humanitarian Support to the people of Somalia and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to alleviating the suffering of Somali civilians.” Said Honorable Wamunyinyi.
The donation of the two generators will help provide reliable electricity for water pump, x‐ray, laboratory and operating theatres as well as facilitating training of medical students and help in improving security due to the presence of functioning security lights.
The Minister of Health of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, H.E. AbdiAziz Sheikh applauded AMISOM for the donation of the two generators saying it will help in reducing some of the problems the hospital was facing regarding inadequate electricity supply.
He said; “I’m happy to witness the handover of the generators to Benadir hospital as it demonstrates once again AMISOM’s strong commitment to improving the lives of the people of Somalia through the enhancement of capacity for medical institutions.”
AMISOM’s Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Mr. Abdul Diagabate said; “AMISOM hopes to contribute to efforts aimed at uplifting people’s living standards in achieving the millennium development goals.”
SOURCE
African Union Mission for Somalia (AMISOM)

Somalia, AU Troops Capture al-Shabab Stronghold

Mars 02, 2012
Source: Voice of America
             Africa Defense Journal

Somali government and African Union forces have seized an area on the outskirts of Mogadishu from al-Qaida-linked rebels.

Officials say the forces launched an attack to seize Maslah from militant group al-Shabab early Friday. Witnesses report the troops seized control of the northern area after a gunbattle that lasted several hours.

The African Union force, known as AMISOM, said the operation was meant to deny al-Shabab an area from which it had launched attacks in the capital.

Somali government and AU forces pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu last year but the militant group has since carried out deadly suicide bombings in the city.

The group, which recently formalized an alliance with al-Qaida, is the target of a regional offensive backed by the AU, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

Al-Shabab is fighting Somalia’s weak transitional government in an attempt to impose its strict version of Islamic law on the country.

The group once controlled nearly all of the capital and most of southern and central Somalia. But it has steadily lost ground for the past 18 months.

Somali government and Ethiopian troops recently took the key towns of Beledweyne and Baidoa, while Kenyan troops have seized areas in the south.

Last month, al-Qaida announced a formal alliance with al-Shabab, though the groups are thought to have had informal ties for several years.

Les Shebab appellent les Somaliens à la résistance (2/3)

jeudi 1 mars 2012

Après la conférence de Londres du 23 février la réaction des Shebab ne s'est pas faite attendre.

Le jour même, les Shabab ont beaucoup réagit sur Twitter.Le groupe a investi ce réseau social récemment sous le nom de HSLPress : Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen Press Office. Il est vrai qu’ils ne sont pas mauvais en communication, voire meilleurs que le gouvernement fédéral de transition somalien. Jeudi dernier, ils ont tenté de réveiller la fibre nationaliste et parfois xénophobe des somaliens.

Dans les grandes lignes : aux appels au dialogue ils ont répondu qu'il en était hors de question en cette période d’ "invasion et d’occupation". A plusieurs reprises ils ont évoqué une "croisade des chrétiens". Mais aussi qu’ils n’allaient pas revenir sur leurs objectifs de mettre en place un régime basé sur la sharia, que l’approche coordonnée proposé par le Premier ministre britannique et les tentatives visant à "morceler la nation somalienne" ne réussiraient pas, les "interventions étrangères" veulent uniquement faire plier les "musulmans somaliens". Ils appellent aussi les musulmans somaliens à refuser toute constitution "dictée par les forces étrangères".

Source: http://goodmorningafrika.blogspot.com/2012/03/les-shebab-appellent-les-somaliens-la.html