Bosmanoglu, Ignore the trolls. This Xabad character comes across as if a prowler in the pauper house with little misinformation. in his last post, i think he was complimenting the Turks and the expression which alluded him was "big-headed" and not "pig-headed" unless that is what is common in his circles, in which case, as i said he is a coaster in the tenement with very little in the cerebral compartment, and could do with more history lessons. just see if you could make sense of his argument about the Democrats in the US. A word to the wise, if you want to engage Somalis, you must come armed with a thick skin and be ready to be confused. Out goes historical facts, rationale or research-based data. just like trying to have a sensible conversation with your average Merican. For what it is worth, i do not follow Turkish involvement in Somalia, good or bad, and could not comment on its engagement. i would say however Erdogan is a hero and has done what others could not in the case of Somalia. Somalia is a shite experiment for African despot. how the mighty has fallen. so anything Turks or other muslims do are more than welcome. i'd rather be wronged by the well-meaning, even if thieving, muslims than the deceitful evangelical missionaries or their well-fed pagans.

Wow Salax, how many years have we gone back? what is this rubbish about laandheere you are speaking of? with that mindset, Wadani will be no different from Kulmiye as Kulmiye proved no different, but worse in some estimates than Udub. A cycle with no ending in sight. not smart politics if you ask me. i hope that was a joke.

It is not Sasab, but hoga-tusaalayn. it is one thing to oppose and register your dislike of Silanyo but another to be wholly preoccupied with him to the point of obsession. that was all. And he will go very soon and good riddance. Will Biixi or Cirro be any better? Time will tell. I do hope Jamal with his inexperience be elected. By the way Mooge, I do not mind Silanyo, but then again I do not believe everything people say like his financing Al-shabaab. you are giving him too much credit. where did he get the money from. his government's salaries are paid by the world bank and undp. the man is pennyless. do not let the overhyped budget, based on mere projections and midha geed saarab, dupe you.

His problems are of multifold and there is no denying of that. However, postponing elections was a bad decision, but that was just an effect. there were two causes: a) the secondary cause for the delay was lack of funds. 75% of the funds are paid for by the IC. b) the primary cause funds had been stopped, as I hear, was because of the destabilisation and hostilities he engaged in Sool and Ayn. again, amateur political decision-making via the kitchen cabinet and his own doing. A bigger problem was disbanding the founders of the Kulmiye party. to me, the day A/Rahman A/Qadir was forcefully and physically removed was the day he buried the party and dug his own grave. it was no longer politicking or democratic, but tyrannical and rudderless.

Saalax, Yes, he engaged in some darn, if amateur political decision-making via his kitchen cabinet, but Somaliland is in a much better place today than it was 3 years ago. the main repurational downfall you are noticing is the federal government in Xamar is making tiny progress and that is where the IC is focusing all its efforts on. a wrong strategy I think, but who am i to think so.

The only concern is funds shortage. 2m is hardly sufficient for a project of this grandeur.

Those are fair points. as bad as he is, as a betting man, my penny would be on Silanyo any day of the week. there is a steadiness about him which is innate and only comes with experience, which Riyaale lacked.

That might be just wishful thinking, but at the end bitter than worm-wood. just look at Gaas in Puntland. Still, i was hoping Jamal and A/Rashid would have stood a better chance in assuming the leadership, but that now looks improbable if the mad dog has a say in the matter. As the old saying goes "Layli aan la hubin, Hayin la liiqaa ka haboon". All in all, I am on the fence.

Saalax, Technically speaking, Silanyo and Riyaale are not even of the same calibre. Riyaale was a low-level security officer, but there is a paradigm shift in the regional politics. when Riyaale was organising elections, he had the financial support and backing of the IC who finance elections. Silanyo has neither of those and that is not entirely his fault, partly yes. The name of the game now is Xamar-centric where back then it was a mess. so, do consider the maneauvering and shift of priorities in the regional politics. Remember, Somalis of all regions are just pawns being moved at will, and of IC's volition not their own. Somalia is no longer a de jure as a country.

Great initiative. Saalax, it might be about time you have parked the anti-Silanyo bus on the kerb side. the old man has sprinted much farther than he could possibly have done and has reached at the end of the road. he is not fully all there and not all his compartments are functional. the future is within reach. Mind you, when Silanyo is all done and dusted, and is no longer, you will have missed him. Just like some are now missing Riyale, and others are reminiscing of ina Cigaal, one of the worse, the father of all corruption, and the man whose decadent legacy his successors continue peddling.

This is well gorgeous. Daalo and Xaafuun are also as beautiful. that whole terrain along the coast line is breath-taking.

This is a very important project for the whole region. And the Makhir university project coupled with the Bossaso airport and expansion of Bossaso port all people of the region will greatly benefit.

Mate, When people are desperate they do desperate things. Do not focus on the negative. the least you could do is to empathise, and do not whatever you do, kick a man while he is down. otherwise your brays are no different from those of a well-fed donkey. imagine yourself in their place for a moment and thank Allah for sparing you. You should be thinking about ways to help them, and not looking down on them, or pissing on their backs with your rice-filled belly afloat and your freshly-brewed latte in hand.

Good to know. i must say i loved Bosaso though not as much as Garowe. a busy, and growing city all round full of bustle & hussle.

Very good. can I open an account? if so, what are the requirements? can I access my funds while in the west or Middle East?

Exactly my sentiment and a clear example of cognitive dissonance. if these folks lived back in Somalia, i would have said they know no better, but the sad thing is, they were or their parents were at one time or another in that very same position. Same case as the poor black Americans campaigning for Trump's neocon ideologies or latinos campaigning against legalisation. these arguments sound alike those of the neo-Nazis in Cologne, Germany.

So sad. these are young people. by the way, no boat carrying migrants leaves Bosaso. instead brokers use remote makeshift boatyards for fear of being caught and imprisoned with their dhows confiscated.

Turkey must be thanked for doing what Somalis could not do for themselves, and others failed or dared not do. it has done more in Somalia in the last few years than the EU and US put together in 20 years and for that Turkey must be thanked and remembered. Only Arab countries have done more but Somalis do not acknowledge that. On the army front, Somalia needs a proper "national" army but i do not think its current leaders have what it takes to build a "national" force. plus neighbouring countries have not forgotten the 70s and do not want to see a strong, united Somali national army which is deemed a threat to their own security. What is in Xamar today could not be classified as a national force. i admire the current commander of the national army. he is a true soldier with the right military training but he has no army or junior officers to work with. however I envisage a national army arising from federal member states where each would create its own local army, and then start formulating a nationalisation programme of state forces under a federal command and control centre. this is where Turkey comes in by training junior officers and by instilling army discipline in young cadets who aspire to be army officers and generals. it is not as if Turkey is unfamiliar with that strategy. just check into its history and consider what successive rulers incl. Sultan Soleiman had done to not only conquer, but expand their reigns in Eastern Europe.

what a bloody nutter. as you said he sounds like a typical redneck in red states in Merica.

Galbeedi, I think when Phase II has been completed the cost would exceed 20 million from what I hear. i am glad Bosaso finally got a decent airport. i wonder where you could book a flight. i am planning to visit the old country in the summer with Bosaso being my target destination at first. True, ladies forced the flavour to the fore.

Bosmanoglu, I absolutely agree with respect to the issue concerning tradition vis-a-vis Islam. I was having that very conversation with a hardline Republican ex-army colleague who had trouble differentiating the two. Arab culture, with its jahiliya customs, is not wholly Islamic the same way Pakistani or Malay cultures are not. This is where the west struggles with Islam. Some of the practices I saw in Xinjiang region of China, a predominantly Muslim region are highly UnIslamic yet perceived as if. The same is true with Somalis and other nationalities. Galbeedi, I think you will enjoy it even more if you take the family and unlike other west European countries, cost-wise it is not prohibitive - relative I know - with the US dollar, Euro or Sterling currencies going a long way. it is much better than Dubai, the Las Vegas of the Middle East. the downside is most Turks speak very little English with the average Turk being as proud as a mule in its natural habitat full of fodder and chaff with less care for the rest of the world, except perhaps Italy and Germany of which influences are evident in its culture from architecture to manufacturing to language. Arab and Farsi cultures are very visible in all aspects. Xabad, I was referring to the mention of satire in your earlier post in the west versus the muslim world. Good to be back into the fold. what happened to the forum? it is as if it was declared mortuum with new names and faces abound.

Xabad, Conservative muslim culture deeply rooted in venerable morality and decency in conduct and ethos is no comparison to the decadency of the more socially liberal, if mature western cultures. nevertheless, not so long ago, in the western world, someone would be hung for speaking ill of, or speaking truth to power. let us not be hasty. else, Aesop's famous fable of the Lion and the Antelope will come to pass.

Well, according to Gaas the original budget was 6.3 million US dollars but it cost three times as much. not exact figure but you get the drift. i am not Mooge by the way.

Well then, I am glad so long as you are not an imposter. tell you what, I toured Turkey in the summer of 2015 from Taqsim Maydani square to Antalya to Marmaris to Euphesus to the recently finished underwater rail system built by Japan to Instanbul to Ankara, and come back with greater respect for its culture, history, cuisine, and politics. Bosphorus rail tunnel is a modern marvel. I must say I admire Erdogan along with Ataturk for what they have done for modern Turkey. I am yet to see any Muslim country including Saudia with as many mosques and learning institutions in its major cities as Turkey. Harika elalem ve ülke.

In all seriousness, Hargeysa is now much larger and prettier than it was back in the 60s. May it grow with grace and glamour.