Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: U guys just love to talk ,, eh ?? JB, I know you like to post in quantity and not quality. But be prepared for people to give their opinion on it. The article was made for an audience that was not familiar with Somalia, who will believe his misinformation. Anyone with familiarity knows that the authors claims that since the collapse of Somalia's government in 1991 "access to health facilities, infant mortality has dropped, civil liberties have expanded, and extreme poverty (less than $1 PPP/day) has plummeted." - Are untrue. Even if you were to say that some cities have improved or regions, you know for the vast majority things are not better! This guy is lying! Than again if you find that a nice read, so be it!

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf: opened an additional new terminal that was recently added It becomes more and more clear why places like Awdal, Sool, Sanaag are becoming more restive when all the focus is on the triangle. But I know they will be focused on in the future right?

Silanyo is the best thing to happen to anti-secessionists! To think he hasn't been in power for even 6 months....the rest of his term will be interesting.

Indicators of Somali welfare remain low in absolute terms, but compared to their status under government show a marked advance. Under statelessness life expectancy in Somalia has grown, access to health facilities has increased, infant mortality has dropped, civil liberties have expanded, and extreme poverty (less than $1 PPP/day) has plummeted. This is a nice read?? It is complete lies and misinformation! You know full well that what he states right here is untrue! This is probably the dumbest and most unprofessional article I have ever read. Who is this guy to tell us we are better off? Thanks for the pat on the head Peter! So basically because he feels that the previous regime failed, Somalia is better now? How many regimes has there been that committed atrocities to it's population? The list is long! also did any of these countries give up on finding an alternative government? He wants Somalia to be the only country to not have a government. Somalia is not better off!! The fact that millions of it's Diaspora fled is proof! The fact that the most peaceful area's are also the places that drug dealing is one of the biggest businesses is proof.

I love JB's tactic of quoting something from the same article 5 hours after to bring his thread back up.....man you are not the all-time leader in posts for no reason...I must learn your secrets.

Originally posted by Mintid Farayar: Somaliland has stood by its guns in its independence and it's the U.S. that's shifted by now directly dealing with it. That's great, I think this is the first time that we are all satisfied with the U.S decision. You seem to see it in a positive light and so do we! Perfect!

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: Notwithstanding the gang-signal like secessionist affiliation with Oodweyne here, the absence of Oodweyne from these boards when Somalia’s political events (Somaliland included) are taking a fascinating turn only suggests that he sort of begun to see the writing on the wall as it were as far as the separation of Somalia is concern . SOOOOOOOO TRUE!!! He is the most fascinating of the secessionists! He truely believed despite not being recognized by a single country in the world that his enclave was treated like an official government by other governments! Of course he would never have any evidence to support this, except to tell us about secret behind the scenes meetings going on. Maybe he went back home and is one of the many Diaspora that Silanyo selected. He'd be good at reassuring people that recognition is near and to forget about the U.S policy.

Originally posted by NASSIR: The Insecurity index ratio of Galk'ayo is too high and borders on a war zone. For you to compare it to the peaceful town of Laas Qoray only proves your disingenuity. Again, Piracy has been the main excuse given by the so called Western donors of Somalia. Nassir, the article you posted from Horn Relief does not back up your claim that Laasqoray is a peaceful city. It's not my personal opinion, but your article. It specifically says that the engineers and other staff cannot be sent to Sanaag because of insecurity! Again that is what you posted. It says specifically the "general insecurity in Laasqoray." Furthermore, the increased kidnapping of internationals in Sanaag region and Somalia in general will not allow us to send international staff, including engineers and contractors, to Laas Qoray. Therefore, because of the increased piracy activities, the kidnapping of internationals in Somalia and the insecure environment in our project location especially for our international engineers and other staff working on the jetty plus the general insecurity in Laas Qoray Second, you are said piracy is the killer, but that is not true! Because, with or without piracy, the situation on land is too dangerous according to your report! If people are being kidnapped in Laasqoray then how can you send experts there to over see this project? Like I just said, forget about what is going on in in the sea, the horn relief article does not support your claim that Laasoray is safe enough to invest!

Originally posted by NASSIR: I knew Piracy was the killer (though excuse given by donors) of our development>> This is why you argument is flawed Nassir, you are blaming only piracy for being the "killer of your development." Yet the article you produce from horn relief specifically says this as another reason why they cannot continue the project! You only highlight a portion of the article but not the very next paragraph....unbelievable! Furthermore, the increased kidnapping of internationals in Sanaag region and Somalia in general will not allow us to send international staff, including engineers and contractors, to Laas Qoray. Therefore, because of the increased piracy activities, the kidnapping of internationals in Somalia and the insecure environment in our project location especially for our international engineers and other staff working on the jetty plus the general insecurity in Laas Qoray and Somalia So although Piracy is mentioned as a reason, the fact that Laasqoray has constant kidnappings and other insecurity, professionals and experts cannot be sent there according to your link. In Gaalkayo they have doctors that are taking care of the sick, why? Because they have worked hard on security, they dont find excuses and blame others.

Originally posted by NASSIR: quote: An in-depth interview Fatima Jibrell gave to this local site, Laasqoray.org, highlights both Puntland and Somaliland had created a "huge obstacle" as their final authorization along with Sultan Sa'id was saught.... Nevertheless, it marks fierce economic competition between the elites (warlords in reality) with ties to non-state actors over the exploitation of Somalia's land and marine resources. How else to explain, then, that it took only "security" as a sufficient condition for the realization of this project. In other words, Puntland's high-seas robbery not only painted a bleak prospect for the swift actualization of this seminal work but it contributed to its termination. Loooool, I was waiting for Nassir to put his 2 cents into this issue. I knew he'd blame it on everyone, especially Puntland. Where is the accountability and taking responsibility for your own failings? I remember seeing the pics of the Diaspora around the world holding meetings and gathering money for the Lasqooray port. Where did the money go? It didn't just disappear. What did they do with that money? I seem it was just a con to steal money for some. Because nothing has ever been built with the hard earned money people contributed around the world. Blame Puntland or whoever you want…but we know what leaders from your community were in charge of collecting the millions from the Diaspora for the port and we know nothing was built! They are simply trying to point people in a different directions so their theft is not exposed.

I gave up when it started with "Oprah Winfrey said."

Excellent News! These doctors can't stay here for too long so hopefully they will pass on their knowledge and supplies to local doctors. This is an amazing development and Turkey's help is much appreciated!

Libaahe they had the presidency for many years, it was even extended. Why would that be the reason? Whatever the speculation is....arresting them is meant to send a message to stop others from doing so.

Originally posted by Libaahe*: And now we have a new generation of somalilanders who have never heard of somalia central government or experienced it I agree, and that is why it is even more shocking when you see young people carrying Somalia's blue flag in Borama or news last week that your authorties are arresting people for doing so. What is making guys that never lived under the central government carry the Blue and white flag in Awdal?

Xaaji, I understand you are against it, but let me ask you are you against Ethiopians in Buhoodle or Awdal?

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf: Emir Axmed abdi godane is continuing the struggle against the african invaders Mad Mullah do you see the irony in that? I mean the guy comes from the triangle so Xaaji supports him and says they are invaders. Lol!

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: Was it Ethiopia that kicked u out of Lasanod ?? When the head of your enclave visits the city, then you can claim full control. It has been close to a decade since a person you claim is your pres has visited the city. We even had a friendly bet JB where you were convinced Riyaale would campaign in the city.....which never happened. Instead he sent his vice-pres. So don't start bragging about kicking people out when you can't even ensure your enclaves leader a safe visit. We know what the SSC will do if he dares to show up.

Nassir is so desperate to try and find anything that will criticize the Northern Enclaves...that you will quote a man like Museveni, who has been accused of numerous war crimes. Including meddling in Rwanda, Congo and other war zones. He is a man that shelters groups that have committed genocide and refuses to hand over their leaders to the Hague (mostly likely he is scared he will be implicated). He is the last preson to give his 2 cents into Somalia. No matter what you say Nassir, the fact remains the North is the most Peaceful part of Somalia. They have been the most successful in defeating Al Shabaab...with Atam being the latest victory.

Israel warns of unilateral steps if PA seeks UN statehood By TOVAH LAZAROFF 10/22/2010 Source Gov't source says considering reviving Olmert’s “convergence” ideas for a withdrawal from parts of the West Bank. Israel will pursue its own unilateral steps if the Palestinians do not return to the negotiating table and instead seek UN support for unilateral moves to declare a state within the pre- 1967 lines, a government source told The Jerusalem Post late Thursday night. “If the Palestinians think that unilateral moves are a one-way street, they are sadly mistaken. It is an option that both sides have,” said the source. There was some speculation that Israel may be considering reviving aspects of former prime minister Ehud Olmert’s “convergence” ideas for a unilateral withdrawal from isolated parts of the West Bank, evacuating settlements and deploying soldiers there instead. But there was no official confirmation on Thursday night of any such plans and a settler source dismissed the notion as nonsense. Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, begun in early September, were suspended on September 26 when Israel did not renew its 10-month moratorium on new settlement construction. On Thursday, the PA reiterated that it would only come back to the talks if the freeze were revived, and concern is growing in Jerusalem that the Palestinians are tilting increasingly toward unilateral moves. The government source told the Post that “Israel is against unilateral steps. Israel believes that all problems should be solved around the negotiating table, but if the Palestinians choose unilateral steps, they can expect Israel to respond in kind.” On Wednesday night, indeed, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel needed to show sincerity in the negotiations but it also needed to have a well-developed back-up plan. He spoke in Jerusalem at an event organized by the Jewish People Policy Institute. Hours later, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not be solved through unilateral moves. “There is no substitute for face-to-face discussion and, ultimately, for an agreement that leads to a just and lasting peace,” Clinton said. Israel is said to be exploring a number of unilateral options, but the source would not specify which. Other reportedly mooted ideas include the possibility that Israel would no longer seek an “end of conflict” declaration from the Palestinians — which would presumably lower the price of a non-final deal. The Palestinians would get a state in most of the West Bank, with international safeguards about a future deal, but decisions on Jerusalem and refugees would be put off. The Palestinians are said to adamantly reject any such scenario, fearing that they would lose any further leverage and end up with a mini-state. Former Meretz party head Yossi Beilin said on Thursday, however, that the PA could be persuaded that this is the only way to achieve statehood. “It is better to have something than to have nothing,” he told The Associated Press. Likud Minister Yuli Edelstein said that warnings of possible Israeli unilateral moves were most likely part of the ongoing psychological warfare with the Palestinians. The common wisdom in the government has been to oppose such moves, he said. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and former defense minister Moshe Arens are calling for the West Bank to be annexed and the Palestinians there eventually offered full citizenship — moves that would take Israel a long way toward becoming a binational state. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians continued to rise on Thursday in the wake of a report by AP that construction had begun on 550 new homes since the moratorium expired. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process Robert H. Serry said he was dismayed by the report. “Reports detailing the commencement of hundreds of new Israeli settlement housing units in the occupied Palestinian territory since the 26 September expiry of Israel’s moratorium are alarming,” he said. According to AP, at 550 new housing starts, settlers are building at a rate four time faster than in other years. But this report did not take into account the absence of any new housing starts for the last 10 months as a result of the moratorium. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 2,000 new homes have been built per year, on average, over the past decade, in West Bank settlements. In 2009, for example, work was begun on 1,888 homes over the 11 months before the freeze took effect. In 2008, work was begun on 2,107 new homes. A government source told the Post that the planned construction in the West Bank is “minimal and will in no way affect the final contours of a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians.” A settler source said that AP and Peace Now had inflated the figures, which were half of what was reported.

Originally posted by Captain_Mike20: alxamdulilah i on the other hand, have a state, call it what you want, I can land at Egal international airport at night and move from the djibouti border to las canod without carrying a single weapon. So can 300 ONLF!

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf: Thankful are you telling us somalis can't have big arms lol Gacantiisa weyn ayaaba la yaabanaa markaa sawirka koowdiis kor ku arkay. In uu Soomaali ahayn isla markiiba waaba ka gartay, not because gacanta caddaanteeda but because of weynaanteeda. Soomaali xiito xiito, xayeesi, caato saas ma u gacmo weynee, kuwa dalkeena joogo dhalinta dhuub dhuuban waliba. Gacantaas gacan basal ka dharagtay u egtahay. Xaaji as Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar said right here, he has his doubts as well. You guys are obviously just trying to argue for arguing sake. It is highly unlikely that this guy is Somali, it is obvious, look at every other fighter in the pic or go online and show me a Somali fighter that is his size! Focus on the hands and wrists which you can't make bigger!

As Miskiin Macruuf Aqiyaar has already said and I am sure others have noticed it to, that it is obvious that that guy is not Somali and it's not his skin tone but the size of his arm and hand. Look at the rest of the people there no one is that physically big. Genetics are different!

He went on VOA because he was conducting Damage control. Al Shabaab commonly uses Paltalk as a way to conduct interviews. That was his voice no doubt about it. In Somalia they know it very well, the locals have never ever come to Atam's aid since that interview came out, they have supported Puntland because of that interview on Paltalk. I wonder where he is right now, he has been quiet for a while now. I suspect He will go deeper into the mountains. However, when he decides to set up camp Puntlands troops will kick him out again.

July 2010 first attacking on Attam right around the area's that the mountains begin. October 2010, second battle even deeper into the mountain areas Next battle......?? Atam is on the run he doesn't have time to do radio interviews....where ever he ends up, Puntland will force him out again!

lol, My favorite was when JB said that his militia was assisting Ethiopians only after the ONLF crossed straight through his enclave and into Ethiopia