The administration of Barack Obama, the US president, has confirmed reports of supplying arms to Somali government forces battling Islamist fighters known as al-Shabaab. US officials say they hope their assistance will stop Somalia's government from collapsing. Al Jazeera's Monica Villamizar reports.

A Somali child eats his meagre meal at the U.N. registration center in Dagahaley refugee camp in Daadab, northern Kenya on Thursday June 25, 2009. The bloody conflict in Somalia has created the world's largest refugee camp, with 500 hungry and exhausted refugees pouring into this wind-swept camp in neighboring Kenya every day, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Dadaab, just 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Somali border, is home to more than 280,000 refugees in an area meant to hold just 90,000. (AP Photo/Malkhadir Muhumed) Somalis create world's largest refugee camp By MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED – 16 hours ago DADAAB, Kenya (AP) — The bloody conflict in Somalia has created the world's largest refugee camp, with 500 hungry and exhausted refugees pouring into this wind-swept camp in neighboring Kenya every day, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. Dadaab, just 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Somali border, is home to more than 280,000 refugees in an area meant to hold just 90,000. So far this year, the U.N. refugee agency has registered nearly 38,000 new arrivals, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said Friday. The vast majority of them are fleeing violence and poverty in Somalia as Islamic insurgents try to topple the government. "It is hunger and destitution that drove us from our country," Abdullahi Abdi Dahir, 50, said earlier this week. He fled Somalia with his wife and their five children, the youngest just 3 months old. "All we need now is something to eat and a shelter for the family." Since May 7, fighting between Islamist insurgent groups and government forces has killed at least 225 people, and displaced nearly 170,000 from their homes in the capital, Mogadishu. The three camps that make up Dadaab were established in 1991 after Somali warlords toppled dictator Siad Barre and carved the country into armed camps ruled by clan law. The area was never meant to hold so many people, and overcrowding has become a massive problem. "The new influx of refugees is putting more pressure on an already aged infrastructure," said Anne Campbell, head of the UNHCR's office in Dadaab. "We are appealing to the Kenyan government to provide us land to settle them (new refugees), and call on the donors to give us the funding we need to set up a new camp and upgrade the old ones." Many longtime refugees also lament the fact that they cannot leave the camp to make a life in Kenya. The government has strict rules requiring them to stay, arguing that integration into Kenya is not a "durable solution" for refugees. Kenya closed its border in January 2007 to prevent Islamists fleeing Somalia from entering the country, but the closure also has forced refugees to sneak into Kenya. Some refugees, like Dahir's family, avoid border points entirely and use donkey routes in the bush. Dahir said the trip to the refugee camp took his family 10 days, two of which they walked on foot. He said he begged drivers of the cars heading for border towns to take his family. The Dadaab camp complex is the world's largest refugee camp, followed by Tindouf in Algeria, where some 90,000 are staying, according to UNHCR. Before this year's influx of refugees began at Dadaab, the refugees were complaining about shortage of services and aged infrastructure, such as health, sanitation and water systems. The U.N. said it needs funding to build 39,000 new latrines to cater for the increasing number of refugees. "The consequences of not having a functioning water system and adequate latrines could be very severe," said Daniel Dickinson, spokesman for the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office, which is spending $4 million to repair the aged water system in the camps and says it will build more than 5,000 latrines for refugees this year. "Certainly there could be a humanitarian catastrophe if these people are not getting enough water." But those fleeing violence care less about the aged facilities or the overflowing camps. Reaching safe camps, away from bullets and grinding poverty in Somalia, is all Dahir's wife, Hawo Ahmed, needs. "If you get food, what else do you need?" she said while breast-feeding her youngest child. "He will not get enough milk, I know. But when we settle down and I get enough food to eat, he will get sufficient milk." Associated Press Writer Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

U.S. Has Sent 40 Tons of Munitions to Aid Somali Government By Mary Beth Sheridan Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 27, 2009 The U.S. government has provided about 40 tons of weapons and ammunition to shore up the besieged government of Somalia in the past six weeks and has sent funding to train Somali soldiers, a senior State Department official said yesterday, in the most complete accounting to date of the new American efforts in the strife-torn country. The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the military aid was worth less than $10 million and had been approved by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the National Security Council. "We do not want to see Somalia become a safe haven for foreign terrorists," the official said. Hard-line Islamist rebels allegedly linked to al-Qaeda have launched an offensive to topple Somalia's relatively moderate government, which has appealed to the United States and other African countries for help. The fighting has killed 250 civilians and forced more than 160,000 people out of their homes in the past month, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. In an indication of the rebels' growing power, they held a ceremony Thursday in the capital, Mogadishu, in which they chopped off a hand and foot from each of four men convicted of stealing cellphones and other items, according to news reports from the region. The punishment was in line with the rebels' harsh version of Islam. The United States considers the rebel group, al-Shabab, a terrorist organization. Somalia has been racked by violence since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. U.S. officials say the bloodshed and lawlessness in the country have caused a massive outflow of refugees and contributed to an upsurge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden. The country has also become a haven for al-Qaeda operatives alleged to have carried out attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, U.S. officials say. The African Union has sent troops from Uganda and Burundi to help Somalia's fragile government keep order. The U.S. aid does not involve the deployment of any troops to Somalia, where 18 American soldiers were killed in the 1993 raid depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down." In order to strengthen Somalia's military, the U.S. government is providing cash to its government to buy weapons, and has asked Ugandan military forces there to give Somali soldiers small arms and ammunition, the official said. The U.S. government is then resupplying the Ugandans, he said. The U.S. government will also help pay for the Kenyan, Burundi and Ugandan militaries to train Somali soldiers, and is providing logistical support for the African Union troops, the official said. Clinton called Somalia's president, Sharif Ahmed, in recent weeks to consult on the crisis, according to another U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment. He said the U.S. aid would likely encourage other African countries to do more to help Somalia's government. U.S. officials accuse Eritrea of supporting the Somali rebels as part of a proxy war with its rival, Ethiopia. But efforts by State Department officials to meet with the Eritrean government have been fruitless so far, the official said.

US Providing 'Urgent' Arms Aid to Somali Government By David Gollust The State Department 25 June 2009 Islamist fighters, seen, during clashes with Somali government soldiers, in Mogadishu (file photo) Islamist fighters, seen, during clashes with Somali government soldiers, in Mogadishu (file photo) The State Department said Thursday the United States is providing urgent military aid to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, the TFG, to help it repel what is termed an "onslaught" by Islamist rebels. U.S. officials are also renewing their criticism of alleged Eritrean support for Somali extremists. The Obama administration, which has given strong political support to the besieged Somali administration, is backing that up with an emergency shipment of weapons and ammunition help prevent a militant takeover of the chronically-unstable African state. The U.S. arms aid, first reported Thursday by the Washington Post newspaper, was confirmed by State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, who said the supplies were being conveyed to the TFG on an urgent basis in response to an appeal by the Mogadishu authorities. He said the TFG faces an "onslaught" by extremist forces intent on destroying the U.N. sponsored Djibouti peace process for Somalia and spoiling efforts to bring peace and stability to the country through political reconciliation. US State Dept. spokesman Ian Kelly points to a reporter at a press briefing at the State Dept., Washington (File) US State Dept. spokesman Ian Kelly points to a reporter at a press briefing at the State Dept., Washington (File) "We think that this government, the Transitional Federal government, represents Somalia's best chance for peace stability and reconciliation. This government is the best chance that they've had in the last 18 years," he said. "And in addition to this threat to the government, this kind of violence is causing real suffering for the Somali people and its just prolonging the chaos and preventing the country from getting on stable footings," Kelly added. The Somali administration issued an urgent plea for international aid including troops last weekend as the heaviest fighting in months engulfed the capital and other regions, killing more than 200 people including the TFG security minister. The United Nations backed interim administration is opposed by a coalition of several Islamist groups, the most prominent being the al-Shabab militia, which has alleged ties to al-Qaida and is listed by the United States as a terrorist group. U.S. and Somali officials say foreign militants from several Muslim countries are fighting alongside al-Shabab, and spokesman Kelly reiterated U.S. concern that Eritrea has been helping the rebels. "We think they are providing material support including financing to some of these extremist groups, most particularly al-Shabab. We've taken these concerns up with the government of Eritrea,: he said. "I want to emphasize that we remain open to trying to improve relations with Eritrea. But this country's support -- Eritrea's support -- for al-Shabab and other extremist groups is a serious obstacle to any improvement that we can make," he stressed. Kelly offered no details of the military aid being sent to Somalia but insisted it is in accordance with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at curbing arms traffic to Somali combatants. News reports say it consists of small arms and ammunition being sent in from nearby African countries, which in turn are being reimbursed by the United States. Somalia has not had an effective central government since the early 1990's. Rebels have been making gains since Ethiopian troops, who intervened in 2006, left the country early this year.

Tragic irony in Somalia John Boonstra Monday, June 22, 2009 Excuse me if I find some irony in Ethiopia declining the Somali government's request to send troops, when all indicators point to the likelihood that Ethiopia already sent some of its "reconnaissance missions" over the border weeks ago. (Not to mention the irony of Somalia inviting back the very military presence that its citizens railed against for over two years.) But really -- it's hard not to understand Ethiopia's reluctance. Ditto that of every other neighboring country to which the Somali government's request was made: Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen. There's a reason that the only troops in the 4,300-strong African Union force in Somalia are from Uganda and Burundi, which share the important characteristic of not bordering Somalia. I don't think others will be joining them too soon. Somalia's leaders are right in that their country is being attacked by "foreign terrorists" -- though the latter part of that label, referring to domestic groups like al-Shaban, is much more true than the former, even as the risk of Somalia turning into a global terrorist haven grows. But what makes this an issue that no one wants to touch is that it is also a political one: combating the terrorists also amounts to protecting the government, and, as well-intentioned as the attempt to stabilize the country's shaky state institutions may be, that amounts to taking a side in a messy internal political dynamic. So the irony is painfully evident when Ethiopia cites as its reason not to (officially) involve itself militarily in Somalia the lack of an "international mandate." The reason the UN would be so ill-advised to issue its stamp of approval on a renewed Ethiopian intervention, or on creating a new peacekeeping mission, is exactly the reason that its neighbors don't want to risk getting involved: rather than halting the flood of violence, Ethiopian or blue helmet presence would only provide targets for extremists, as well as a lodestar for generating grassroots support. This explication, of course, will provide little consolation for Somalia's beleaguered government, which simply needs somebody to do something, and quickly. This article was originally published in UN DISPATCH on June 22, 2009

Ethiopia not ruling out troops return to Somalia By Tsegaye Tadesse and Barry Malone Thursday, June 25, 2009 ADDIS ABABA, June 25 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has not ruled out sending troops to Somalia if the situation there worsens, but said there are no plans to intervene for now. Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement from the capital in which new President Sheik Sharif Ahmed played a role. That sparked an Islamist insurgency which is still raging despite the withdrawal of the soldiers in January this year. "We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where a so-called Ethiopian horse would be trying to take the chestnut out of the fire on behalf of everybody else," Meles told a news conference late on Wednesday. "And this horse being whipped by every ***** and his grandmother." Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, fled into exile after the Ethiopian intervention but joined a peace process last year and was elected in January. His government is now battling hardline insurgents who were once allies in the Islamist movement. Addis Ababa has said it supports the new government, but is wary of the hardline Islamists, who are seen as a proxy for al Qaeda, because they control large areas of Somalia and have threatened to destabilise neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya. With reports of foreign jihadists streaming into Somalia, Western security services are worried al Qaeda may get a grip on the failed Horn of Africa state that has been without central government for 18 years. WAIT AND SEE "We want to wait and see how the international community as a whole responds and then see if there is any need to revisit our position on the matter," Meles said. "We believe the deployment of Ethiopian troops would be unwarranted because we are not convinced there is a clear and present danger to Ethiopia," he said. Violence from the Islamist-led insurgency worsened this month, with the killing of three officials. The government, which controls little but a few parts of the capital, has declared a state of emergency and appealed to neighbouring countries for military assistance. The Ethiopian leader played down claims from the speaker of Somalia's parliament that the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) risked being overthrown without foreign help. "Our reading of the situation in Somalia is slightly different from the one of the speaker of the parliament that if there is no foreign military intervention ... the transitional government will collapse," Meles said. "The TFG is facing a very difficult situation with al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam militias supported by hundreds of jihadists, but we don't believe they will be toppled." (Editing by David Clarke). Source: Reuters, June 25, 2009

Officials: US bolsters Somalia aid to foil rebels By PAULINE JELINEK and LOLITA C. BALDOR – 21 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has decided to bolster efforts to support Somalia's embattled government by providing money for weapons and helping the military in neighboring Djibouti train Somali forces, U.S. officials said Thursday. The goal is to stem Islamic insurgent advances in the Horn of Africa, but the plan would commit the U.S. to a greater embrace of a shaky government atop one of the world's most chaotic states. An administration review of U.S. policy toward Somalia found an urgent need to supply the Somali government with ammunition and weapons as it struggles to confront increasingly powerful Islamic militants. Alarmed by terrorists' gains in Somalia, the administration decided it needed to do more to support Somalia's transitional federal government, officials said. Officials said the U.S. would not conduct the training and that the U.S. military would not be in Somalia. The U.S. would provide logistical support for the training, and provide arms to the Somalis. The U.S. officials spoke about the emerging plan on condition of anonymity because the details have not yet been finalized. But even with the administration's careful effort not to leave an American footprint in a country wracked by violent upheaval, the move amounts to a budding foreign complication for the U.S. as its own armed forces wage two distant wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The effort to bolster Somalia's tattered military and police forces faces heavy odds. Somalia, which has been in chaos for nearly 20 years, controls only a few blocks of the capital and comes under regular attack from increasingly powerful Islamic insurgents. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly would not confirm the new moves, but said Thursday the administration was concerned about continuing unrest in Somalia. The "threat to the government," Kelly said, "is causing real suffering — this kind of violence is causing real suffering for the Somalian people and it's just prolonging the chaos and preventing the country from getting on stable footing. So, yes, we are concerned." Warlords and Islamic al-Shabab militants control the countryside, which has become a growing base for al-Qaida terrorists arriving from Yeman and South Asia, U.S. officials have said. Somali pirates operating from coastal towns have hijacked dozens of cargo ships and confronted the U.S. Navy during an April standoff that ended when American snipers freed a hostage after killing three pirates. Insurgents even hold sway even inside Somalia's capital. That was evident Thursday as militants cut off the limbs of four men convicted of stealing cell phones during a public display of fundamentalist Islamic justice. The government in recent years has depended on outsiders for protection, including more than 4,000 African Union troops in the capital and on forces from neighboring Ethiopia, which drove out the Council of Islamic Courts in 2007 and stayed in the country for two years, helping to prop up the government. As part of growing U.S. aid to the Somali government, a shipment of ammunition was delivered to Mogadishu this month, one U.S. official confirmed Thursday. The official did not divulge the origin of the materiel. The shipment was part of a series of deliveries of weapons and ammunition that are expected to be sent to African Union forces — primarily Ugandans — who in turn will relay them to the Somali government, the official said. Any nation operating under the auspices of the African Union in Somalia would be reimbursed for the weaponry handed over to the Somalis, the official said. Both the U.S. military and diplomats have acted quietly in recent months to increase American involvement in Africa. A new Africa Command within the Defense Department is now coordinating aid across the continent, focused on ungoverned territories in the north and east where Islamic extremists are pressing for a foothold. But the U.S. military does not want to be out front as the trainers, reflecting sensitivities in African nations that could view aggressive U.S. involvement as interference by the West. Instead, U.S. officials working in Africa to date have limited their efforts to aiding problem nations in dealing with their own internal security problems. A chief concern in Somalia is al-Shabab, a terrorist organization whose name means "the youth." The faction has been gaining ground as Somalia's Western-backed government crumbles. The group's goal is to establish an Islamic state in Somalia Sheik Sharif Sheik Amed, a moderate Islamist, was elected president in January in hopes that he could unite the country's feuding factions, but the violence has continued. Despite continuing chaos, State Department spokesman Kelly said the administration considers Somalia's current government the "best chance for peace, stability and reconciliation." There is also a domestic American consideration to Somalia's violent insurgency. Several young Somali-American men have disappeared from the Minneapolis region in recent months and are believed to have traveled to Somalia to fight with al-Shabab militants. One strapped on explosives last fall in a coordinated attack in Somalia, becoming the first U.S. citizen to act as a suicide bomber. U.S. counterterrorism officials say it is a disturbing pattern, one that mirrors al-Qaida methods in Somalia and could spawn homegrown insurgents and suicide bombers inside the U.S. Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington and Elizabeth Kennedy in Nairobi contributed to this report.

Kenya rules out military action in Somalia Written By:Naisula lesuuda , Posted: Thu, Jun 25, 2009 The Kenyan government is calling for the urgent involvement of the African Union, IGAD, United Nations and the International Community in resolving the conflict in Somalia. Though the government is closely monitoring the unfolding situation, government spokesperson Alfred Mutua says Kenya will not send troops to Somalia. "The Government of Kenya is taking appropriate measures to protect the interest of our country and to ensure that our border with Somalia is safe and our citizens and refugees near the border are given the necessary comfort. The Kenyan Government will however, not send troops to Somalia but views this as a serious matter which requires intervention by the International community." saitoti22.jpg Meanwhile, Internal security minister Prof. George Saitoti maintains that Kenya will not engage its military in the crisis. He also said the government will consider concerns of Kenyans over the recent massive investments by Somalis in the country. The government is however tightening security on the Kenya-Somalia border by enhancing border patrols and screening of refugees. Kenya continues to offer humanitarian aid to victims of the conflict with several Somali MPs said to be in the country on transit to other countries and also patients flown in to Kenya for treatment. In the past week, Prime Minister Raila Odinga among other leaders have condemned the happenings in Somalia saying the instability will have dire consequences to Kenya.

U.S. providing weapons to Somali government, officials say WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is providing weapons and ammunition to Somalia's transitional government as it fights al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Thursday. Somali government soldiers, who are fighting Islamic militants, patrol Mogadishu. Somali government soldiers, who are fighting Islamic militants, patrol Mogadishu. "At the request of that government the State Department has helped to provide weapons and ammunition on an urgent basis," he said. "This is to support the Transitional Federal Government's efforts to repel the onslaught of extremist forces which are intent on destroying the Djibouti peace process." Kelly said the weapons shipments are in accordance with U.N. security resolutions that ban some arms shipments to Somalia. There is growing concern that Somalia could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said that the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives. "Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa, like Somalia and Yemen, that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there," Panetta said earlier this month. "We are focusing on those countries as well in order to ensure that there is no safe haven for al Qaeda as we continue to pressure them, continue to push them, and hopefully continue to make the effort to destroy them, not only in Pakistan but throughout the rest of the world." ------------- U.S. sends arms to Somalia to thwart rebels - report Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:40am EDT WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - The United States has sent weapons to the government of Somalia to thwart a takeover of the Horn of Africa nation by Islamist rebels with suspected ties to al Qaeda, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. "A decision was made at the highest level to ensure the government does not fall and that everything is done to strengthen government security forces to counter the rebels," an unnamed U.S. official told the newspaper. The shipment of weapons and ammunition arrived this month in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the official said. U.S. and Somali officials say that possibly hundreds of fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other nations are fighting alongside the Islamist group known as al Shabaab, which Washington has designated a terrorist group, the Post said. U.S. officials have accused Eritrea of sending weapons to the rebels, who have taken over much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia, the newspaper said. Washington has long worried that Somalia could become a base for al Qaeda to launch terrorist attacks such as the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Somalia and Yemen have seen expanded militancy and are gaining prominence as sanctuaries for al Qaeda, which is under pressure in its Pakistan enclaves. Last week, hardline Islamists allied to al Qaeda killed Somali Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden and 30 others in the deadliest suicide bomb attack yet in Somalia. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Alison Williams)

posted June 24, 2009 at 8:15 am EST - http://www.csmonitor .com/2009/0624/p99s0 1-duts.html Is promoting Sufi Islam the best chance for peace in Somalia? Some armed groups who adhere to a more moderate interpretation of Islam have begun battling Al Qaeda-linked extremists. By David Montero Somalia is beginning to seem more and more like the Swat Valley of eastern Africa – a place where Al Qaeda-linked insurgents are setting up religious law courts, assassinating government ministers, and spreading their tentacles farther and deeper. This week, Al Shabab, the top militant Islamist force that controls most of the country, tried and convicted four thieves. Their punishment: amputation of one hand and one foot each, in accordance with a strict, literal reading of Islamic law. The sentence has been temporarily delayed, but it's the latest sign that Somalia is fast becoming an extremist haven. (Last month, Islamists invited a crowd to see a man suspected of stealing $90 worth of clothing get his hand cut off, BBC reports in a detailed eye witness account.) And as in Pakistan, many are looking to armed tribes in Somalia who adhere to Sufism – a mystical, moderate interpretation of Islam – as the best chance for peace. A Somalian writer – identifying himself only as Mr. Muthuma – writes in an opinion piece published on Bartamaha, an independent Somalian news portal, that a "new axis" of conflict has formed in Somalia, in which fighters are battling one another along religious lines. Moderate Sufi scholars, whose tolerant beliefs have come under attack, have decided to fight back against al-Shabaab for destroying their shrines and murdering their imams.... It is an Islamist versus Islamist war, and the Sufi scholars are part of a broader moderate movement that Western nations are counting on to repel Somalia's increasingly powerful extremists. Whether Somalia becomes a terrorist haven and a genuine regional threat – which is already beginning to happen, with hundreds of heavily armed foreign jihadists flocking here to fight for Al Shabab – or whether this country steadies itself and ends the years of bloodshed, may hinge on who wins these ideological, sectarian battles. But not everyone agrees. Ali Eteraz, writing in Foreign Policy this month, laments the goal of propping up Sufis against other religious sects. The usual response by supporters of the Sufi solution is that thanks to the extremists, Islam has already been politicized, and therefore propagandist measures promoting Sufism are the only way to fight back. But that's precisely the problem: Propaganda is inherently discrediting. Besides, state-sponsored Sufism ... gets everything backward: In an environment where demagogues are using religion to conceal their true political and material ambitions, establishing another official, "preferred" theological ideology won't roll back their influence. Minimizing the role of all religion in government would be a better idea. Only then could people begin to speak about rights and liberty. It remains to be seen how this internal struggle will play out. In the meantime, could an "Islamic-led international engagement" from outside be the answer? That's the argument of Nuradin Dirie, a former presidential candidate in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in Somalia. Somaliweyn, a Somali news portal, reprinted this speech Mr. Dirie gave recently in London: Security and capacity for governance, economic growth and forces of moderation. Where can we find such ingredients of international intervention? How about a state-building intervention that is initiated, financed, and staffed by a coalition of Muslim countries? It would have to be specifically designed to build foundations for governance, investment in economic infrastructure and something quite new. We need something I will call a 'moderation package.' An intervention made up of prominent Muslim scholars that can challenge forces of extremism with messages of peace, order and coexistence with the rest of the world. The defining characteristic of this intervention should be that it is a Muslim World project. The UN and the rest of the International community can support this initiative at an arms-length.

Somalia MPs flee assassinations Scores of Somali politicians have fled the war-torn Horn of Africa nation in the last month amid escalating clashes. As few as 280 MPs remain, with 250 needed to make a quorum in the 550-seat assembly, based in the capital. One MP quit on Wednesday warning the chamber was doomed and 20 others have gone to Kenya in the last week after several high-profile assassinations. Meanwhile, casualties of recent unrest have had to be flown to Kenya because hospitals in Mogadishu cannot cope. About 56 patients, mainly government forces, wounded in fighting over the last week have been flown to Nairobi for treatment. Since 7 May, an alliance of militant Islamist hardliners, which controls parts of the capital and much of southern Somalia, has been locked in ferocious battles with pro-government forces in Mogadishu. New radio station It also emerged on Wednesday that the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, Amisom, is to set up a radio station in Mogadishu. map Reporter: 'I saw my boss shot dead' The station will support embattled President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's fragile transitional government. Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists and many reporters faced with death threats have either fled or will not risk working in the country. Since the latest bout of fighting began last month, 130 lawmakers, including several ministers, have fled to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. About 20 legislators have made their way there in the last week alone, during which time a fellow MP was gunned down, a security minister was killed in a suicide blast, and Mogadishu's police chief was died in battle. On Wednesday, Abdullah Haji Ali, an MP for Somaliland, resigned, predicting the parliament was doomed to fail amid the deteriorating security situation and that nine of his colleagues were also ready to go. Dozens of other Somali MPs are abroad - some in neighbouring Djibouti and others in Europe and the US - with only about 50 on official visits, according to Reuters news agency. Refugee crisis The BBC Somali Service says one cannot rule out the possibility of the parliament losing so many MPs it will lack a quorum - threatening the UN-backed government's ability to function formally. People rush a wounded civilian to hospital in Mogadishu, on 20 June 2009 Civilians have borne the brunt of the recent violence and many are fleeing But analysts reckon the president's position will probably remain safe, as long as the African Union's 4,300 troops stay in Mogadishu. At the weekend, Somalia's interim government urged neighbouring countries to send troops to help. The Kenyan government says it has not yet decided whether to intervene. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said if Mogadishu falls to the radical Islamists, the consequences would be very grave. Kenya has a 1,200-km (745-mile) border with Somalia and every day hundreds of refugees try to cross into Kenya. BBC world affairs correspondent Adam Mynott says Kenya already has more than 300,000 displaced people in camps close to the border. Ethiopia, another neighbour, which pulled its troops out of Somalia in January after two years, has said it will not intervene again unless it has a "firm international mandate". President Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, took office in January but even his introduction of Sharia law to the strongly Muslim country has not appeased the guerrillas. Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991.

Somalia and its jihadists A government under the cosh Jun 25th 2009 | ADDIS ABABA From The Economist print edition None of Somalia’s neighbours is keen to ride to its rescue THE fragile government of Somalia is in deep trouble and, according to one of its officials, “scared witless”. Hence its panicky call on June 20th for troops from neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia to come to its rescue or see the country fall into the hands of jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda. Hence, too, the reluctance of its diplomats to heed a call from their foreign ministry to return from abroad to Mogadishu, the capital, for “retraining”. That was hardly surprising, since a teenage suicide-bomber had just blown up Somalia’s ambassador-designate to South Africa, along with its interior minister. Fighting in Mogadishu has again emptied the coastal city of many of its poorer inhabitants. A 4,300-strong force consisting mainly of Ugandans and Burundians under the African Union’s aegis is unable to keep the peace. The government’s own troops are ill-equipped and rarely paid. By contrast, a commander of the jihadist group known as the Shabab (meaning “Youth”) struck a cockier note, promising that foreign troops would be killed; Somali cats and dogs would eat them. “Somali young mujahideen,” he said, “will fight any troops deployed here until our last holy fighter passes away.” It is easy to see which side thinks it has the upper hand. The Shabab’s confidence and sense of direction has been boosted by an influx of foreign fighters. Aides of Somalia’s embattled president, Sharif Ahmed, say there may be over 2,000 of them. Western intelligence sources think fewer. One of its bomb experts, Abu Mansour al-Amriki, appears to be a white American. Other al-Qaeda fighters have come from Pakistan and Afghanistan and may recently have helped assassinate Mogadishu’s police chief as well as clan elders and local journalists. The group’s slick internet propaganda echoes al-Qaeda. The Shabab says it has set up three units of suicide-bombers. At first they were mainly foreign but now they tend to be Somali boys educated in the movement’s religious schools. Kenya and Ethiopia are loth to step in. Neither can afford a big military offensive. Both have large Somali minorities. The Shabab says it downed a Kenyan military helicopter flying along the border last month, though Kenya denies it. In any event, the Shabab says it “will destroy the tall glass buildings in Nairobi” unless Kenya pulls its troops back from the border. Any terrorist attack would badly hurt Kenya’s already shaky tourist industry and may well deter foreign investors. In any case, Kenya is unlikely to send its forces into Somalia unless it is attacked first. Ethiopia withdrew most of its troops from Somalia earlier this year, after losing perhaps 800 of its men. A few Ethiopian soldiers are thought to remain discreetly inside Somalia, rallying armed opposition to the Shabab. But Ethiopia’s government has no appetite for sending in troops all over again. Ethiopian officials dislike being portrayed as stooges for the previous American administration’s war on terror and say their troops would return only under an international mandate and in smaller numbers. “We don’t want to be the horse taking the chestnut out of the fire and then being whipped by everyone and his grandmother,” says Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minister. Yet he cannot stomach a jihadist state across his border, backed by his enemy, Eritrea. The last hope for Somalia’s wobbly government may be the United States, which has once again secretly begun to supply it with arms. But that may be too late to save the day.

Kenya rejects call for military help in Somalia (CNN) -- Somalia's transitional government has the right to request military help from its neighbors against armed militants, the African Union said Monday, but Kenya was quick to reject the idea of sending troops and suggested the AU should spearhead such a move. Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adan Madowe on Saturday called on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen to send in their military forces to help government troops stop hardline Islamist militants from taking over. "Militants are wrestling the power from the government and so we call for military help from neighboring countries," the speaker said at a news conference in Mogadishu. "Please send your military to help in 24 hours' time." But Alfred Mutua, spokesman for the Kenyan government, told CNN that "Kenya doesn't engage in military support to our neighbors." He said that any such support would be under the umbrella of the African Union. However, he did say that "different types of support can be given, not just military, and Kenya's options are open." He said that the government should announce by Wednesday how it will move forward. Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, said in a communique issued Sunday that the transitional government, as Somalia's legitimate government, "has the right to seek support from AU Member States and the larger international community." Ping also said that the AU would "continue to do its utmost to assist the Somali people and its authorities in their lasting quest for peace and reconciliation." Somalia's call for help came hours after a third top politician was killed in ongoing fighting in the capital. Mohamed Hussein Adow, a powerful member of parliament who was leading the fight against the Islamists, was slain Friday in the north of the city. His death came two days after Islamists killed Internal Security Minister Omar Hashi Adan in a suicide attack in central Somalia. The nation's former ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarin Farah Laqanyo, was also killed, along with at least 11 others, government officials said. Madowe said a Pakistani militant who is a high-ranking official in al Qaeda is leading the fighting in Somalia against the government. He warned that militants will spread fighting into the rest of the region if they topple the government in Somalia. Mohammed Amiin Adow contributed to this report for CNN

xabashi in dalka mar labaad lakeeno xal manoqonaso, ee fakrad cusub ha layimaado shariifku, ama ha iscasilo, si dadka soomaaliyeed ee mogadishu looga badbaadiyo dagaal u dhxeeya labada shiikh ku sheeg

Labadan shiikh yaa kudhaha Allah kabaqa Shacabka soomaaliyeed khaasatan kuwa Mogadishu maa dhibta laga daayo, oo dhiiga la qubayo la joojiyo marba ma laba dagaal cusub bilaabaya, war dadku dagaal waa kadaaleen labadan shiikh ku sheeq hadii ee diin wax ka yaqaanan, ha iscasileen oo dadka dhibta kaayaan, xukun jeceel kana haa iska dayaan, akhiro meel ma geenayo, dowlad ku sheeg dad masaakiin ah dadka looma dhameenayo, xabashi in dalka mar labaad lakeeno xal manoqonaso, ee fakrad cusub ha layimaado shariifku, ama ha iscasilo

Somalia's president, Sharif Ahmed, has declared a state of emergency amid the rising violence [AFP] Thousands flee Mogadishu fighting Thousands of people have fled the Somali capital Mogadishu amid escalating fighting between government forces and opposition fighters after the country's president declared a state of emergency. Fierce street clashes have already claimed hundreds of lives and the government has called on neighbouring African countries to send troops to help it battle al-Shabaab fighters. Two legislators have also been killed in the last two days of fighting and last week al-Shabab claimed responsiblity for the death of the country's security minister and at least 30 other people in a suicide car bomb attack. At the weekend Sheikh Aden Mohamed Madobe, the parliament speaker, urged neighbouring countries to send troops to his country to prop up the government. "We want them to come here within 24 hours," he said at a parliament meeting in the capital. "We are asking the world and neighbouring countries to intervene in Somalia's situation immediately." Those fighting the government are being led by a [former] Pakistani army general, they are burning the flag and killing people," Madobe said. As the request was made, residents in central areas of Somalia reported seeing Ethiopian troops. Ethiopian troops last entered the Horn of Africa country in late 2006 to support the then-government and drive out Islamic Courts Union fighters led by Sharif Ahmed, the current president. Ahmed later joined the government after signing a UN-brokered peace deal and is now battling former allies from the al-Shabab and Hizbul-Islam groups, which have vowed to topple his government. 'Clear warning' On Sunday, al-Shabab warned against any foreign military intervention in the Somalian conflict. "We are sending our clear warning to the neighbouring countries. Send your troops to our holy soil if you need to take them back inside coffins," Sheikh Ali Mohamed Rage, an al-Shabab spokesman, told a news conference in Mogadishu. "We tell you that our dogs and cats will enjoy eating the dead bodies of your boys if you try to respond to the calls of these stooges, because we wish to die in the way of Allah more than you wish to live." More than 4,300 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers are already deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union (AU) force and are charged with protecting strategic sites such as the presidency, the port and the airport. But the troops are not allowed to fight alongside government forces and are authorised only to retaliate if they come under direct attack. The fighting in Mogadishu has so far forced an estimated 400,000 people to flee their homes in the city, many of them now living rough along the Afgooye corridor, about 20km south of the capital.

Somalia: Al Shabaab says they will attack Nairobi Mogadishu Sunday 21 June 2009 SMC KISMAYU (Mareeg)—Al Shabaab administrators in the port town of Kismayu have threatened on Sunday that they would attack the tall buildings in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Sheik Hassan Yacqub Ali, the spokesman of al Shabaab administrators in Kismayu said they would confront any intervention from the Kenyan military and added that they would attack the tall buildings in Nairobi. “ If you attack us(Kenya), we will launch suicide attacks in Nairobi and we will destroy the tall, glass buildings in Nairobi,” said sheik Hassan Yacqub Ali. Kenyan troops were deployed in several border towns on Saturday. The speaker of the Somali parliament Aden Mohamed Nor requested from neighboring countries to send troops to Somalia on Saturday and the cabinet endorsed the decision. Sheik Yacqub has also accused the aid agencies of being igniting the wars in Somalia and added that they were spies. Separately, the spokesman of al Shabaab Sheik Ali Mohamoud Rageh said they would fight against any foreign troops that come in Somalia. Source: Mareeg Somaliweyn Media Center “SMC”

Opinion Is it time for the Sharif to bow out in the Interest of Somalia? 21 Jun 21, 2009 - 4:09:13 PM The world watches in indifference as Somalia descends yet again into a bottomless pit that is tantamount, from the perspective of an ordinary Somali citizen in Mogadishu today, to the upcoming Your browser may not support display of this image.apocalyptic movie 2012 that predicts the end of the world. For a mother who lost her husband in the anarchy that has engulfed Somalia for the last 18 years, and has a bunch of kids to care for on her own, every flare up of conflict in Mogadishu makes her wonder what she and her small children have done to deserve such misery. The scene of small children lying lifeless in the streets of Mogadishu is not acceptable under any religion in this world let alone the Muslim faith. A disputed election in Iran makes President Obama come out strongly against the loss of a few lives at the hands of the revolutionary guards, while he remains mum about the death and injury of hundreds of Somalis in Mogadishu on a daily basis. It is as if Somalia is an alien nation whose people live in another galaxy that is way out of this small world we live in. Ethiopia seems to be poised to re-occupy Somalia and demands an International blessing for her new misadventure. The Sharif and his allies who belittled the old Man Yusuf for using Ethiopian troops to pacify the country seem to be praying for the same Ethiopian troops to save them from their old brothers in arms. The redeployment of Ethiopian troops and the possible deployment of Kenyan troops into Somalia with an International blessing seem to be heralding the implementation of a plan suggested by a Kenyan writer a few months ago when he advocated carving up Somalia between the two neighboring countries, a scenario that is not farfetched in my humble opinion. The presence of AU troops from two landlocked counties, Uganda and Burundi, the constant interference of landlocked Ethiopia into Somali affairs, and the recent agreement between the Sharif government and Kenya to remap the territorial waters of Somalia to the benefit of Kenya, all seem to be focusing on the vast coastline of Somalia which they see as a failed state that does not deserve to control such a vast area of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The project of Ould Abdulalh seems to have failed miserably and the Sharif government that many hoped would bring peace and stability is on the brink of collapse thus paving the way for a fundamentalist state that may not be a bad thing in the eyes of many Somalis who prefer such as a regime to a country that is overrun by hordes of Ethiopian, Kenyan, Burundian and Ugandan opportunists who have their eyes on their beautiful and vast coastline. To save the country from foreign interference, the Sharif should bow out gracefully like Yusuf before him and call for a wide Somali reconciliation conference inside Somalia this time, and not in neighboring counties that do not have the best interest of Somalia at heart. The Somali problem is very complicated and should be left to its own people to resolve. The International community can help by facilitating a broad reconciliation conference that is funded, managed and organized by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The Islamists will hopefully trust such an organization and heed the call for a reconciliation conference that is free from the interference and influence of regional countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya, two countries that have contributed a lot to the current situation in Somalia. The Islamic world should not watch in indifference as Somalis slaughter each other. Since the Arab League does not care about Somalia, and its Arab members do not consider Somalis Arab enough, the Islamic world such as Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia need to take an active role in helping their brothers in Islam thus fulfilling the famous words of the Prophet: Give your Muslim brother a hand whether he is oppressed or oppresses others. Ali H. Abdulla aliegeh@gmail.com

PM Asha Ahmed calls on the president of Somalia Sheekh Sharif to resign the vacancy of the presidency. Asha Ahmed Abdallah, member of the parliament of Somalia has today called on the president of Somalia, Sheekh Sharif Sheekh Ahmed to resign the vacancy of the presidency, senator Asha who is now present in east north province of Somalia has held press conference, and talked about the violence exists in the Mogadishu particularly the bloody wars in Mogadishu. Xassan Shiikh Axmed Cadde Shiikh Axmed Cadde Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:26:00 Asha Ahmed Abdallah, member of the parliament of Somalia has today called on the president of Somalia, Sheekh Sharif Sheekh Ahmed to resign the vacancy of the presidency, senator Asha who is now present in east north province of Somalia has held press conference, and talked about the violence exists in the Mogadishu particularly the bloody wars in Mogadishu. In press conferene, held by Mrs. Asha in east north province has addressed the precarious situations in Mogadishu and whole the country. The senator has especially accused the president that he commanded un-unified war and not passed the other government departments including the three agencies of the country. Asha told that the government should think about how the matters exist in Mogadishu could be faced, that was not done, but started a war according to her statement. Mrs. Asha has suggested to the president to resign himself since his diplomacy couldn’t operate in the country Asha Ahmed Abdalla has been in east north regions for a long period, and has stopped toomuch talking about the situations of Somalia and policy in short time How ever, the talk of senator Mrs. Asha becomes the first speech reported from a senator member of Somali parliament who announces that matter. Salad Ghedi Ali Gargaargka Office Mogadishu-Somalia

Opposition leader vows fighting against foreign troops MOGADISHU (Mareeg)—Somalia’s opposition leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys has vowed fighting against any foreign troops that come in Somalia on Sunday. On Saturday Somali parliamentary Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur urged neighbouring countries including Ethiopia to intervene as he admitted that the rebels have weakened the ability of the Somali government. The leader of Hizbul Islam rebel group, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, said they would confront the foreign troops that the Somali government demanded. He added that the Somali government could not represent the people of Somalia and accused of being working for foreign interests. Sheik Aweys said that the parliament has already demanded foreign military aid and again demanded but he said that they would fight the foreign troops that are currently in the country and those due to arrive in Somalia. The Somali government accused the rebels of being harboring foreign fighters from al Qaeda and other foreign countries. By Ahmednor Mohamed Farah

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu) Somalia: Sheik Aweys Says 'They Will Fight With Any Foreign Troops' 21 June 2009 Mogadishu — Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of the Islamist organization of Hisbul Islam has said on Sunday that they will fight with any foreign troops that the TFG demanded on Saturday. Speaking the demand of the transitional government of the foreign troops, Sheik Hassan Dahir said that the government cannot reach that decision representing the whole Somali country, pointing out that it service for other countries. He said that the parliament approved to bring foreign troops in Somalia earlier and reiterated on Saturday asserting that they will fight with the requested foreign troops and also those who are currently in the country. Sheik Aden Mohamed Nor Madobe, the speaker of the transitional parliament ,held a press conference in Mogadishu yesterday and asked the world, including neighboring countries like Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Yemen, to send foreign troops to Somalia within 24 hours to save the existence of the TFG. It is unclear whether the order of the transitional government will be responded to or not.

Somalia Seeks Military Help in Battle Against Foreign Fighters By SARAH CHILDRESS NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somalia's government requested immediate military assistance from regional powers over the weekend to help combat foreign fighters it says have ties to al Qaeda. The government said it can't dispel on its own insurgents with more sophisticated training and weaponry than its own troops. No nations have come forward with an offer of troops so far. But Farahan Ali Mohamoud, Somalia's information minister, said that the government had received "positive responses" from some countries, which he declined to name. The decision to ask for military aid, made by parliament over the weekend, is a significant one for a nation that had until recently endured a humiliating occupation. Ethiopia invaded in 2006 to overturn Somalia's Islamic government. The occupation, which ended earlier this year, was deeply unpopular in many corners of the country, and insurgents used it as a rallying cry against the government. It's still unclear just how close jihadist insurgents are to overrunning the few vestiges of government that Somalia still enjoys. But the call for foreign troops underscores the threat that Somalia's troubles pose for the rest of the region. The Kenyan government has deployed troops to the vast border it shares with Somalia to prevent militants from slipping across the arid terrain to launch attacks. The 1998 bombing of the American embassy, then in downtown Nairobi, that killed over 200 people, most of them Kenyan, is still seared in Kenyans' memories. A spokesman for Kenya's defense ministry couldn't be reached on Sunday to say whether it might now volunteer to send troops to Somalia. Fighting has forced over 100,000 Somalis in the past month to flee to already-brimming refugee camps on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu and across the border to Dadaab, a 15-year-old refugee camp inside Kenya. Somalia has teetered for years, but the recent insurgent offensive, and a surge in Somali-based pirate attacks on international shipping, have boosted the profile of this long-time trouble spot. Mr. Mohamoud, the information minister, said that Somalia would welcome any country, including Ethiopia, to contribute troops, but would require them to do so through an international organization, such as the African Union, United Nations, or the Arab League. Those groups, he said, could send battalions with a clear mandate to target foreign fighters. "We need a globalized, coordinated response," Mr. Mohamoud said. "They are aiming to make Somalia a good base where they can run their attacks on the rest of the world. That's something that's been determined by our intelligence sources." The plea comes after nearly two months of fighting in Mogadishu. The violence has threatened Somalia's fledgling government, now only four months old. Foreign fighters, a collection of jihadists from Yemen, the U.S. and Pakistan, have joined forces with Somalia's local insurgency, known as Al Shabaab, a loose collection of militants. So far, government troops have kept militants from overrunning Mogadishu, although government officials remain safe only in a few pockets of the city. Last week, a bomb killed Somalia's minister for national security and four other government officials. More than 200 people have been killed in the past month due to fighting, the U.N. has said. Somalia hosts an African Union peacekeeping mission, known as Amisom. With just over 4,000 troops, Amisom is charged with protecting government buildings in Mogadishu, and the nation's ports and airports. It's not mandated to directly engage the insurgents, but to retaliate only in self-defense. The mission is desperately understaffed, with minimal equipment. Recently Amisom troops have themselves become a target of insurgents, who have attacked Amisom's compound and laid sophisticated roadside bombs reminiscent of those laid to kill American troops in Iraq. "We are supporting the call by the Somali government" for more troops, said Gaffel G. Nkolokosa, Amisom's spokesman. "We would welcome them."

Thousands flee Somali capital to escape fresh fighting MOGADISHU (AFP) — Thousands of residents fled the Somali capital many on foot and carrying children on their backs, after days of fierce fighting between government troops and Islamist rebels. The exodus was the heaviest since the UN-backed shaky government of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed took office five months ago, an AFP correspondent said. Fighting broke out Friday afternoon in hitherto unaffected northern district of Karan in which a lawmaker, Mohamed Husein Addow, was killed: the third senior official to be killed in as many days. Addow was reportedly captured and executed by gunmen. The previous day, Mogadishu's top police commander -- described as a faithful ally to Sharif -- was also killed in a fierce battle in the capital. Omar Hashi Aden, a key member of Ahmed's embattled transitional administration, was among 20 people killed when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a hotel in Beledweyne, north of Mogadishu, on Thursday. Residents reported sporadic gunfire on Saturday morning in Karan, prompting a mass exodus. "This is the worst moment of our lives. I don't need to describe the conditions in Karan, just look at me," said Mohamed Ali Osman, 23, who had his 18-month daughter strapped on his back and was carrying a heavy sack of corn flour on his head as he walked out of the city. "My wife and three other children fled yesterday, but I was trapped indoors with my daughter here," he added. Others took any means of transport available, including donkey carts and open trucks, to escape the fighting. Many of the displaced are fleeing to Afgooye corridor, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of the capital and where many sleep in the open by the roadside. Aid agencies say at least 400,000 displaced are living rough there. Around 300 people, many of them civilians, have been killed in the six-week-old battle and more than 125,000 displaced, according to UN figures and casualty tolls compiled by AFP. The drive against Sharif's administration has been spearheaded by the hardline Shebab armed group and the more political Hezb al-Islam (Party of Islam) of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former Sharif ally. Aweys and the Shebab, who were among the main targets of Ethiopia's 2006 military invasion, have refused to join peace efforts despite Ethiopia's January pullout. They argue that the African Union's 4,300 Ugandan and Burundian peacekepeers are an occupation force bent on imposing Christianity in Somalia.

Somalia's president says al-Qaida is behind attack 3 days ago MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's president says al-Qaida is behind a suicide bombing that killed the national security minister in a western Somali town. Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed says a senior Somali diplomat also died in Thursday's attack in Belet Weyne that killed at least 20 people. "It was an act of terrorism and it is part of the terrorist attack on our people," Ahmed said. "Al-Qaida is attacking us." Ahmed spoke to journalists in the Somali capital. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — An explosion that witnesses said was caused by a suicide bomber killed at least 20 people Thursday in western Somalia, including the country's national security minister, medical and government officials said. Information Minister Farhan Ali Mohamud announced the death of National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden but declined to give any other details. The explosion occurred in the town of Belet Weyne outside the Medina Hotel, which is frequented by Somali government officials, said hospital administrator Ahmed Ato. Witnesses told him the explosion was caused by a suicide bombing. Witness Mohamed Nur said a small car headed toward the hotel's gate, drove into vehicles leaving the hotel and exploded. Dr. Abdirahin Omar Amin of Belet Weyne Hospital said most of the dead were burnt beyond recognition. Belet Weyne is the capital of the Hiran region and is close to the border with Ethiopia. Somalia has not had an effective government for 18 years after warlords overthrew a longtime dictator and plunged the country into anarchy and chaos. The lawlessness has also allowed piracy to thrive off the country's coast, making Somalia the world's worst piracy hotspot. Islamic insurgents have been trying to topple Somalia's weak, Western-backed government for more than two years. There was a surge of violence in May, during which almost 200 people were killed. The U.N. says the conflict has displaced more than 122,000 people.

Ethiopia Denies Somalia’s Appeal for Military Support in Fight against Islamist Militants Atlanta, Ga. 6/21/2009 05:07 PM GMT TransWorldNews One day after Somalia made an appeal to its neighbors requesting military support to fend off a surge in violence launched by Islamist militants the Ethiopian government has said it will not provide troops to fight off the rebels. Ethiopia has said an international mandate would be needed before they were to send troops back into Somalia. In 2006 Ethiopian troops helped stem an Islamist movement in Somalia but those troops were withdrawn earlier this year. Since Ethiopia’s withdraw from Mogadishu the Islamist militants, headed by the rebel group al-Shabab, have made an aggressive push in the north of the capital. On Saturday Somalia called for its neighbors to provide military help yet many of their neighbors are of the belief that the international community, not just Somalia’s neighbors, should help stabilize the situation. For nearly two decades Somalia has been without an effective government for the country and while the UN has backed the transitional government they have done little to ensure its success. The African Union currently has 4,300 peacekeeping troops in Mogadishu but they are not allowed to pursue militants, making their job all the more difficult.