True enough. It certainly seems like a good day for Mr. Abdullahi Yusuf; with the warlords defeated, he now has a single unified enemy in the Islamic Courts. The U.S. and other powers will have no other choice but to back him, and the TFG, in order to counter balance the Maxkamadaha. Everything seems to be falling into place with Xabsade/Saransoor as well; they are feeling isolated and may be caving in to demands for an intervention force made up of frontline states(e.g. Ethiopia). This year will most certainly be a notable one. As is often the case, we in the diaspora are mere onlookers.

How do Aydiid Jr. and Caato play into this?

Originally posted by Castro: ^ I wouldn't be surprised one bit. Somalis are in fashion nowadays. From the London (foiled ) bombings to the war in Muqdisho at the moment. The mere association of the word Somali provides more bang for the marketing (of war) buck. The "facts" are proving you right Castro...Somalis do indeed seem to be in fashion. And right on queue, here is the latest media spin: They[suspects] include men of Somali , Egyptian, Jamaican, and Trinidadian origin. All are residents of Canada and “for the most part†all are Canadian citizens, police said.

Following is a list including the names, ages and addresses of the men who have been arrested and can be named: * Fahim Ahmad, 21, Toronto; * Zakaria Amara, 20, Mississauga, Ont.; * Asad Ansari, 21, Mississauga; * Shareef Abdelhaleen, 30, Mississauga; * Qayyum Abdul Jamal, 43, Mississauga; * Mohammed Dirie, 22, Kingston, Ont.; * Yasim Abdi Mohamed , 24, Kingston; * Jahmaal James, 23, Toronto; * Amin Mohamed Durrani, 19, Toronto; * Steven Vikash Chand alias Abdul Shakur 25, Toronto; * Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, 21, Mississauga; * Saad Khalid, 19, of Eclipse Avenue, Mississauga. It seems one of those arrested may be Somali.... Link

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: quote:Originally posted by Abdi2005: This is one funny picture Amateurish photoshop iga dheh. Tuug la qabtay talo maleh aa la dhahay. Looooool...! That photo is an instant classic.

Thanks Caamir, what excellent articles. These men are leading by example...I hope one day they become the rule rather than the exception.

Masha'allah and congratulations Khayr!

Lool..! Very funny...looking forward to the rest.

Ilaahi ha u naxariisto.

Excellent bit of news. Nairobi, KENYA: Somalian transitional government president Abdullahai Yusuf Ahmed (L) confers with the parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan 30 January 2006 during a press briefing in Nairobi, where they announced that the lawless country's parliament will meet for the first time on Somali soil inthe town of Baido, after weeks of haggling and intense international pressure.

"Sheikh" Indha-Adde kulahaa. Your quoting warlords with blood on their hands. Bal ii sheeg saaxiib, I've heard rumours Mr. Indhacadde feasts on the blood of his victims...warkaas ma run baa mise waa sheeko run u eeg? Yaab badanaa.

Aden, YEMEN: Somalia's President Abdullah Yusuf Ahmed (L) speaks to reporters alongside Somali parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan ®, 05 January 2005, in Aden after they signed a recopnciliation agreement settling a bitter row over the appropriate seat for their fledgling transitional government. Under the deal, the transitional parliament will convene soon in the city of Baidoa, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Mogadishu. AFP PHOTO/KHALED FAZAA (Photo credit should read KHALED FAZAA/AFP/Getty Images)

China Provides 6 Million Dollars Economic Aid to Somalia More Photos: Here 2005-12-27 4:51:39 CRIENGLISH.com Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Chongli, on behalf of the Chinese government on Monday signed several agreements with Somali President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed, providing over 6 million US dollars economic aid to Somalia. According to the agreements, the Chinese government will provide a grant of 50 million Yuan (about 6.3 million US dollars) to the Somali government, and the grant shall be utilized to finance provision of goods or projects to be agreed upon through consultations between the governments of the two countries. "With the signing of the agreement, the Chinese government wants to express strong support for the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and to further develop friendly relations and economic and technical cooperation between the two countries," said Guo. With a view to demonstrating the support of the Chinese government to the Somali government, and further enhancing the existing Sino-Somali friendly relationship, the Chinese government has also granted 100,000 US dollars in cash to the Somali government. Another accord is about the grant from the China Charity Federation, which donated 250,000 dollars to demonstrate the sympathy and support of the Chinese people to the Somali people on the great loss suffered from the tsunami disaster. Yusuf appreciated the help provided by the Chinese government to Somalia, and he called on the Somali people to make peace a reality in the whole nation, and to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after its 14 years civil war. Guo also conveyed the invitation from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Yusuf to attend the first summit of "China-Africa Cooperation Forum" to be held in China next year. Somalia has been without a central government since clan based warlords overthrew Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Warlords then turned on each other, plunging the country into chaos. Last year, Somalia's parliament and government were formed after two years of peace talks, and for security reasons, they were relocated from Kenya in June to the temporary base of Jowhar, 90 km north of the capital Mogadishu. Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi said the government is planning to relocate to Mogadishu within three to six months, as long as the security situation allowed it to do so. (Source: Xinhua) http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/2238/2005-12-27/65@289852.htm

Yaab...! Daanyeero ku soo duulay lana wareegay gacan ku heynta dhowr tuulo oo ka tirsna degmada Kunrtuwaareey Kuntuwaareey 10 Dec. 05 ( Sh.M.Network) Daanyeero raxan raxan u socday ayaa lagu soo waramayaa in ay ku duuleen lana wareegeen 3 tuulo oo ka tirsan degmada Kuntuwaareey ee gobolka Sh/hoose, daanyeeradaasi waxa ay geysteen waxyeelo kala duwan. Daanyeeradaasi oo tiradoodu kor u dhaafayaan boqolaal ayaa maanta waxa ay weerar ku soo qaadeen degaanka lagu magacaabo Buulaaleey, Toorayo iyo kuwo kale ku teedsan dhul xeebeedka u dhaxeeya degaanka Baraawe iyo Buulo Mareer. Qaar ka mid ah Xoolo dhaqatada degaankaasi oo la soo xiriirey Shabelle ayaawaxa ay sheegeen in daanyeeradaasi ay cuneen ari gaaraya ilaa 22 neef, islamarkaana ay baabi'iyeen ilaa 65 guri oo aqal Soomaali ah. Mid ka mid ah xoolo dhaqatadaasi oo lagu magacaabo Abuukar Shuqaale ayaa sheegay in ay u taagwaayeen sidii ay uga hortagi lahaayeen, isagoo sheegay in ay isaga soo hayaameen degaanadaasi. Si kastaba ha ahaatee dadka degaanka ayaa waxa ay ku tilmaameen weerarka ay ku soo qaadeen daanyeerada in ay ka dambeeysay ka dib markii ay waayeen biyo ay cabaan, waana markii ugu horeysay oo dhibaato heerkaasi gaarsiisan ay daanyeeradu ka geysteen gobolka Sh/hoose inta la og yahay. Xuseen Nuur Geeseey Shabelle Media Network, Sh/hoose http://shabellenews.com/news/n4976.htm

^^This might indeed be another case of Range Resources in the making. Very sad if that is the case. Daawo Saxiixii heshiiskii DFKMG iyo Shirkada TOPCAT

Great day for Somalia.

PM Geedi: Some international actors are trying to advocate for the recognition of Somaliland but that will never happen. Thats good to hear but why the sudden change of heart? Seems Mr. Geedi is finally learning the ins and outs of Somali politics. Better late...

^^Time will tell. Until then, details and speculations of the deal, are abound. ____________________________________________ Mercenaries to Police Somali Coast November 27, 2005: The growing piracy problem off the Somali coast has been solved by the hiring of private contractors to operate as a coast guard. The American firm, Top Cat Marine Security (www.TopCatMarineSecurity.com), has previously provided counter-terrorism and coastal security services for the Department of Homeland Defense, and other government agencies. The firm also designs and builds high speed patrol boats. While no one is saying it, the United States is basically taking over coastal security duties for Somalia. The Transitional Government there has no money for this sort of thing, so it appears that the U.S. is picking up the tab. This could get interesting, for the Somali warlords who operate along the coast are not going to take kindly to some foreigners trying to interfere. The first priority of the new coast guard is to put the pirate gangs, and especially the two larger "mother ships", that are supporting attacks far out at sea, out of action. Many of the Top Cat personnel will be non-Somali, and former military. Most of the staff will eventually be Somalis. By not sending active duty American military personnel into this, there is less for the media to grab onto and cause public opinion problems for the U.S. government. There’s also the opportunity for more private security forces to be used to help pacify all of Somalia. That would be very expensive, and it’s not a sure thing that the United States government would be willing to absorb the entire cost, as well as the media heat for spending all that money to try and police a bunch of uncooperative, heavily armed and, ungrateful Somalis. Top Cat Marine Security is being paid $55 million for the first two years of the contract. Some of this will be recovered by enforcing the payment of fishing fees by foreign boats that work the lucrative coastal waters. Warlords are now getting some of this money, by demanding protection money from fishing boats, and ransom fro boats that are seized by pirates. In reaction to the police effort, the warlords can be expected to go after the new coast guards land bases. Top Cat will either have to establish heavily fortified and well defended land bases, or put some, or all, of them in foreign countries (like Kenya, Djibouti, and the breakaway Somaliland). But because of the extent of the Somali coat, it's unavoidable that a base be established in central Somalia, which is thick with heavily armed, aggressive and greedy warlords. Top Cat will have to live up to its name in order to survive. Source

Maakhir, Let us wait and see how good of an intiative this proves to be. While it may help with humanitarian aid delivery, if i gets off the ground or implemented, but what sort of a reaction might this create? Also, it may fight pirates but I'm sure that it will also be used against the Opposition in Mogadishu as well as the business community who do a great deal of commerce between the Middle East and Somalia. Will this result in these groups coming to the TFG fold or standing even more against the government? There are a lot of unknowns and we'll have to watch the developments closely. ____________________________________________ Queries on Somali security deal Story by KEVIN J. KELLEY in New York and STEPHEN MBURU in Nairobi Publication Date: 11/27/2005 US news reports indicate that a United States-based company recently chosen to end the threat of piracy off Somalia’s coast has a troubled financial history. Top Cat Marine Security, which signed a two-year, $55 million deal with the Somalia government in Nairobi on Friday, failed at one point last year to meet its payroll, according to The Post and Courier, a newspaper published in Charleston, South Carolina, where Top Cat had been operating. The paper also reported that Peter Casini, Top Cat’s head of research and development, "is tied to a string of failed business ventures and corporate bankruptcies." Casini took part along with Somalia Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi in the contract signing ceremony in Nairobi. While Mr Casini denied the reports, he was reluctant to answer questions when contacted on the telephone. On whether the company had failed to meet its payroll, he said: "No. You may be talking about the wrong company. Our company is Top Cat Design.'' However, contacted via e-mail for comment, Maryann Johnson, Top Cat's vice president for public relations, said the story "was written years ago, by a small town reporter whose sole source of information was a convicted felon. Topcat was never contacted directly for comment on this article". Ms Johnson said: "Topcat remains financially secure and stable, with contracts around the world with some of the largest defence contractors." She also said that Mr Casini was head of research and development and had been awarded the notable honour of being named one of the top three boat designers in the world. She added that Mr Casini was an employee and not the owner of the company. In signing the deal with Somalia, Casini said his company would target a mother ship off the Somali coast that is launching smaller craft to attack commercial vessels. Top Cat has carried out contracts with government agencies in the US. Last February, it delivered its Cobra Predator Patrol Boat to a counterterrorism team in the state of Maryland. The boat was purchased to help safeguard a nuclear power plant near Washington, DC. A United States senator has also praised the effectiveness of Top Cat’s Cobra Predator. Source: NationMedia

And the question where will the money come from? Clearly, it wont come from the TFG as it is cash strapped. As you alluded to, it seems that donors are 'giving' funds to Somalia[TFG], who then conviently 'gives' it back to private companies from those same donor countries. Another reason for this may be that the TFG is hoping this end to illegal fishing will result in lucrative legal contracts between the Fisheries Ministery[H.A. Farah] and foreign fishing vessels. ________________________________________ Somalia, US firm sign deal to guard coastline www.chinaview.cn 2005-11-26 02:31:45 NAIROBI, Nov. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Transitional Federal Government of Somalia on Friday signed an agreement with a US-based maritime security firm to protect and control its territorial waters. The two-year agreement signed by Somali Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Hassan Abshir Farah and Peter Casini, President of Topcat Marine Security, will help fight terrorism, curb illegal fishing and combat pirates, who have used speed boats, automatic weapons and satellite phones to target UN-chartered ships and other vessels. "The comprehensive agreement will create a maritime security program to protect and control all Somali waters within its exclusive economic zone," said Farah after signing the deal in Nairobi. "This agreement includes the creation of five coastal security bases including advanced communications equipment, high speed patrol boats, ground vehicles, and several helicopters to patrol the entire Somalia coastline and its territorial waters," he said. "Also included in this program will be a comprehensive trainingpackage for coast guard, special forces, and all other necessary personnel to continue the safe enforcement of Somali sovereignty for decades to come," Farah added. The agreement came after the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)reported an alarming increase in attacks off the southern and eastern coast of Somalia and appealed to US and NATO warships in the region to protect vessels sailing near the Somali coast, an important shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. Pirates have launched over 20 attacks against ships off anarchic Somalia since March 15, said the London-based IMB, which tracks piracy around the world. Topcoat president said his firm will fight piracy, theft of natural resources and terrorism within Somali borders and its territorial waters. "Our unique, patented, high speed, low profile patrol vessels will deliver a major blow to the pirates, and terrorists that currently plague Somali territorial waters," said Casini who promised to begin the operations next year. "Poachers will now be caught and brought to justice. Legal fishing will now be the norm with permits being required through the Somali fishing ministry and foreign ships fishing illegally will have their fishing catches seized, incur several penalties and possible confiscation of their vessels," Casini warned. He said Cobra patrol vessels to be used in the operation can reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour in less than 30 seconds, the worst nightmare for pirates in rickety old boat. "The pirates, and those fomenting terror will have no place to run or hide," he warned. Somalia, which has the longest coast in Africa at 3,025-km, lies along key shipping lanes linking the Mediterranean with the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The United States and NATO have warships in the region to protect vessels in the deeper waters farther from shore, but they are not permitted to operate in Somalia's territorial waters. The new transitional government, formed during lengthy peace talks in neighboring Kenya, is struggling to establish itself in Somalia as it faces internal divisions and opposition from Islamicmilitants and warlords who benefit from the ongoing anarchy. Somalia has had no effective central government since opposition leaders ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. They then turned on each other, transforming this nation of 7 million people into a patchwork of battling fiefdoms ruled by heavily armed militias.

Its hard to believe they would spend this amount of money on piracy when MP's aren't paid, local and regional governments are bankrupt and the populous is in dire need of basic necessities. _________________________________ American company to fight pirates off Somalia 25 Nov 2005 16:27:32 GMT Top Cat Marine Security and President Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia establish new Somalia Coast Guard and Security Forces. NAIROBI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Somali government has signed a two-year contract with an American marine security company in a bid to end an upsurge of piracy off the lawless Horn of Africa country, officials said on Friday. Waters off the coast of Somalia are considered among the most dangerous in the world. Pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns earlier this month tried to board a U.S.-owned cruise liner about 100 miles (160 km) off the Somali coast. New York-based Topcat Marine Security Inc. signed a deal worth more than $50 million with the Somali Transitional Federal Government in Nairobi to escort ships plying Somali waters. Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi, who witnessed the deal, said his government recognised the damage caused by pirates and hoped Topcat would help end the piracy menace. "The agreement signed today will defend Somalia's territorial waters, defeat the pirates," Gedi said, "The government wishes to express its dismay at these abhorrent actions." Peter Casini, Topcat's head of research and development, said once in operation his company would target a mother ship used by the pirates to launch attacks on passing vessels. "We will end the piracy very quickly, there is no question about that," Casini told reporters. "There is a ship that is launching small ships 75 to 100 miles from the shore, our goal is to take the mother ship." The International Maritime Board has said that after two years of relative calm, 32 pirate attacks had been reported in Somalia since mid-March. Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, when rival warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre.

Ali Mohammed GEDI, Somali Prime Minister with Javier SOLANA of the EU High Representative PRESS RELEASE Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the CFSP, met with Ali Mohammed GEDI, Somali Prime Minister Wednesday, 16 November 2005 Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), met today with the Prime Minister of the Transitional Government of the Somali Republic, Ali Mohammed GEDI. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the internal situation in Somalia, the relations of the EU with the Transitional Government and other regional issues. The High Representative encouraged the efforts set in motion by Prime Minister GEDI in order for the situation to return to normal and for national reconciliation to be deepened. Javier Solana expressed the European Union's intention to engage further alongside the legitimate authority of Somalia, a country where the EU is already playing an active role. http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/declarations/86988.pdf

Maakhir, Excellent report, it was very informative. The photos are a great addition as well.

Welcome back Horn, and Wind as well.

^^Now tell me saaxiib, is it worth the position of MOD? Putting up with all these nomads, each accusing you of bias and favourtism? Well, your certainly in the spotlight now Miskiinow...I hope your enjoying it. Also, I suppose it is possible that Horn and Wind know one another in person--although I wasn't aware of that. It is understandable, however, why the Admin may have become suspicious.