Last week Osama bin Laden exhorted Somalis to rise up in jihad against new president Shariff Sheikh Ahmed, a call that even Somali insurgent leaders rejected.
Earlier, as many as two dozen Somalis living in the U.S. sneaked into Somalia to join Islamic fighters combating the U.S.-, U.N.- and A.U.-backed government. One recruit (pictured) became the first American suicide bomber, when he blew himself up in northern Somalia in October.
Now one surviving recruit has had a “change of heart,” according to a diaspora leader. The 22-year-old has reportedly returned to the U.S. and is now in hiding.
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[...] Related: Somali-American Jihadist Has “Change of Heart” Islamists, New Somali President Sign Peace Deal Somali Was First American Suicide Bomber Fact vs. Fantasy in Somalia Verified: kidnapping an inside job Somali journo released Inside job rumors persist Hope for kidnapped journos Who are Al Shabab? Abducted journos’ vulnerability Journos kidnapped! Problems retrieving journos Kidnapping: inside job? Ransom pending? Developments in kidnapping case Ignored victims New prez = hope for Somalia A.U. rescues Somali lawmakers Building a Somali coast guard? Somali government falls Peacekeepers attacked Islamists occupy Mogadishu police stations Fighting threatens Somalia food shipments Somali president out Don’t go to Somalia Americans join Somali insurgency Ethiopians change mind about withdrawal Kenyan fighters in Somalia Good news, bad news, in Islamists’ return Invading Somalia a bad idea Pirates and Islamists: enemies or allies? Somalis welcome Islamists’ return Port fall might help piracy problem Is secret sea lane working against pirates? Puntland raids pirates No easy solutions to piracy problem What I learned from a Somali warlord Secret sea lane for piracy protection Peacekeepers, insurgents swap mortar fire U.S. planes terrify Somalis Ethiopians withdraw? Peace talks break down Ship rescues Somalis Who are Al Shabab? [...]
[...] The fighting has also drawn in foreign elements on both sides. Somalis from the Diaspora in the U.S., Great Britain and continental Europe sneaked into Somalia to fight with Al Shabab, while Eritrea reportedly supplied plane-loads of small arms and munitions to the hard-line Islamists. Osama Bin Laden has publicly encouraged Al Shabab to assassinate Ahmed and destroy his government. It’s unclear whether the foreign fighters are formally aligned with Al Qaeda, or simply “freelancing” on Al Shabab’s behalf. [...]
[...] Related: Offiziere.ch: Mogadishu Battle Draws in Foreign Powers Ethiopians Re-Invade Somalia? Ethiopian Prez: Somali Insurgents “Desperate” Alleged American Jihadist in Somalia = CIA Drone? Offiziere.ch: Fresh Fighting Deepens Somali Islamist Schism Fighting Resumes in Mogadishu Somali-American Jihadist Has “Change of Heart” Islamists, New Somali President Sign Peace Deal Somali Was First American Suicide Bomber Fact vs. Fantasy in Somalia No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]
[...] (Photo: via Ahmed Omar Hashi) Related: World Politics Review: Attacks on Somali Media Underscore Lawlessness Somali Gov’t to Neighbors: Invade Us, Please Help Rescue a Somali Reporter, Targeted for Assassination Offiziere.ch: Mogadishu Battle Draws in Foreign Powers Ethiopians Re-Invade Somalia? Ethiopian Prez: Somali Insurgents “Desperate” Alleged American Jihadist in Somalia = CIA Drone? Offiziere.ch: Fresh Fighting Deepens Somali Islamist Schism Fighting Resumes in Mogadishu No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]