Somalia

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Somali Olympian Drowns Trying to Emigrate to Italy

Mogadishu Islamists threatened her life

(Newser) - A Somali Olympic female runner drowned as she tried to emigrate to Italy on a boat from Libya, Italian media revealed yesterday. The boat sank as Samia Yusuf Omar, 21, made her desperate bid to escape her African home in April, reports the BBC . Samia faced death threats from the...

In Somalia Skies, a Dangerous Drone Traffic Jam

UN report cites close calls with banned military drones

(Newser) - The White House may barely acknowledge US operations in Somalia , but apparently there are so many drones zipping around the region that they are endangering local air traffic and perhaps violating a 1992 arms embargo, reports the Washington Post . A new UN report details narrowly averted disasters, including a near-miss...

Argh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54%
 Aargh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54% 
Jul 16, 2012 3:49 AM CDT

Aargh! Sea Piracy Plunges 54%

Patrols off Somalia credited with dramatic drop

(Newser) - Sea piracy worldwide fell by 54% in the first half of 2012, led by a dramatic drop in Somali piracy, according to an international maritime watchdog. The International Maritime Bureau attributed the sharp drop to "pre-emptive and disruptive counter piracy tactics" by international navies patrolling in seas off Somalia...

Widow of London Bomber Training Female Terrorists

Called 'white sister,' Lewthwaite connected to terror around East Africa

(Newser) - The 28-year-old widow of one of the terrorists in the 2005 London transit bombings is now living in Somalia, working with al-Shabaab militants and recruiting and training female terrorists, reports the Telegraph . Samantha Lewthwaite, who is known as "Dada Mzung" or "white sister" in Swahili, has been in...

Al-Qaeda Enemy No. 1 Killed in Yemen

Suicide bombing follows recent military successes

(Newser) - A suicide bomber assassinated Yemen's army commander leading the fight against al-Qaeda in the country's south, the defense ministry said, just days after the military made major gains in its campaign to rout militants from their southern strongholds. Maj. Gen. Salem Ali al-Quton was traveling in a three-car...

US: Yes, We're Fighting in Somalia, Yemen

Obama acknowledges battles against extremists there

(Newser) - For the first time, President Obama has publicly acknowledged the United States has engaged in "direct action" against al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Somalia and Yemen, telling Congress in a letter that the militants pose terrorist threats to "the United States and our interests," reports the New York Times...

World Now a More Peaceful Place


 World Now a More 
 Peaceful Place 
new study
Jun 12, 2012 9:32 AM CDT

World Now a More Peaceful Place

Syria isn't doing so hot, but globally, 2012 is looking better

(Newser) - You wouldn't know it from Newser's coverage , but apparently the world has become a more peaceful place in 2012. Reuters reports that the Global Peace Index registered its first boost in two years, after surveying everything from civil unrest to military spending in 158 countries. The Middle East...

Al-Shabab Puts Bounty on Obama's Head: 10 Camels

But only 10 chickens and 10 roosters for Hillary Clinton

(Newser) - The US placed bounties on the heads of several top al-Shabab commanders last week, and the Somali militants were so impressed that they're now copying the tactic. Of course, their payouts aren't quite as impressive as the $3 million to $7 million the US is offering. "Whoever...

Denmark: We Busted 2 Would-Be Terrorists

Somali-born brothers overheard discussing methods and targets

(Newser) - Danish intelligence officials say they've arrested two brothers who were plotting an unspecified terrorist attack. The brothers, ages 18 and 23, were born in Somalia, but have spent most of their lives in Denmark and are Danish citizens. Authorities say they were overheard discussing methods, targets, and types of...

33 Injured in Kenya Blast
 33 Injured in Kenya Blast 
May 28, 2012 1:45 PM CDT

33 Injured in Kenya Blast

Al-Shabab has threatened such an attack in the past

(Newser) - An explosion ripped through a building full of small shops in downtown Nairobi today, injuring at least 33 people, including a woman who blamed the blast on a "bearded man" who left behind a bag shortly before the detonation. Police officials first indicated the explosion could have been caused...

EU Strikes Somali Pirates
 EU Strikes Somali Pirates 
May 15, 2012 7:10 AM CDT

EU Strikes Somali Pirates

First mainland raid a success

(Newser) - The European Union launched its first raid on mainland Somali pirate bases overnight, destroying five of their boats using warships and helicopters. The naval attack was the first under an expanded Operation Atalanta, which gave the EU power to attack both land and sea targets. Last night’s attack focused...

Somalia's Olympic Head Killed in Blast

At least 10 dead, dozens wounded

(Newser) - At least 10 people, including the presidents of Somalia's Olympic committee and the country's soccer federation, were killed in a blast at the national theater in Mogadishu today. The suicide blast occurred during a ceremony at the theater, which was closed as Somalia's civil war began and...

American Travel Writer Kidnapped in Somalia

Michael Scott Moore was considering writing a book about Somali pirates

(Newser) - Somali gunmen have kidnapped noted travel and surfing writer Michael Scott Moore, and are demanding an unknown ransom for his release. Moore, a Manhattan Beach native currently living in Berlin, holds both US and German citizenship. He was in Somalia because he was considering writing a book about Somali pirates,...

Rescued Aid Worker Loved Africa

Details emerging on Jessica Buchanan, saved in Navy SEAL raid

(Newser) - Jessica Buchanan, the American aid worker rescued in a Navy SEAL overnight raid , first came to Africa as a student teacher in Nairobi. "That experience just planted in her a love and passion for Africa," says the president of the Pennsylvania Christian college from which Buchanan graduated in...

Obama Learned of SEALs' Success Before SOTU

President had ordered Jessica Buchanan's rescue Monday night

(Newser) - If President Obama was smiling last night, it's partly because just hours before the State of the Union he'd taken a phone call telling him that the Navy SEALs rescue of Jessica Buchanan and a companion had been a success, Politico reports. Some 15 minutes after the speech—...

SEALs Raid Frees Yank, Dane in Somalia

Nine pirates reportedly killed as aid workers rescued by same team who killed bin Laden

(Newser) - Navy SEALs, reportedly the same team that took out Osama bin Laden, launched a daring helicopter raid early today in Somalia, freeing an American and a Danish aid worker held by kidnappers since October , reports MSNBC . Helicopters landed just outside the pirates' camp in the pre-dawn hours, entering the camp...

Ex-US Soldier Busted Trying to Join Somali Militants

Md. man flew to Kenya in attempt to join al-Qaeda-linked group

(Newser) - A former US Army soldier is in federal custody for a half-baked plan to join al-Shabab militants in Somalia. Prosecutors say Craig Baxam, 24, decided he wanted to live under Sharia law and tried to make his way to Somalia from Kenya carrying a Koran and a few hundred dollars....

2 Doctors Without Borders Workers Shot in Somalia

At least one killed: report

(Newser) - At least two Doctors Without Borders workers were shot at the aid group's office in the Somali capital today, and at least one person was killed. An employee of the group lost his job yesterday, and came back today to carry out the attack, according to another employee. The...

Somalia's Rising Woe: Mass Rape

Aid workers can't remember the last time so many women were being raped

(Newser) - Add another item to Somalia's long list of woes: A country wracked by violence and famine is also seeing a frightening rise in rape, reports the New York Times , which recounts the findings of aid workers and the tales of victims. The sexual abuse is occurring at the hands...

Militants: Somalia Suicide Bomber Was an American

University of Minnesota student disappeared in 2008

(Newser) - Somali militant group al-Shabab says a 22-year-old suicide bomber who killed "scores" of African Union soldiers in an attack in Mogadishu on the weekend was an American who grew up in Minneapolis, reports the New York Times . The AU has confirmed that two suicide bombers attacked their base but...

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