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Somalia: Somalia seizes weapons said to be from al-Qaida

July 21, 2012 · 325156 Comments2012-07-21+22%3A46%3A29goth+Mohamed

Militants of Al-Shabaab stand guard with their weapons inside Bakara open-air market in Somalia's capital Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Security forces of a semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia seized a boat carrying weapons that were being smuggled from al-Qaida militants in Yemen to fighters in Somalia, an official said Saturday.

The boat was carrying explosives, switches, rockets, guns, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades, said the ports and anti-piracy minister of Puntland, Said Mohamed Rage. He did not provide a detailed breakdown of how many weapons were seized.

“They (al-Qaida) were trying to offload the arms on the Alula coast, then to smuggle them to al-Shabab in the south of Somalia by road. They use our region as a gateway to smuggle fighters from Yemen and Somalia,” he said.

One Yemeni man was arrested when the boat was seized Friday afternoon, he added.

Al-Qaida and al-Shabab — the most powerful militant group in Somalia — announced a merger earlier this year.

Al-Shabab, however, has been under increasing military pressure across Somalia over the last year because of stepped-up operations by the African Union military force and Ethiopian troops.

Human traffickers use the Puntland region to send refugees across the Gulf of Aden over to Yemen, and Rage said that hundreds of al-Shabab fighters are trying to blend in with that human trafficking network.

Puntland fears that al-Qaida-linked violence in Yemen will eventually spill over into northeastern Somalia.

“Their next base will be the mountainous hideouts in our region. They don’t have any other alternative or base from which they can launch attacks. It’s a worrying thing,” Rage said.

Al-Shabab militants recently merged with a Puntland warlord — Mohamed Said Atom — and have clashed with government forces in Puntland several times this year.

Source: Associated Press

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By goth Mohamed

jodari says:

i really respect how puntland dealt with shebaab threat. the tireslessly hunted them down in the mountains when they tried to hide in Golis and blocked the whole road to the area moving the nomads from the area as a result, the threat of bombings in cities like bosaso has been virtually eliminated
this shows the failings of the guys running Mogadishu and how they are not protecting people in the city.

6:01 pm on July 21, 2012

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- saciid says:
  
  Well Puntland and s/land They realy fight against Al-shabab.
  
  Haw*ye not interested That because no knows what haw*ye wants one minute acting like religiuos scholar next warlord militia.
  
  They are responsible inviting somalis enemy into The country, becuase as long as There is extrem religiuos group operating in That part of somalia The west will use neighbouring countries.
  
  7:44 pm on July 21, 2012
  
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  - Ding says:
    
    Dalits
    
    Stop the cra saxiib. We all know who the enemies of Somalis are and that's bukhlander and it's tribal minions.
    The destroyed the country and yet again they are using all kinds of dirty tricks and fitna against all Somalis.
    When will the rest is the Somalis wake up and deal a real blow to this fagash? Here again they are trying to get some aid from the ic by saying they caught some weapon destined to the terrorist whereas they are the terrorist number erecting havoc on the world trade by hijacking the ships from the international water.
    
    I also wonder when the world is gonna wake and understand the real pirates which is the putland self declare administration.
    
    8:08 pm on July 22, 2012
    
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    - ayaan says:
      
      Ding
      
      You said the truth. Puntlander administartion is the real pirates we all know that but kind of managed to lie the international communities who knows how. But a thief has forty days.
      
      3:59 pm on July 24, 2012
      
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taha says:

Asc, Saciid, First of all learn how to write ,Second stop been an ignorant by dividing somali people when it come to alshabaab,all somali people are against.alshabaab.wheather your are from north to south .hawiye isaaq and any other tribes are one people weather you like it or not, fighting aginst each other and killing an innocent women and children and dividing our selves by tribes to tribes didnt help us for 21 years, lets unite as youth and lets move our country forward.and fight against these so called alshabaab ,we dont have an enemy we are enemies to each other over 21 year's so lets wake up.wcs

4:50 am on July 22, 2012

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- saciid says:
  
  taha,nothing wrong my writing may be you need READING GLASSES or could not understand what i wrote here.
  
  first, somalis should tell each other The truth if we want to overcome The problem They are facing at The moment.
  
  secondly ask yourself This simple question,why areas inhabited haw*ye clan are all al-shabab infested?
  
  Third, moving forward is The answer put need to confront first our mistakes.
  
  7:44 am on July 22, 2012
  
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