al-Shabab

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Pentagon: Airstrike Targets Somali Terror Leader

Attacked aimed at al-Shabab leader in Somalia, officials say

(Newser) - A US airstrike in Somalia targeted a senior leader of the al-Shabab extremist group, the Pentagon said today. It did not identify the leader or say whether the strike was successful. In a brief written statement, the Pentagon said the airstrike took place today in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia....

Al-Shabab Leader With Price on His Head Surrenders

Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi reportedly surrenders in Somalia

(Newser) - A leader with the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, who had a $3 million bounty on his head, surrendered in Somalia, a Somali intelligence official said today. Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi surrendered to Somali police in the Gedo region, said the intelligence officer, who insisted on anonymity because he is not...

Al-Shabab Attacks AU Base in Somalia

Gunfire, explosions heard in Mogadishu; militants targeted Christmas party

(Newser) - A Somali official says gunmen have attacked the African Union base in Mogadishu. Mohamed Abdi, a policeman at the capital's airport, which shares a fence with the AU base, said today there was an exchange of fire between the gunmen and troops. Somali terror group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for...

Non-Muslims Singled Out, Massacred in Kenya

Suspected Islamic extremists from Somalia believed to be behind 36 deaths

(Newser) - At least 36 quarry workers were killed early today in northern Kenya by suspected Islamic extremists from Somalia, Kenyan police say. The killings happened in Mandera County near the border with Somalia and the attackers escaped, a local police chief says. The workers were ambushed at the quarry as they...

Gunmen Ambush Bus, Kill 28 Passengers in Kenya

Al-Shabab is blamed for attack

(Newser) - Suspected Islamic extremists from Somalia hijacked a bus in Kenya's north and killed 28 non-Muslims on board, police officials said today. The bus traveling to the capital Nairobi with 60 passengers was hijacked at dawn 30 miles from the town of Mandera near Kenya's border with Somalia. About...

Kilns Recall 'Almost Criminal' US History

Utah's old charcoal kilns led to wide deforestation

(Newser) - In Utah's backcountry, you're liable to see wide stretches of open space populated by little more than old brick huts. Their purpose, once essential to the state's economic life, came to be considered "almost like a criminal activity," an expert tells the Deseret News . In...

Al-Shabab Militants Have New Leader After US Airstrike

Attack killed former spiritual leader Ahmed Abdi Godane

(Newser) - Somalian Islamic extremist rebels al-Shabab named Abu Ubeid Ahmed Omar to be their new leader following the killing of the previous leader by a US airstrike , said a commander of the group. The Somali militants unanimously selected Omar today at a meeting in an undisclosed location in Somalia, said rebel...

US Unleashed 'Earthquake' Strike on al-Shabab

Target may have been Somali militants' 'spiritual leader'

(Newser) - The US says it carried out an operation against Islamic extremists in Somalia yesterday, but the military hasn't released other details of the strike on the al-Shabab network. "We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate," a Pentagon...

Who Was American ISIS Fighter Douglas McCain?

Convert's background combed for clues

(Newser) - Douglas McAuthur McCain was just one of many Americans known to have traveled to Syria—but he is the first known to have died fighting for ISIS , and his background and social media profile are being combed for clues. The 33-year-old, who converted to Islam from Christianity a decade ago,...

Militants Storm Presidential Palace in Somalia

al-Shabab has vowed to step up attacks in Mogadishu

(Newser) - Militants have stormed the presidential palace in Mogadishu, though the BBC reports that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is not there today. A police official said the attack started when a car bomb exploded outside the presidential complex. Gunmen then entered the palace, their entry apparently made easier because many...

US Has Secretly Had Troops in Somalia Since 2007

Deployment was hushed up for security reasons

(Newser) - The trainers the US sent to Somalia last fall weren't really the first American troops in the country since the 1993 Black Hawk Down debacle, officials have revealed. A deployment of around 120 troops on the ground has been in place in the country since 2007 to help fight...

Kenya Nabs Suspected Attack Ringleaders

Government insists al-Shabab wasn't to blame

(Newser) - Kenyan authorities say they've arrested several people in connection with the massacres that have hit coastal regions in recent days, including the suspected ringleaders and the owner and driver of one of the vehicles used in an attack, the BBC reports. Police also arrested someone suspected of operating social...

Extremists Attack Kenya for 2nd Night

9 killed in fresh al-Shabab raid

(Newser) - Extremists attacked a coastal area of Kenya for the second night in a row last night, killing at least nine people a day after the deaths of nearly 50, officials say. A police spokesman says al-Shabab militants attacked a village called Majembeni. The Somali militant group also claimed responsibility for...

Militants Kill Kenyan Men, Order Women to Watch

Somali group blamed for rampage in coastal town

(Newser) - Dozens of extremists wielding automatic weapons attacked a small Kenyan coastal town for hours, assaulting the police station, setting two hotels on fire, and spraying bullets into the street. At least 48 people were killed, officials said. The assault in Mpeketoni began around 8pm local time last night, as residents...

US Drone Strike Takes Out Somali Militant Commander

'Dangerous' al-Shabab leader killed by missile

(Newser) - A missile fired from an American drone killed a militant commander in Somalia, a military official tells Reuters . Another militant commander confirmed to the AP that the strike in a southern village had killed Sahal Iskudhuq—who is believed to be close to al-Shabab's top leader—as well as...

US Military in Somalia for First Time Since 'Black Hawk Down'

About 2 dozen trainers, advisers in Mogadishu: Washington Post

(Newser) - It may not qualify as "boots on the ground," but the Washington Post sees it as a milestone nonetheless. It reports that the US military has sent about two dozen "trainers and advisers" to Somalia to help the fight against the al-Shabab militia , marking the first return...

Inside the Mystery of World's 'Most Wanted Woman'

AP profile details what's known about the 'White Widow'

(Newser) - She's been called the "white widow," the most wanted woman in the world, yet she's eluded police for years, even while traveling Africa with four children in tow. In a profile of fugitive Samantha Lewthwaite, the AP explores the life of a white woman, born to...

Car Bomb Near Somalia Hotel Leaves 4 Dead

Diplomat killed; at least 15 reported injured

(Newser) - A car bombing near a pricey hotel in the Somali capital has killed at least four people and wounded 15, says a government spokesman; a hospital official put the number admitted at 22. One of those killed was top diplomat Abdulkadir Ali Dhuub, formerly acting ambassador to the UK, AFP...

Drone Reportedly Kills Al-Shabab Bomb Expert

Attack shows US increasingly worried about Somali militants

(Newser) - A United States military strike hit a vehicle carrying senior members of an al-Qaida-linked militant group in Somalia today, killing at least two people. An al-Shabab member who gave his name as Abu Mohamed said one of those killed was al-Shabab's top explosives expert, known as Anta. He said...

'Ikrima,' Target of Failed US Raid, Plotted UN Attack

Al-Shabab leader tied to 1998 US embassy attack: White House source

(Newser) - In this weekend's raid in Somalia , Navy SEALs were after an al-Shabab leader named Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir, who had plotted foiled attacks targeting Kenya's parliament and the UN office in Nairobi, according to a Kenyan intelligence document obtained by the AP . Abdulkadir, who is also known as Ikrima,...

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