European Union Training Mission Somalia PRESS SUMMARY 04th June 2018 “In ‘Media’ stat virtus” EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Somalia: i militari italiani festeggiano il 2 Giugno (Foto) Stamane, in Somalia i militari italiani della missione Eutm (European Union Training Mission) hanno celebrato la 72° Festa della Repubblica La missione EUTM (European Union Training Mission) Somalia, stamane sabato 2 Giugno, ha celebrato la commemorazione del 72° anniversario della Festa della Repubblica Italiana. Eutm è stata avviata nel 2010, è parte della strategia europea per il Corno d’Africa. L’Unione Europea, in cooperazione con altri partner internazionali, contribuisce allo sviluppo delle istituzioni preposte al settore della sicurezza in Somalia. Nel periodo 2010-2012, la missione ha consentito il miglioramento delle condizioni di sicurezza e di vita in Mogadiscio e in altre località del Paese, grazie all’attività di addestramento delle Forze di Sicurezza somale presso il Bihanga Training Camp (BTC) in Uganda. http://valtellinanews.it/articoli/somalia-i-militari-italiani-festeggiano-il-2-giugno-foto-20180602/ 1 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-pm-arrives-in-baidoa-ahead- of-security-summit 2 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Somali national security council meeting kicks off today in Baidoa June 3, 2018 - Somali national security council meeting kicks off today in Baidoa, the provincial capital of Somalia’s southeastern state of Somalia. The Goobjoog News correspondent in the south-west of the country says security officials are waiting for the president of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, prime minister of Kheyre, chairman of the cabinet Mohamed Mursal and regional as: Galmudug present Ahmed Haaf, Puntland present Abdiweli Gaas, Hirshabeelle present Mohamed Waare and Jubbaland present Ahmed Madobe. The conference, which is part of the national security conference, is to be merged with a clear framework for coordinating the integration, training and direction of the national security policy. http://goobjoog.com/english/somali-national-security-council-meeting-kicks-off-today-in- baidoa/ 3 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Terrorists common enemy June 2, 2018 Visiting Somali President Mohammed Farmaajo was admirably blunt in his criticism of the terrorist group in his country that has caused untold suffering both at home and in the region. He didn’t mince his words, mentioning Al-Shabaab by name and casting doubt on its claim to be based on religion. The terrorists have been waging an indiscriminate war that has claimed many innocent lives. Of course, Somalia has suffered most. But the region’s other countries, especially Kenya, have not been spared the bloodletting in brutal attacks. COMMON ENEMY President Farmaajo declared the murderous outfit the common enemy of the peace-loving Somalis and other East Africans. We could not agree more with the Somali leader. There are active terrorist cells, especially in the northeastern region, where the people live in constant fear of these mindless hooligans. Living proof of our commitment to help restore normality in Somalia is the presence of the Kenya Defence Forces troops in the United Nations Mission in Somalia (Unisom). They continue to soldier on, at a great sacrifice, with some paying the ultimate price in the campaign to help stabilise our neighbouring country. President Farmaajo’s candid words are the best signal about a solid commitment to defeating the evil that hovers over Somalia, threatening national and regional stability. http://radiobanadir.com/?p=756 4 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-new-chief-justice-takes-oath- of-office 5 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Al Shabaab fighters seize town in central Somalia: residents Feisal Omar, Abdi Sheikh - MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia’s militant Islamist group al Shabaab has retaken a small town in the center of the country after it was abandoned by government troops, residents said on Saturday. Fighting broke out in the town of Muqokori, about 300 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu, late on Friday, almost a month after government troops ousted the insurgents. “Al Shabaab attacked from various sides. After one hour of fighting, the government forces left and al Shabaab seized control,” Hussein Nur, a local elder, told Reuters by phone. The militant group claimed that 47 government soldiers had died in the fighting. “We have their dead bodies,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, adding they had captured four vehicles and dozens of weapons. The military said the insurgents were not in full control. and that soldiers had been withdrawn for strategic reasons. “There were only a few soldiers there and they left the town for tactical reasons,” Major Abdullahi Aden told Reuters, adding their positions were being reinforced. Aden did not give details of casualties. Al Shabaab militants are fighting to topple Somalia’s Western-backed central government and to rule the Horn of Africa country according to a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. The group was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and has since been driven from most of its other strongholds across the country. But it remains a formidable threat, with its fighters frequently carrying out bombings against civilian and military targets in Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia. Separately, the group also attacked a military base in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland the same day, killing several soldiers. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-security/al-shabaab-fighters-seize-town-in- central-somalia-residents- idUSKCN1IY0F4?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_m edium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News %29&&rpc=401 6 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1003268128296534016 7 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1003192548339437569 8 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 US strikes Shabaab again outside Mogadishu By Alexandra Gutowski | June 2nd, 2018 | [email protected] | @angutowski US forces conducted an air strike strike 30 miles southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital on Thursday. The strike killed 12 Shabaab terrorists, according to a US Forces Africa Command (AFRICOM) press release. AFRICOM last targeted this area in early January, interdicting a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) intended for the capital. The US has now conducted a total of 15 strikes in Somalia in 2018, all of which have targeted Shabaab, AFRICOM’s Major Karl J. Wiest told FDD’s Long War Journal. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/06/strike-outside-mogadishu.php 9 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Undercover NISA Agents Deployed To Hunt Down Shabaab Assassins On Jun 2, 2018 - Somalia’s National Intelligence Agency (NISA) has launched a special unit in the wake of a surge in assassinations in the capital Mogadishu, Radio Dalsan reports. The agents in plainclothes have been deployed in the notorious parts of the city where most of the assassinations have occurred. A Radio Dalsan reporter said that he identified several NISA agents in plainclothes but armed in and around Bakara Market an area that has recorded the highest number of assassinations. At least 14 assassinations have been reported since the beginning of the Muslim month of Ramadan. Notably there has not been a major explosion in the capital and more checkpoints erected in all the districts to avert attacks. Al-Shabaab on Thursday released its first ever video featuring its militants executing assassinations in Mogadishu. https://www.radiodalsan.com/en/2018/06/02/undercover-nisa-agents-deployed-to-hunt-down- shabaab-assassins/ 10 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1003179759919157249 11 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Heavy Clash in Bari Region June 2, 2018 - The clashes between Puntland forces and Al-Shabaab occurred last night in the town of Balli Qadar in Bari region and the fighting of one hour resulted heavy loss of properties. Al-Shabaab has been confirmed to have attacked several militant bases in the area of the Puntland Maritime Police Station.. Nearly 5 people were confirmed dead in the fighting, with injuries. Al-Shabaab links to the internet as they say they have destroyed the entire base. The Puntland administration said that Somaliland took part the fighting in the town of Balli Khadar in the Bari region, which resulted heavy loss. http://goobjoog.com/english/heavy-clash-in-bari-region/ 12 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 Puntland Announced the Number of their Soldiers Killed in Balli Khadar Attack. June 3, 2018 - The Puntland administration announced the number of soldiers killed in the area of Balli Khadar, after clashes with al-Shabaab. The Puntland Maritime Police Force director Abdirahman Mohamud Hajji has said that three of his soldiers were killed and 10 others were wounded in the attack. He also added that al-Shabab has also suffered a lot of damage but didn’t mentioned their number. “Our forces have defeated by the terror, three soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in the attack,” the commander said. A heavy fighting between the Puntland Maritime Police Force and the Al Shabaab militia took place overnight at the Balli Khadar area in Bari province, causing casualties. http://goobjoog.com/english/puntland-announced-the-number-of-their-soldiers-killed-in-balli- khadar-attack/ 13 EUTM - SOMALIA 04/06/2018 https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1003395297647714304 14 EUTM -