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NEWS ABOUT: al-Shabab

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... More »

33 Injured in Kenya Blast

Al-Shabab has threatened such an attack in the past

(AP) - 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... More »

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.... More »

Terror's New Home: Africa

Islamist network stretches across continent, taking refuge in Sahara

(Newser) - On Christmas day, a car full of explosives plowed into a Catholic Church in Nigeria, killing dozens of people . A radical Muslim group named Boko Haram proudly claimed credit, saying it was trying to kill Christians. As recently as 2009, Boko Haram was a local Nigerian group, bloodily crafting a... More »

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... More »

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... More »

US Flying Armed Drones Out of Ethiopia Base

Ethiopia denies US presence, Air Force doesn't

(Newser) - Not only has the United States built a network of military drone bases in East Africa , it is flying its armed Reaper drones out of a base in southern Ethiopia on secret missions against al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups from Somalia to Yemen, reports the Washington Post . The Ethiopian government is denying... More »

Kenyan Bar Hit With Grenade Attack

Officials fear Somali militants to blame

(Newser) - At least 12 people were injured early today when someone hurled a grenade into a small bar in Nairobi. Speculation is rampant that the attack might be the work of Somali militants retaliating against Kenya’s incursion into the country last week, but so far officials are not publicly blaming... More »

Kenyan Troops Invade Somalia

Official says they're targeting suspected kidnappers al-Shabab

(Newser) - Kenyan troops crossed the border into Somalia yesterday in an attempt to crack down on militants suspected in a rash of kidnappings, residents say. A Kenyan official confirms to the BBC the country’s troops are targeting al-Shabab, the Somalia group suspected of crossing the border and seizing four Europeans... More »

Kids Who Won Somali Radio Contest Awarded ... AK-47s

Third-place had to settle for grenades

(Newser) - A Somali radio station run by al-Shabab held an, er, interesting trivia contest for kids this weekend. Kids aged 10-17 were quizzed on Islam and al-Shabab minutiae (example: “Which war was al-Shabab warrior Sheik Timajilic killed in?”), with the lucky winner and runner-up both walking away with a... More »

Somalia Famine Could Kill 750K: UN

12M in the region are in need of food aid

(Newser) - The news out of Somalia continues to grow more dismal: Today the UN announced that the drought coursing through East Africa is expected to worsen, and could claim as many as 750,000 lives in Somalia. The UN declared the Bay region a famine zone, making it the sixth area... More »

Obama Lifts Anti-Terror Rule to Open Somalia Aid

Aid workers can now pay off al-Shabab

(Newser) - The US plans to back off an anti-terrorism rule that’s stemming the flow of aid to Somalis plagued by drought and famine. The current rules forbid US-funded groups from paying “taxes” or tolls to terrorist groups, the Washington Post explains. That’s proved untenable for aid workers in... More »

Somali Militants Launch Ramadan Offensive

Despite deadly famine, al-Shabab forces attack Mogadishu

(Newser) - For the fifth straight year, Islamic militant group al-Shabab used the start of Ramadan to launch attacks in Somalia, reports CNN . Despite one of the worst famines in 60 years , al-Shabab fighters attacked African Union forces in northeastern Mogadishu yesterday with suicide bombers, guns, and mortars. "In the midst... More »

40 Americans Have Joined Somali Terrorists: Peter King

Rep. King refuses to end Islamic radicalization hearings

(Newser) - Rep. Peter King says his controversial hearings on Muslim radicalization in the US have uncovered some actual radicals. As the hearings resumed today, King declared that 40 Americans and 20 Canadians have signed up with Al-Shabab, a Somali insurgent group with ties to al-Qaeda, the National Post reports. “We... More »

UN Aid Flows at Last to Parched Somalia

Al-Shabab militants allow aid groups in for first time in 2 years

(Newser) - UN aid groups have finally begun delivering supplies to areas controlled by islamist militants in Somalia, as the Horn of Africa faces its worst drought in 60 years, reports the BBC . Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, banned international aid groups two years ago, but tens of thousands of refugees streaming... More »

US Indicts Terror Suspect Held on Ship for 2 Months

Somali man flown to New York after at-sea interrogation

(Newser) - A Somali man has been indicted on terror charges in federal court in New York, and his case is drawing big attention because it touches a slew of hot-button issues. The easy part is that the US military, acting on a tip, picked up Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame on a boat... More »

US Drones Strike Somalia

Al-Shabab leaders hit as our drones move into sixth nation

(Newser) - US drones have moved into yet another nation, this time targeting two men linked to al-Qaeda in Somalia. The strike last week succeeded in wounding the men who are among leaders of the insurgent Islamist group al-Shabab who are collaborating closely with al-Qaeda to organize operations beyond Somalia, according to... More »

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