Somalia

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Amnesty: US Is Killing Civilians in Somalia

Pentagon disputes report

(Newser) - There is credible evidence that US military airstrikes in Somalia have killed or wounded nearly two dozen civilians, an international human rights group said Tuesday, charging that the Pentagon is not adequately investigating potential casualties. US Africa Command officials immediately disputed the allegations laid out in a report by Amnesty... More »

After 28 Years, American Diplomacy Returns to Somalia

Embassy in Mogadishu was evacuated during civil war

(Newser) - In a sign of how much the security situation in Somalia's capital has improved, the US has established a permanent diplomatic presence there for the first time in almost 28 years. In a sign of how dangerous Mogadishu remains, many staffers will remain at the US diplomatic mission to... More »

He Said He Needed Toilet Paper. It Was a Ruse to Escape

Michael Scott Moore's attempt to flee Somali pirates didn't work

(Newser) - He said he needed to use the bathroom, and that he had toilet paper downstairs—he just needed permission to get it. There was some verbal tussling, but then Michael Scott Moore was given the OK to retrieve it. It was all a ruse, and the downstairs location he headed... More »

Doc on Genital Victim: 'I Never Saw Anyone Mutilated Like That'

10-year-old Somali girl dies after procedure; dad says he still stands behind FGM

(Newser) - In Somalia, about 98% of girls undergo female genital mutilation, but one 10-year-old is now part of an even grimmer statistic: those who've died from it. A doctor at a Dhusamareb hospital tells Voice of America the child was brought to the ER early last week, two days after... More »

US Special Operations Soldier Killed in Somalia

Allegedly at hands of al-Shabab

(Newser) - There are more than 7,300 US Special Operations forces soldiers operating around the world, reports the New York Times , and one lost his life in Africa on Friday. The BBC reports the incident in southwest Somalia was believed to be an ambush by al-Shabab militants; four other American service... More »

Militant Group Stones Woman to Death

Al-Shabab militants in Somalia execute her because she had multiple husbands

(Newser) - A militant group in Somalia on Wednesday enacted a brutal sentence on a woman accused of having multiple husbands. Militants with al-Shabab buried the woman up to her neck, then pelted her to death with stones, while residents in the town of Sablale looked on. The death sentence came after... More »

'Several Terrorists' Dead After Big US First in Somalia

For first time, US conducts airstrikes against Islamic State in the country

(Newser) - The US military for the first time has conducted two airstrikes against Islamic State group fighters in Somalia, where the extremists are a growing presence in a country long threatened by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab. The US Africa Command said the two drone strikes killed "several terrorists" in northeastern Somalia,... More »

Mother With Baby, 21 Others Killed in Hotel Attack

23 dead, more than 30 wounded in Mogadishu

(Newser) - A suicide truck bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in Somalia's capital on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30, and gunfire continued as security forces pursued other attackers inside the building, police said. Two more blasts were heard, one when an attacker detonated a... More »

Hospitals See 'Unspeakable Horrors' After Somalia Bombing

Death toll is now at 276, with hundreds wounded

(Newser) - The most powerful bomb blast ever witnessed in Somalia's capital killed 276 people, with around 300 others injured, the country's information minister said early Monday, making it the deadliest single attack in the nation's history. In a tweet, Abdirahman Osman called the attack "barbaric" and said... More »

Nearly 200 Dead in Deadliest Attack in Somalia's History

More than 200 others were injured in Sunday's blast

(Newser) - Maryan Abdullahi's father had been preparing to fly to Somalia's capital on Sunday to attend the happiest moment in his daughter's life: her graduation day. Instead, he will bury her. On Saturday, the 22-year-old Abdullahi was making final preparations for graduation after years of medical studies when... More »

20 Reported Dead After Truck Bomb Explodes Near Hotel

The explosion rocked the capital of Somalia on Saturday

(Newser) - A huge explosion from a truck bomb killed 20 people in Somalia's capital Saturday, as shaken residents called it the most powerful blast they'd heard in years, the AP reports. The explosion appeared to target a hotel on a busy road in Hodan district of Mogadishu and at... More »

Hijacked Plane Brought Home After 40 Years

Leftists took German plane to Somalia 40 years ago

(Newser) - A Lufthansa passenger jet that was hijacked to Somalia 40 years ago at the height of a far-left militant group's campaign against West German authorities has returned home. The DPA news agency reported Saturday that most parts of the Boeing 737 arrived Saturday in the city of Friedrichshafen, where... More »

17 Killed in Mogadishu Restaurant Siege

Somalia attack started with car bomb

(Newser) - Gunmen posing as military forces were holding an unknown number of hostages inside a popular restaurant in Somalia's capital at dawn Thursday after an attack that began when a car bomb exploded at the gate, police say. The extremist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility. At least 17 people, including... More »

Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia Was 15-Year Vet, Track Star

Kyle Milliken was killed during a firefight Thursday in Somalia

(Newser) - The Department of Defense has identified the Navy SEAL killed Thursday in Somalia as 38-year-old Kyle Milliken, a senior chief special warfare operator from Maine, CBS News reports. According to NBC News , Milliken joined the Navy in 2002 and was a member of SEAL Team Six. He earned four Bronze... More »

Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia Raid

2 others hurt in battle with al-Shabab fighters

(Newser) - A Navy SEAL was killed and two other US service members were wounded in an attack on al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab in Somalia on Thursday, say US officials. US Africa Command says the casualties—including what is believed to be the first combat death of a US soldier in the country... More »

Captain of Hijacked Ship Feels Like He Was 'Dead and Born'

Somali pirates free 1st vessel seized since 2012

(Newser) - The captain of the crew of a Comoros-flagged oil tanker that was hijacked and then released by Somali pirates said he feels like he was "dead and born" after the ship reached a port in northern Somalia. Nicholas Anthony said Sunday he's grateful for efforts by the semiautonomous... More »

Drought-Related Hunger Kills 110 in Somalia in 48 Hours

Millions in danger as famine warnings blare

(Newser) - Somalia's prime minister said Saturday that 110 people have died from hunger in the past 48 hours in a single region—the first death toll announced in a severe drought threatening millions of people across the country. Somalia's government declared the drought a national disaster on Tuesday. The... More »

Nearly 1.4M Children Face 'Imminent Death': UN

Famine in South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen endangers children

(Newser) - The UN children's agency is warning that almost 1.4 million children are at "imminent risk of death" as famine threatens parts of South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen, the AP reports. The UNICEF announcement comes a day after famine was declared in parts of Unity state in... More »

Somalia Capital Locked Down for Historic Election

Votes allegedly being sold for $30K each

(Newser) - Somalia holds a groundbreaking presidential election Wednesday amid a security lockdown that has closed the capital's international airport and cleared major streets. Fears of attacks by Islamic extremist group al-Shabab have limited the election to the country's legislators, who will vote at the airport, a heavily guarded former... More »

13 Killed in Massive Assault on Somalia Hotel

Attack involved twin bombs, team of fighters

(Newser) - Terror and mayhem returned to the streets of Somalia's capital Wednesday with an attack on a luxury hotel that involved a team of gunmen and at least two bombs. Police tell Reuters that at least 13 people, including civilians and security forces, were killed when militants attacked Mogadishu's... More »

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