Al Shabab

Thousands of people in speeding trucks or pulling carts piled high with clothes and furniture fled a region north of Mogadishu on Thursday amid the sounds of gunfire and explosions as government troops and their allies tried to take more ground from Islamist insurgents. The Afgoye corridor has been a shelter for hundreds of thousands of people seeking relief from violence that has plagued Mogadishu the last several years. African Union and Somali forces pushed al-Shabab militants out of Mogadishu last August and are now trying to seize areas outside of Mogadishu.

Thousands of people in speeding trucks or pulling carts piled high with clothes and furniture fled a region north of Mogadishu on Thursday amid the sounds of gunfire and explosions as government troops and their allies tried to take more ground from Islamist insurgents. The Afgoye corridor has been a shelter for hundreds of thousands of people seeking relief from violence that has plagued Mogadishu the last several years. African Union and Somali forces pushed al-Shabab militants out of Mogadishu last August and are now trying to seize areas outside of Mogadishu.

Ethiopia's federal court ruled Thursday that 11 people should face terror charges after prosecutors said they formed a cell with an al-Qaida-linked group from neighboring Somalia. The charges come amid signs of increasing militancy in the East African nation. Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia at the beginning of the year to fight the Somali militant group al-Shabab. Prosecutors said the suspects, who include one Kenyan national, formed a cell with the al-Qaida-linked group.

Ethiopia's federal court ruled Thursday that 11 people should face terror charges after prosecutors said they formed a cell with an al-Qaida-linked group from neighboring Somalia. The charges come amid signs of increasing militancy in the East African nation. Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia at the beginning of the year to fight the Somali militant group al-Shabab. Prosecutors said the suspects, who include one Kenyan national, formed a cell with the al-Qaida-linked group.

Kenya's prime minister is seeking Israel's support in stopping reprisal terror attacks by an al-Qaida-linked militant group Kenyan troops are pursuing in Somalia. A government statement Monday said Prime Minister Raila Odinga asked Israeli President Shimon Peres for assistance in building the capacity of the Kenyan police to deal with attacks by al-Shabab militants. Israeli security forces are among the best in the world in dealing with terror threats, but al-Shabab could view Kenya's request as a provocation.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A court run by an extremist Islamic group sentenced four Somali men yesterday to each have a hand and a leg cut off for allegedly stealing mobile phones and guns. The ruling prompted an outcry from human rights activists. The court that handed down the sentence in Somalia’s capital is run by Al Shabab, one of the nation’s most powerful insurgent groups. The United States considers Al Shabab a terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda, a link that Al Shabab denies.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The fight against Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked insurgency may be moving north to an area previously considered safer than the war-ravaged south, analysts and officials said Monday. The move could mean that the Al Shabab militia is seeking to regroup in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, where international companies are exploring for oil. The militia has faced heavy pressure from three foreign armies in southern Somalia. Last week, a Puntland militia led by former soldier Mohamed Said - nicknamed "Atom" for his bomb-making abilities -...

A military spokesman says Kenya was not behind strong explosions heard in a Somali town that is on a target list published by Kenya's military. Resident Habiba Nur said Monday he heard four explosions Sunday night in the town of Afgoi, 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of the capital, Mogadishu. Ali Sheik Muhudin, another resident, said the blasts appeared to be near a militant base. Kenyan troops moved into Somalia last month in pursuit of al-Shabab militants. Kenya's military spokesman, Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir, said Kenya was not responsible for the blasts in Afgoi, though he...

An al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group says it poses no threat to an American jihadi who appears on a web video saying his comrades want to kill him. The al-Shabab militant group late Saturday posted on one of the websites it commonly uses that they posed no threat to U.S.-born Omar Hammami. Hammami, known as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, or "the American," appears in an undated video saying he has disagreed with his al-Shabab comrades on Islam's Sharia law and strategy. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.

A Kenyan military spokesman says at least 60 militants were killed in airstrikes on a base of an al-Qaida-linked group Kenyan troops are pursuing in Somalia. Col. Cyrus Oguna said Saturday the airstrikes on Garbaharey town on Friday were prompted by a tip that al-Shabab militants had gathered in the area to refuel their vehicles. Oguna says the death toll from the airstrikes could rise. Kenya sent hundreds of troops into neighboring Somalia in October to pursue al-Shabab militants who it blames for a string of kidnappings on Kenyan soil, including those of four Europeans.

Inside a hot, cramped room in the Somali capital, 10 sweating children sat on wooden desks, not unlike those found in schools. These boys, though, were not in class. They were staring at a small TV and tightly gripping video-game controllers. Video games are the new rage in Somalia, a first-world entertainment option for teenage boys that wasn't permitted when ultraconservative al-Shabab militants controlled the capital. The insurgents — who were pushed out of Mogadishu last year by African Union and Somali troops — banned recreational pleasures like movies and Nintendo.

Hundreds of Kenyan youth who have trained with al-Qaida-linked militants in neighboring Somalia have returned home and now pose a major security threat to this East African nation, a top police official said Friday. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said that a Kenyan man trained by al-Shabab militants in Somalia hurled a grenade into a church last Sunday, killing two people and wounding 15. Iteere released a photo of a man known only by the alias Amar. He said witnesses at the church were able to identify Amar as the person who threw the grenade Sunday.

An international human rights group said Friday that Kenyan security forces abused ethnic Somalis in Kenya's border region in response to attacks by militants from Somalia and have never been punished for the abuses. Human Rights Watch said in its Friday report that a woman was raped by a police officer at the world's largest refugee camp during a raid by Kenyan police in December. The group said other refugees were beaten, robbed and extorted. Kenya Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said Friday that the police would investigate the accusations in the...

Osama bin Laden didn't want to publicly recognize the Somali militant group al-Shabab as a part of al-Qaida because it would bring extra attention from "enemies," but months after his death, al-Qaida and al-Shabab announced a formal merger. In a letter to al-Shabab leader Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, bin Laden's advised against such an announcement. It's unclear if the Somali militant actually received the letter. The document was among those seized in the May 2011 U.S. raid that killed bin Laden in Pakistan.

NAIROBI — The US government warned Monday that a terror attack on prominent government buildings and hotels in Kenya's capital could be imminent. The US Embassy in Kenya said the timing of the attack is not known but American officials believe it to be in its final planning stages. They did not give further details. The embassy urged Americans to be vigilant. Al Shabab militants from neighboring Somalia, who are linked to Al Qaeda, have vowed to carry out an attack on Kenya for sending troops into Somalia.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A bomb exploded at a ceremony Wednesday at the newly reopened National Theater in the Somali capital as the prime minister addressed guests, turning an event that had been a sign of growing calm into a grisly reminder of the many troubles still plaguing the country. Somalia's ministry of information said four people, including two prominent sports officials, were killed. Several journalists and a lawmaker were wounded. Officials said the prime minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, was unhurt.

The al-Qaida-linked Somali insurgency says all oil exploration contracts in northern Somalia are void, and announced a new group in the region had joined its forces. The announcement by al-Shabab comes weeks after a consortium of oil companies announced they were drilling a well in the semiautonomous northern region of Puntland. Al-Shabab said in a messages posted to websites this week and on its twitter feed late Tuesday that "Somali oil carries death" and that a group in the northern region had joined their forces.

Hundreds of Kenyan youth who have trained with al-Qaida-linked militants in neighboring Somalia have returned home and now pose a major security threat to this East African nation, a top police official said Friday. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said that a Kenyan man trained by al-Shabab militants in Somalia hurled a grenade into a church last Sunday, killing two people and wounding 15. Iteere released a photo of a man known only by the alias Amar. He said witnesses at the church were able to identify Amar as the person who threw the grenade Sunday.

An al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group says it poses no threat to an American jihadi who appears on a web video saying his comrades want to kill him. The al-Shabab militant group late Saturday posted on one of the websites it commonly uses that they posed no threat to U.S.-born Omar Hammami. Hammami, known as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, or "the American," appears in an undated video saying he has disagreed with his al-Shabab comrades on Islam's Sharia law and strategy. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.

A lawyer says Kenyan police have arrested a man and three teenagers over a weekend explosion at a bus stop that killed six people. Mbugua Mureithi said Monday that police arrested Sylvester Opiyo and three teens on Sunday. Opiyo turned himself in to police in December after authorities said he was wanted. He was then released without charge. Mureithi said police are arresting "the usual suspects" and it was unclear what evidence linked Opiyo to the attack. Police did not answer calls seeking comment.