sheikh sharif meets ambassador ranneberger, geedi refuses to

[musika man]

U.S. ambassador, top Somali Islamist meet: official

January 24, 2007

NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger has met top Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who is being held by Kenyan intelligence in Nairobi, a U.S. embassy official said on Wednesday.

Ranneberger has said Ahmed potentially can be a player in reconciliation between the interim Somali government and Ahmed's militant Islamist movement, which government troops with Ethiopian backing defeated over the New Year.

Ranneberger has said any Somali who renounces violence and extremism will have a part to play in reconciliation in the Horn of Africa country.

The U.S. official, who confirmed the meeting which a source had told Reuters about earlier, spoke on condition of anonymity and declined to give any details.

Ahmed, one of the most visible faces of the defeated Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) during its six-month rule of most of southern Somalia, surrendered at the Kenya-Somalia border.

Ahmed is being held at an upmarket hotel on the outskirts of Nairobi by Kenya's National Security Intelligence Service.

Diplomats say Kenya, and possibly the United States, had a role in brokering Ahmed's surrender.

A senior Kenyan official told Reuters on Wednesday that Ahmed wants to seek refuge in Yemen, and that Kenya will not send him to Somalia because he would be killed there.

Kenya is also trying to push him to talk with Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, who is in Nairobi, but Gedi has thus far refused, the official said.

Washington and its ally Ethiopia have said the SICC had al Qaeda members in its ranks, and the United States has conducted at least one confirmed air strike against what it believes were al Qaeda hiding with the Islamists in southern Somalia.

Many blame hardcore Islamist remnants for a series of attacks against government and Ethiopian troops in the coastal capital Mogadishu. The SICC has vowed a guerrilla war.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa ... _official/

[musika man]

008 sheikh sharif Bond and the ambassador will be discussing the new american air strikes on his old hiding place. 008 sheikh sharif Bond will thank the ambassador for saving him.

U.S. conducts second air strike in Somalia: report

Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:53am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship attacked suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia on Monday, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified U.S. officials.

The newspaper said there was no information on the results or the specific targets of the air strike, which would be the second this month by U.S. forces.

A Pentagon spokesman declined comment on the report.

The United States launched an air strike two weeks ago against what it called al Qaeda operatives among the fleeing Islamist ranks in its first publicly confirmed military action there since ending a disastrous peacekeeping mission in 1994.

Washington has believed that Somali Islamists have harbored al Qaeda members accused of bombing two U.S. embassies and an Israeli-owned hotel in east Africa.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlene ... STRIKE.xml

[musika man]

U.S. confirms air strike in Somalia

Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:09 PM GMT

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The United States has conducted a second air strike in Somalia, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as the top U.S. envoy in East Africa met an ousted Islamist leader to press for reconciliation with the government.

The new air strike came roughly two weeks after an AC-130 plane killed what Washington said were eight al Qaeda-affiliated fighters hiding among Islamist remnants pushed to Somali's southern tip by Ethiopian and Somali government forces.

One official said the targets this week were from the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC), a militant group defeated by government troops with Ethiopian armour and air power in a two-week war started before Christmas.


A second source said the target was an al Qaeda operative. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.

"We're going to go after al Qaeda and the global war on terror, wherever it takes us," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

"The very nature of some of our operations are not conducive to public discussions and there will be times when there are activities and operations that I can talk to you about and there will be other times when I just won't have anything for you," he added.

Washington believes Somali Islamists have protected al Qaeda members accused of bombing U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an Israeli-owned Kenya hotel in 2002.

The United States and other countries are pushing on diplomatic and military fronts to help the government build on the gains it made in the war, which let it enter the capital for the first time since it forming at peace talks in Kenya in 2004.

'WHAT TYPE OF MAN'

On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger met SICC leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who is being held by Kenyan intelligence in an upmarket hotel on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

A U.S. embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the meeting but gave no details. Another source with knowledge of the meeting said it happened on Wednesday.


Ranneberger, also responsible for Somalia, has said Ahmed is among those who could play a role in the inclusive reconciliation process Washington and many diplomatic players, believe is necessary to unify Somalia's multiple factions.

Ahmed, one of the most visible faces of the SICC during its six-month rule of most of southern Somalia, surrendered at the Kenya-Somalia border and is under the watch of Kenya's National Security Intelligence Service.

Diplomats say Kenya, with U.S. support, has pushed the Somali government leaders to sit down with Ahmed for talks.

"What we will do with him will depend on what type of man he is. But we will go back to our country, sit with my cabinet and decide what to do with him," Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf told a press conference in Kigali, where he met Rwandan President Paul Kagame

A senior Kenyan official told Reuters on Wednesday Ahmed is seeking refuge in Yemen and Kenya will not send him to Somalia because he would be killed there.

'NO VACUUM'

Washington has long feared Somalia, strategically located at the tip of the Horn of Africa, could become a playground for militants, since it has been in anarchy since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Even with a still-strong Ethiopian military presence in Somalia, attacks continued in Mogadishu -- a city full of military-grade weapons and people who oppose the government.


The latest attack struck the Mogadishu international airport, witnesses said.

"Two mortars were fired. One hit us and the other one hit the airport," Ahmed Abdi told Reuters from his bed at Madina hospital, where he was treated for shrapnel in his leg and shoulder.

A hospital official there said five people, including a 10-year-old boy, were hurt. A government source earlier said one person was killed, but it could not be confirmed.

Many blame hardcore Islamist remnants for a spate of similar attacks against government and Ethiopian troops in the coastal capital. The SICC has vowed a guerrilla war, but some experts question their ability to mount a sustained campaign.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday said 200 soldiers were pulled out on Tuesday as part drawdown to make way for a proposed African Union force of nearly 8,000 troops, which is still being cobbled together.

The mission got a boost when Nigeria on Wednesday said it would contribute a battalion, which normally contains between 770 and 1,000 troops.

Uganda and Malawi have also offered troops. South Africa and Mozambique are mulling participating.

A communique from the meeting between Kagame and Yusuf said Rwanda would limit its help to training fledgling Somali forces.

(additional reporting by Kristin Roberts and David Morgan in Washington)

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/article ... OMALIA.xml

[Gedo_Boy]

I guess it's the TFG's turn to be stubborn.

[musika man]

abdulahi yusuf is feeling american pressure to include sheikh sharif in his warlord tfg team. he says of sheikh sharif, "“We will go back to our country, sit with my cabinet and decide what to do with him,” President Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia said in Kigali, Rwanda, where he met with Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame."

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Jan. 24 (Reuters) — The United States has conducted a second airstrike in Somalia, American officials said Wednesday. The top American envoy in East Africa, meanwhile, urged an Islamist leader to work for reconciliation with the Somali government.

The new airstrike came roughly two weeks after a strike by an AC-130 plane killed what the United States said were eight fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda who had been hiding among Islamists pushed to SomaliaÂ’s southern tip by Ethiopian and Somali government forces.

One official said the targets this week were Islamist fighters, who once controlled much of Somalia but were defeated in a two-week war that started in late December. A second source said the target was a Qaeda operative. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.

“We’re going to go after Al Qaeda and the global war on terror, wherever it takes us,” said the spokesman, Bryan Whitman.

Washington says Somali Islamists have protected Qaeda members accused of bombing the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002.

Al QaedaÂ’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, vowed in a video posted on the Internet on Wednesday that Islamist fighters would defeat Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia.

“The mujahedeen will break their backs with God’s power and help,” Mr. Zawahri said in the video, adding that they were facing a “definite disaster” in Somalia.

The United States and other countries are pushing on diplomatic and military fronts to help the newly empowered Somali government build on the gains it made in the war, which enabled it to enter the capital for the first time since it was organized in 2004.

On Wednesday, the American ambassador to Kenya, Michael E. Ranneberger, met with an Islamist leader, Sheik Sharif Ahmed, who had fled Somalia and is being held by Kenyan intelligence agents in a hotel on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Mr. Ranneberger has said Mr. Ahmed is among those who could play a role in the reconciliation that the United States and diplomats from some other countries say is necessary to unify SomaliaÂ’s multiple factions.

Mr. Ahmed, one of the most visible faces of the Islamists during its six-month rule of most of southern Somalia, surrendered at the Kenyan border. Diplomats say Kenya, with United States support, has pushed the Somali government leaders to sit down with Mr. Ahmed for talks.

“We will go back to our country, sit with my cabinet and decide what to do with him,” President Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia said in Kigali, Rwanda, where he met with Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame.

A senior Kenyan official told Reuters that Mr. Ahmed was seeking refuge in Yemen and that Kenya was resistant to sending him to Somalia, because he could be killed there.

The United States has long feared that Somalia, at the tip of the Horn of Africa, could become a haven for militants because it has been without a working government since the ouster of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

Even with a still strong Ethiopian military presence in Somalia, attacks continue in Mogadishu.

The latest one struck the Mogadishu international airport, witnesses said. A hospital official there said five people, including a 10-year-old boy, had been injured.

Many blame Islamist remnants for a series of similar attacks against government and Ethiopian troops in the capital. The Islamists have vowed to wage a guerrilla war, but some experts question their ability to mount a sustained campaign.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/world ... ref=slogin

[ABSAME']

Shariif must get high position in the government. He should be promoted higher than Geedi Jareer.