Former Somali Defense Minister Warns Al-Shabab
Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:22 pm
Col. Barre Aden Shire, Member of Parliament and the former Defense Minister for Somalia has rebuffed calls by Al-Shabab to have a reconciliation conference in Gedo region. Barre described Al-Shabab as aggressors and called them to remove their militiamen from Jubbaland regions of Somalia including Gedo, Lower Jubba, and Middle Jubba or face dire consequences.
Quoting former US President, John F Kennedy, Barre said: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. If Al-Shabab refuse to leave the regions and continue to undermine the democratically elected leadership, the public will defend themselves and defeat the terrorists. He continued to remind them that this is not the first attempt by terrorists to take over the regions and turn them into unstable grounds for breeding terrorism.
In mid 1990’s, Al-Itahad Al-Islam took over most towns of Gedo and established training grounds for terrorists from around the world. The public had resolved to defeat them and they were defeated. We are determined to defeat them once again said Barre who was the leader of the Jubba Valley Alliance that controlled the port town of Kismayo for 9 years.
Before the take over of Al-Shabab, Gedo region had grassroots administration consisting of district councils and regional administration led by the Governor, Hussein Farey who is now in Kenya for security reasons.
Barre promised to bring to justice the perpetrators of violence who are responsible for killing and abducting innocent people including aid workers. He warned young Al-Shabab recruits that they are responsible for their individual acts saying that Al-Shabab will not last long. “The Al-Shabab trends of killing innocent people, looting private property, and digging graves out are un-Islamic, Un-Somali and inhumane” he said.
Intellectuals and leaders of Marehan Sade around the world have condemned the actions of the Al-Shabab terrorist organization and discounted their claims to hold a peace conference in Gedo region. Leaders stated that Al-Shabab do not have any authority to call a clan conference when their leadership and intentions remain unknown.
“How can Al-Shabab call for peace when they uprooted a regional administration recognized by the United Nations to make the region ungovernable?” wondered Mohamud Sayid Aden, another MP who is in Dollow district of Gedo. “We cannot accept our region to be turned into another Lower Shabelle where armed groups continued to manipulate the leadership of the region and its resources for the past two decades”. The MP was referring to the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia, populated by minority groups, but occupied since 1991 by General Aideed’s USC, Yusuf Indha-Adde’s militiamen and Al-Shabab terrorists respectively.
Barre Hiiraale commands a tribal army based in the border town of Dollow that shortly took control of Gedo region in January 2009. With him are notable Marehan Military and political leaders who oppose the occupation of Sade regions by Islamist groups that have links with the global terror group Al-Qaeda.
The Al-Shabab movement has made open threats to neighboring countries, Kenya and Ethiopia. In an official communication to Kenya, they laid claim to the Northeastern Province of Kenya and promised to take over.
Barre concluded his press release thus: “We want peaceful coexistence with our neighboring countries and self-rule for our people. We cannot accept terrorists to occupy our regions. We will defeat them and humiliate them” said the former US West Pointe graduate who designed the strategy for defeating the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006.
Al-Shabab risks loosing grip of Southern Somalia as it faces imminent war from Somalia’s government and neighboring countries.
http://www.gedoonline.com/?p=441
Quoting former US President, John F Kennedy, Barre said: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. If Al-Shabab refuse to leave the regions and continue to undermine the democratically elected leadership, the public will defend themselves and defeat the terrorists. He continued to remind them that this is not the first attempt by terrorists to take over the regions and turn them into unstable grounds for breeding terrorism.
In mid 1990’s, Al-Itahad Al-Islam took over most towns of Gedo and established training grounds for terrorists from around the world. The public had resolved to defeat them and they were defeated. We are determined to defeat them once again said Barre who was the leader of the Jubba Valley Alliance that controlled the port town of Kismayo for 9 years.
Before the take over of Al-Shabab, Gedo region had grassroots administration consisting of district councils and regional administration led by the Governor, Hussein Farey who is now in Kenya for security reasons.
Barre promised to bring to justice the perpetrators of violence who are responsible for killing and abducting innocent people including aid workers. He warned young Al-Shabab recruits that they are responsible for their individual acts saying that Al-Shabab will not last long. “The Al-Shabab trends of killing innocent people, looting private property, and digging graves out are un-Islamic, Un-Somali and inhumane” he said.
Intellectuals and leaders of Marehan Sade around the world have condemned the actions of the Al-Shabab terrorist organization and discounted their claims to hold a peace conference in Gedo region. Leaders stated that Al-Shabab do not have any authority to call a clan conference when their leadership and intentions remain unknown.
“How can Al-Shabab call for peace when they uprooted a regional administration recognized by the United Nations to make the region ungovernable?” wondered Mohamud Sayid Aden, another MP who is in Dollow district of Gedo. “We cannot accept our region to be turned into another Lower Shabelle where armed groups continued to manipulate the leadership of the region and its resources for the past two decades”. The MP was referring to the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia, populated by minority groups, but occupied since 1991 by General Aideed’s USC, Yusuf Indha-Adde’s militiamen and Al-Shabab terrorists respectively.
Barre Hiiraale commands a tribal army based in the border town of Dollow that shortly took control of Gedo region in January 2009. With him are notable Marehan Military and political leaders who oppose the occupation of Sade regions by Islamist groups that have links with the global terror group Al-Qaeda.
The Al-Shabab movement has made open threats to neighboring countries, Kenya and Ethiopia. In an official communication to Kenya, they laid claim to the Northeastern Province of Kenya and promised to take over.
Barre concluded his press release thus: “We want peaceful coexistence with our neighboring countries and self-rule for our people. We cannot accept terrorists to occupy our regions. We will defeat them and humiliate them” said the former US West Pointe graduate who designed the strategy for defeating the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006.
Al-Shabab risks loosing grip of Southern Somalia as it faces imminent war from Somalia’s government and neighboring countries.
http://www.gedoonline.com/?p=441