WAREYSI:-CALI MAXAMED WARANCADE WASIIRKA ARR. GUDAHA SOMALILAND

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NATO transfers full responsibility for security to Afghan forces

NATO transfers full responsibility for security to Afghan forces


Video: Afghan forces have taken over the security lead in Afghanistan, following an official handover from the U.S.-led NATO coalition on Tuesday.

By Tim Craig, Updated: Tuesday, June 18, 9:21

KABUL — Afghanistan’s military assumed the leadership role on security matters for every part of the country Tuesday, leaving the U.S.-led coalition even more firmly on the sidelines but raising the stakes for Afghan politicians, generals and soldiers, who still face grave threats from Taliban fighters.

During a ceremony at an elite Afghan military training camp near Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen appeared together to announce that the U.S.-led international coalition was now in a supporting role countrywide. The event was largely symbolic, but it was celebrated across Afghanistan as a milestone and a moment of national pride.
“Our country is in the process of a historic event, and from now on, always, all the security responsibility will be conducted and performed by our forces and will be led by our own forces,” Karzai said, standing before hundreds of military leaders and diplomats.

The handoff of security responsibilities, completing a 15-month transition that started in Kabul and relatively safe western areas of the country, comes ahead of the slated withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of next year.

But the Taliban continues to effectively control swaths of land in southern and eastern areas, and the precarious state of security is made apparent almost daily, including in another fatal attack in the capital on Tuesday.

The event marking the transfer of security responsibility in the remaining districts, most of which are near the country’s volatile border with Pakistan, had been kept a closely guarded secret because of security concerns. Officials said it took days to secure the venue, at one of Afghanistan’s premier military academies. Reporters were flown in by military helicopter.

Although fears of an attack on the ceremony were not realized, a bomb exploded near the Afghan parliament an hour before Karzai and Rasmussen spoke. The bomb, apparently detonated by remote control, targeted a high-profile Shiite lawmaker, Mohammad Mohaqiq.

Mohaqiq survived, but three people were killed and 30 were wounded, authorities said.

Seemingly acknowledging the persistent threat posed by the insurgency, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it will open formal negotiations with the Taliban. Karzai also appears open to talks but has said that he first wants to see greater cooperation from Pakistan in stemming cross-border attacks by Taliban fighters who seek refuge in the porous, lawless border region.

Karzai and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, chairman of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Transition Coordination Commission, repeatedly stressed that they want additional high-powered weapons, including tanks and airplanes, to combat what they view as threats from regional rivals.

But after an infusion of $54­­­ billion in U.S. aid and billions more from coalition partners to build up Afghanistan’s military and police forces, NATO and Pentagon officials say they remain optimistic about Afghan forces’ ability to head up security in even the toughest regions of the country.

“Your forces are showing great courage, great skill, and making great sacrifices,” Rasmussen said.

Although about 97,000 NATO troops remain in the country, including 68,000 U.S. troops, Rasmussen said coalition forces will fall back into support, logistical and training roles. Gradual troop reductions are slated to continue this year and accelerate after Afghanistan’s national elections in the spring.

The pending pullout has left many Afghans uneasy about the future, but several local leaders said the country’s military can now more effectively leverage national goodwill.

“Our society is a traditional one, and people tend to support our forces when they are alone,” said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the eastern Nangahar province, near the border with Pakistan.

But Anthony H. Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, remains pessimistic.

“Yes, the Afghan forces are in the lead, but the lead to do what?” said Cordesman, adding that he fears that although the country’s military will be able to “hold urban areas and key lines of communications,” they won’t be able to oust the Taliban from areas it controls.

Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley, who runs the day-to-day military operations of the international coalition, acknowledged that the path will not be easy for the Afghans. Long before the handover of duties this week, Afghans have been bearing the brunt of enemy attacks, losing about 33 troops for every coalition soldier killed, he said.

“It ain’t over by a long shot,” Milley said. “The enemy is fighting, and fighting hard.”

Ernesto Londoño and Sayed Salahuddin contributed to this report.

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Somalia: Sworn In To Tyrannize Somalilanders

Somalia: Sworn In To Tyrannize Somalilanders

More than 50,000 Somaliland civilians were murdered in cold blood by the brutal Somalia dominated army in less than a week. That was in 1988, when Siad Barre army opened the floodgates of hell in Somaliland and used all kinds of military arsenal that was ever made to destroy humanity with the exception of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, which he did not possess. I am sure he would not have had a second thought to use unconventional weapons of mass destruction against Somaliland civilians, but fortunately the Soviets and after that the USA, who were the main weapons suppliers to Siad Barre did only generously furnish him with conventional weapons. And not to forget, there were also some Arab countries that paid Siad Barre to buy bombers and hire South African pilots to bombard Somaliland cities, towns and villages to ashes.

Apart from those 50,000 civilians that were indiscriminately killed in less than a week, there were also more civilians, who were randomly arrested and then executed in broad day lights from 1984-1988, Simply because the regime decided that they did not deserve to live – they were Somalilanders and for that reason they had to pay the ultimate price.

Siad Barre’s regime borrowed a chapter from the holocaust concept of Adolf Hitler’s regime and tailored his own version based on his military capabilities in Somaliland. Therefore, Somalilanders were slaughtered in the most inhumane methods. Some where heartlessly burned alive, some were thrown in great numbers into deep dry water wells and then buried alive and others including children, women and elderly were pusillanimously taken from their homes in the middle of the night and were summarily executed with no questions asked. There are 226 mass graves that were discovered in seven Somaliland cities. Additionally, there is at least one known mass grave in Jazziera beach in Mogadishu, where several dozens of innocent Somaliland civilians are known to have been buried after they were summarily executed by solders under the command of Masslah Mohamed Siad Barre, who comfortably lives in Nairobi, Kenya and is frequently received with open arms in Mogadishu.

Those gruesome statics do not include the hundreds of thousands of Somaliland civilians, mainly elderly, children and women, who died of starvation and communicable diseases secondary to poor sanitation after they sought refuge in makeshift camps in Ethiopia and as consequence of Somalia’s genocide war.

Following that brutal experience, Somalilanders decided to unilaterally dissolve the Somaliland and Somalia union on May 18th, 2001. All they wanted was to live their lives in their own country peacefully and without further Somalia oppression and genocide. On the contrary, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s appointed president, who came to power through undemocratic and clannish selection system, proudly and publicly states that he will bring Somaliland back to the union with Somalia, no matter what that cost will be. He frequently justifies his absurd decisions on his childish ‘three Ds’ motto, representing “Dhulka” (country), “Dadka” (people) and “Diinta” (his religious believes). He totally forgets that Islam, which he claims to follow states: “no completion in religion” let alone other man-made dictatorial rules. This is the kind of Somalia regime that the independent, democratic and peace-loving Somaliland is up against.

Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud cowardly described Somaliland’s 22nd independence anniversary as emotionally-driven and inconsiderately threatened Somalilanders with even more destruction far worst than that of the 1980s, unless they submit to the wishes of his Somalia’s clan based regime. He selectively forgets that the strongest black African army and under the command of his predecessor was humiliated and destroyed in Somaliland, when Somaliland did not even have a regular army.

The Mogadishu regime did not respect and in many occasions bridged the internationally sponsored agreements with Somaliland in London and Ankara. Mr. Hassan Sheikh’s regime has over and over again taken offensive actions to provoke Somaliland to pull out of the 2nd Somaliland and Somalia conference that is scheduled to be held in Ankara, Turkey. This shows that Somalia regime only recognizes intimidation, brutal force and oppression as the only tools of settling international disputes and is incapable to envision solving discords through peaceful and amicable agreements.

To Somalilanders this is very alarming and brings the déjà vu situations of the 1980s back to their memories. This is a stunning indication that the regime of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is sworn in to Tyrannize Somalilanders and not to fight piracy, terrorism and to rebuild its civil war ravaged country.

Contrary to all his glowing smiles, this man – Hassan Sheikh Mohamud exhibits all the revealing signs of a new Saddam Hussein in the Horn of Africa. Therefore, the people of Somaliland and the International community must prepare themselves and expect nothing but the most evil measures from this Mogadishu regime.

Yusuf Dirir Ali
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Hanbalyo Arooska Abdiwahab Ismail A Raja' iyo Najat Ahmed Hassan A Arwo