Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Puntland State security forces have destroyed more than 100 Islamic State bases in the Cal-Miskaad mountains over the past year, sharply degrading the extremist group’s capabilities in northern Somalia, the region’s police chief said Thursday. Gen. Mumin Abdi Shire said the campaign, conducted under Operation Hilaac, has eliminated key ISIS fighters and reduced the group’s military capacity by nearly 85 percent. He said troops dismantled weapons caches, supply depots and facilities used to manufacture…

Somali defense minister rejects latest Trump insults MOGADISHU — Somalia’s defense minister pushed back after former U.S. President Donald Trump again disparaged people from the East African nation, saying Somalis would not accept being demeaned. At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday that was billed as a showcase of his economic record, Trump denounced migration from what he called “Third World” countries and singled out Somalia. “We always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, right?” he said, adding:…

US to bring seized tanker to American port, vows to take its oil; Venezuela decries ‘piracy’ as Russia signals support The United States will bring an oil tanker seized off Venezuela to a US port and intends to confiscate the crude aboard, the White House said Thursday, signaling Washington could target additional sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters the operation, carried out by the US military a day earlier, is part of a broader effort to disrupt illicit energy flows…

Somalia says intelligence raid strikes al-Shabab leadership in Jilib; separate operation reported to kill 13 near Afgooye MOGADISHU — Somalia’s intelligence service said Thursday its forces carried out an overnight operation in Middle Juba targeting senior al-Shabab commanders inside the militant group’s longtime stronghold of Jilib. The National Intelligence and Security Agency, known as NISA, said the mission zeroed in on leadership elements within al-Shabab but did not disclose casualties or the extent of damage.…

Somali troops kill would-be suicide bomber at Mogadishu’s General Dhagabadan base, averting mass-casualty attack MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali army guards shot and killed a suicide bomber who attempted to enter the General Dhagabadan military camp late Wednesday, thwarting what officials said could have been a large-scale attack on one of the country’s most important training bases. The Somali National Army said the attacker approached the camp’s main gate in Mogadishu wearing an explosive vest and tried to blend into a line…

Thursday December 11, 2025 MOGADISHU — The Somalia Football Federation will restart the Federal Member States and Benadir Regional football tournament in January 2026 after a two-year break, reinstating one of the country’s most visible platforms for regional competition and talent identification. SFF President Ali Abdi Mohamed Shiinno said the draw is set for Dec. 22, with matches beginning Jan. 24 under a revised national calendar. The federation will run the event directly, while the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s presidential envoy for countering extremist ideology on Thursday rejected reports that the federal government is holding secret negotiations with al-Shabab, calling the claims false and meant to mislead the public. Aweys Mohamed Omar said the government has not entered discussions with the militant group and has no plans to do so. The rumors, which circulated widely on social media and in several local outlets, suggested informal contacts were underway. Omar said the reports were designed to erode…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has rejected the government’s plan to hold one-person, one-vote elections in Mogadishu this month, warning the process lacks legal consensus, adequate security and public confidence. The vote would be the capital’s first direct election in more than 50 years. In an interview with the BBC Somali Service, Sharif — a leading member of the Council for Somalia’s Future, a coalition that includes the Somali Salvation Forum as well as the Puntland State and Jubaland…

Girls’ basketball game in Mogadishu doubles as rally against gender-based violence MOGADISHU, Somalia — A girls’ basketball match in Mogadishu’s Shibis district became a platform for visibility and protection on Thursday as the Somalia Sisterhood initiative used sport to spotlight the fight against gender-based violence during the global 16 Days of Activism campaign. Two teams, Somalia Sisterhood and Super Sign, faced off in an energetic game attended by officials from the Benadir Regional Administration, the Somali Police…

Thursday December 11, 2025 MOGADISHU (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed into law the establishment of the Independent National Human Rights Commission, capping a legislative process completed by both houses of the Federal Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The presidential assent came Tuesday and coincided with the country’s observance of International Human Rights Day. Mohamud said the commission’s creation reflects Somalia’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of its citizens. He…