says

Thursday April 16, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali airstrikes hit the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group across several regions, killing 54 fighters and wounding several others, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said the operations took place in Hiiraan, Lower Shabelle, Bay and Lower Jubba, where the military had been tracking what it described as important militant positions over recent days. The government said the targets were identified after surveillance indicated a rise in militant activity.…

By Maziar MotamediWednesday April 15, 2026 Photographs displayed in Tajrish Square place particular focus on the eyes of children who lost their lives in the Minab attack, as part of the 'Eyes of Minab' exhibition organised to commemorate the victims, in Tehran, on April 14, 2026 Iran is pressing its case for compensation for the destruction wrought by the United States and Israel, even as it maintains a defiant stance and regional actors scramble to broker a way out of the conflict. Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations…

Sunday April 12, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the verge of its first offshore deep-water drilling campaign, with Petroleum and Minerals Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed saying Saturday that the Curad-1 exploratory well will be drilled in Galmudug State, far out at sea between Mareeg and Harardheere and roughly 275 kilometers (171 miles) from land. Shire stressed that the site sits in deep waters well beyond the coast, describing the operation as taking place “very far from land.” “Curad-1 will be drilled offshore in…

Thursday April 9, 2026 Rescuers stand amid rubble at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, on April 8 President Donald Trump said Lebanon was left out of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, a position that directly undercut Pakistan’s claim that it had helped secure a truce covering the wider region. The comment came after Israel unleashed a sweeping assault on Lebanon on Wednesday that killed and wounded more than 1,400 people in crowded areas. Trump brushed off the fighting between Israel and…

Berk Kutay GokmenTuesday April 7, 2026 President Donald Trump escalated his warning to Iran on Tuesday, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” as the clock ticked down on his deadline for a ceasefire deal. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set April 28 as the date for elections to the Southwest State House of Representatives and 11 district local councils, opening the way for the region to choose a president and lawmakers through a one-person, one-vote system within 45 days. Commission chairman Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan announced the schedule Monday in Baidoa, framing the ballot as a major milestone in widening public participation and strengthening…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali government forces, supported by international partners, killed 12 al-Shabab fighters in a planned operation near Baidoa and Daynuunay in the Bay region, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. According to the ministry, the strike targeted militant positions around the vital corridor that connects Mogadishu and Baidoa. Several other fighters were wounded in the assault, though officials did not release additional details. The ministry said the mission was part of a wider push to…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the verge of its first offshore oil drilling campaign, a move that one senior government official said Sunday carries major economic and geopolitical implications as a Turkish drillship prepares to enter the country’s territorial waters. The vessel, Çağrı Bey, is due to arrive in Somalia on April 10, setting the stage for the country’s inaugural offshore drilling operation and a landmark moment for its energy industry. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar said the…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Media representatives gather in front of a heavily damaged building following a strike at the Azadi Sport Complex in Tehran Iranian forces say they have shot down two US military fighter jets, one over the country’s southwest and another in the area of the Strait of Hormuz, in a sharp escalation of the conflict. In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said air defences had “completely destroyed” an F-15 aircraft. Later the same day, the Iranian…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's prime minister has rejected calls for indirect voting in South West State after federal forces secured Baidoa, arguing that the transition should move toward national reform rather than return to the older indirect election model. The dispute over Baidoa is also being read as a test of Somalia's federal arrangement, with critics warning that unilateral intervention could reshape the balance between Mogadishu and the regions. “Baidoa is under the control of the…