Somalia

BAIDOA, Somalia — Heavy gunfire and mortar blasts rocked Baidoa for a second straight day on Thursday as Southwest State security forces clashed with armed militias in the city, an escalation regional authorities allege is being fueled by the federal government in Mogadishu. Residents and local officials said the fighting has centered around the residence of Hassan Eelay, Somalia’s federal minister for Livestock, Forestry and Range, in a densely populated neighborhood of the interim state capital. Southwest security…

US airstrikes in Somalia shrink ISIS territory, push leaders underground, AFRICOM says WASHINGTON — U.S. Africa Command says its stepped-up airstrikes in Somalia have tightened the noose on Islamic State-linked militants, shrinking their operating space and forcing leaders into hiding as Somali forces press ground operations in the country’s volatile northeast. In a digital press briefing, AFRICOM leaders described the strikes as “critical support” coordinated closely with Somali partner forces and designed to provide…

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday reaffirmed support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, jointly rejecting Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia during a high-level meeting in Cairo. The talks, held ahead of the Egypt–Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, centered on bilateral relations and regional flashpoints including Somalia, Sudan and Gaza, according to the Egyptian presidency. Both leaders cast their…

North Western State of Somalia eyes trade deal with Israel after recognition HARGEISA, Somalia — North Western State of Somalia expects to sign a trade partnership with Israel after receiving formal recognition from the Middle Eastern nation and is prepared to offer access to key natural resources as part of the pact, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters. Israel recognized North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared independent region in northern Somalia, in late December. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

GALKAYO, Somalia — Authorities in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland State region on Tuesday executed a woman convicted of murdering a 14-year-old domestic worker, a rare use of the death penalty against a woman that has reignited nationwide debate over child protection and household labor. Hodan Mohamud Diiriye, 34, was shot by firing squad in the central city of Galkayo after a court found she beat to death teenager Saabirin Saylaan late last year. Officials said the sentence was carried out under qisas, an Islamic legal…

DUBAI — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilaahi Irro attended the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday for the second consecutive year, underscoring Hargeisa’s push for international visibility despite objections from Somalia’s federal government and amid worsening tensions with the United Arab Emirates. The annual forum, one of the world’s most prominent gatherings on governance and public policy, brings together global political leaders, major corporations and international…

The United States has sharply escalated airstrikes and partner operations in Somalia, pushing the fight against the Islamic State group and al-Shabab deeper into militant strongholds to blunt plots aimed at the U.S. and Europe, according to Lt. Gen. John Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command. Brennan, a former Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, said the tempo is designed to deny militants time, space and capability to plan attacks. “There’s ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the…

Somalia arrests alleged son of ex–al-Shabab leader after street-robbery video in Mogadishu MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency has arrested a man identified as the son of former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, accusing him of involvement in street crime and insecurity in the capital, officials said Tuesday. The suspect, named by authorities as Abdifitaah Ahmed Godane, was detained after security cameras captured him and another man robbing a mobile phone from a young girl in a…

U.S. walks diplomatic tightrope on Somalia unity after Israel’s North Western State of Somalia move WASHINGTON — The United States reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity after Israel’s surprise decision on Dec. 26 to recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, a move that jolted regional diplomacy across the Horn of Africa. In comments to the BBC, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington maintains a “good working relationship” with North Western State of…

U.S. says Somalia policy unchanged after Israel recognizes North Western State of Somalia Mogadishu (AX) — The United States on Monday reiterated that its policy on Somalia remains unchanged, reaffirming support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity after Israel moved to recognize North Western State of Somalia as an independent state late last year. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told the BBC that Washington maintains a “good working relationship” with North Western State of Somalia and other Somali…