thwart

Mogadishu — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency said Wednesday it foiled an attempt to smuggle a Somali minor out of the country to Libya after officers flagged irregular travel plans and uncovered a bid to fraudulently obtain travel documents. The agency said the girl, taken from Las Anod, was intercepted at an early stage of the journey after a verification process identified adults traveling with her as suspected members of a human smuggling network. Authorities said the effort to secure false documentation was…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s Counter Terrorism Policing Unit said Wednesday it foiled a planned terrorist attack in Nairobi and seized a cache of weapons and explosives allegedly linked to suspected al-Shabab operatives. In a statement dated Feb. 18, the unit said the operation capped months of surveillance in which investigators tracked suspects’ movements, communications and logistics. Acting on intelligence, officers executed coordinated raids that led to the recovery of firearms, explosive devices and ammunition believed to…

Somali forces kill more than 130 Al-Shabaab militants to repel major attack on Kudhaa, ministry says MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali special forces and allied regional troops repelled a major Al-Shabaab assault on the strategic town of Kudhaa in the country’s south, killing more than 130 militants in a daylong battle, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday. The 24-hour operation unfolded in Kudhaa, about 70 kilometers southwest of the port city of Kismayo, and drew in the Somali National Army’s U.S.-trained Danab Special Forces,…

Mogadishu (AX) — Late Friday night, Somali security personnel successfully thwarted an al-Shabab onslaught at a security checkpoint in the Kahda district, according to the accounts of local residents. The incursion commenced with a pair of blasts, leading to almost an hour of ferocious combat. As of now, the number of casualties is still undetermined, with district authorities yet to disclose any specifics. In response to the assault, security forces initiated operations across multiple localities in Kahda early Saturday…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Qaeda-linked Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants have stepped up attacks in the country amid a deepening electoral and political crisis that delayed the referendum. The militants have briefly taken control of the Barire military base, reports show after fierce fighting with the Somali national army Saturday morning, leaving dozens of militants and soldiers dead. However, the fighters failed to take control of Awdheele town in Lower Shabelle after being repulsed by Gor-Gor troops, who washed them…