US defends drone attacks despite civilian deaths
The United States has defended its assassination drone strikes in several countries despite the deaths of a large number of civilians. White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan acknowledged on Sunday that the strikes resulted in civilian deaths. “Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population,” Brennan told ABC News. This is while [...]
US: Somali man found guilty of piracy and hostage-taking
Washington (Alshahid)-A U.S. jury has Friday convicted a Somali man of piracy for acting as a hostage negotiator in the hijacking of a California-based yacht that cost four Americans their lives. Mohammad Saaili Shibin worked from the Somali mainland and his job was to negotiate ransoms. He was not charged with the actual murders of [...]
Dubai conference to focus on piracy
The second public-private international counter piracy conference will be held in Dubai in June, aimed at advancing coordination to counter the growing threat of maritime piracy. Foreign ministers and senior government officials from more than 50 countries as well as CEOs of leading global companies in maritime related industries are being invited for the two-day [...]
13 defendants in khat smuggling case go to trial
Thirteen natives of Somalia and Yemen are on trial in federal court, accused of smuggling a drug common to their homelands but illegal in the U.S. Authorities allege that for six years, the group smuggled millions of dollars’ worth of khat, a leaf that is popular in the region around Somalia and Yemen and can [...]
Most wanted ‘Carlos the Jackal’ Somali pirate seized
The war on piracy in the Horn of Africa has received a major boost following the capture of one of the world’s most wanted Somali pirate leaders, Mohamed Garad. Garad, a former British soldier, is said to have been arrested together with 12 other suspected pirates on April 4 by Iranian commandos after they hijacked [...]
Iran navy rescues China crew from hijacked freighter
Tehran (Alshahid)-Iranian naval forces freed a Chinese freighter hijacked by Somali pirates off southern Iran on Friday and arrested all the attackers, Iranian’s Far news agency reported. The vessel was attacked by Somali pirates on Friday morning near the Iranian port of Chabahar. “Through the successful mission of Iranian naval forces, the ship was released [...]
Alleged Somali gang members facing trial in sex trafficking case
A federal trial involving more than a dozen defendants accused in a sex trafficking ring run by Somali gangs is being complicated by cultural issues within the Somali refugee communities in Tennessee and Minnesota. U.S. District Judge William [...]
Somali Pirate gets life sentence for hijacking yacht
Washington (Alshahid)-A Somali man has received a life sentence for his role in the hijacking of an American yacht. A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., sentenced Said Abdi Fooley on Friday. He had pleaded guilty to piracy, which carries a mandatory life term. Fooley and 10 other men have pleaded guilty to piracy after hijacking [...]
Islamic center threatens to close bank accounts in effort to reopen money transfers to Somalia
A Minneapolis Islamic center asked its members this month to cancel their Wells Fargo accounts if banks don’t allow the transfer of funds to Somalia. Hassan Jama, executive director of Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center, said if remittances are not reinstated, members will cancel their accounts May 1. Minneapolis has the largest Somali-American community in the U.S. [...]
Alshabab fundraiser jailed in London
London (Alshahid)-A former teaching assistant, based in London, has been jailed for five years and three months for donating £9,000 to fund Alshabab militants in Somalia. Shabaaz Hussain, 28, gave the money to three of his friends who had left the UK to allegedly become involved in the militants battling the Somali government, AU forces [...]