Two young female suicide bombers attacked a town in Cameroon’s Far North region early on Thursday, authorities said, the fourth strike near the Nigerian border by suspected Boko Haram militants this week.

One of the bombs exploded in Mora, killing the girl and wounding at least four people, said Babila Akaou, prefect of the Mayo-Sava department.

Locals killed the second bomber before her device detonated, he added, without going into further details.

Fighters from Boko Haram have killed thousands in northeast Nigeria and have also launched attacks in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

The group has frequently used female bombers and children to hit targets.

The two girls, aged between 13 and 18, entered the town early on market day and were spotted by a watch committee, said Akaou.

“They were heading toward the market. They weren’t wearing shoes … which drew attention,” said a local named Abou. The girls passed by him around 7 a.m. (0600 GMT), he said.

Suicide bombers have launched attacks in Mora, about 30 km (20 miles) from the Nigerian border, several times before.

Similar attacks used to happen on an almost daily basis in Cameroon but the International Crisis Group reported this month that the frequency had fallen since September, leading analysts to believe Boko Haram was weakening there.

arabnews.com

Two persons were confirmed killed Wednesday night in Maiduguri, Borno State, as a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated himself outside Muna Garage, a busy bus station that has recently become a major target for the insurgents’ attack.

Located along Maiduguri-Gamboru road that was recently opened for commuting, after soldiers freed it from Boko Haram control, Muna Garage has become a hotspot for suicide attacks.

The usually crowded motor park has been attacked by suicide bombers at least three times killing about 15 persons including the suicide bombers.

According to witnesses, the Wednesday night suicide bomber attempted to enter the bus station at about 9 p.m. but suddenly exploded at the gate.

He died instantly alongside a passerby.

The Borno State police spokesperson, Victor Isuku, confirmed the incident on Thursday morning.

“Two persons including the suicide bomber died on the spot, while a Mercedes Benz car REG No AX 571 ABJ which was parked by the road side was damaged by the impact of the explosion. Normalcy already restored,” Mr. Isuku said.

Boko Haram have stepped up their hostility since October 12 when they released 21 of the 209 abducted Chibok schoolgirls to the federal government after a cloudy negotiation deal.

There have been reports that government paid a lot of money to the insurgents for the release, an allegation the government has denied.

The Nigeria military has repeatedly said it has degraded the ranks of the Boko Haram who now have more foreign fighters in their ranks.

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South Africa’s disaster relief organization Gift of the Givers said Wednesday it is still battling to secure freedom for their compatriots held hostage by al-Qaeda militants in Timbuktu, Mali.

Yehia Dicko, negotiator of the organization, is currently in

Mali and will meet the influential people on the Algerian border to negotiate the release of Stephen McGown, who was taken hostage five years ago, and another hostage Gustafsson, said Imtiaz Sooliman, founder, director and chairman of the Gift of the Givers.

Sooliman added that tribal, religious and spiritual leaders are now negotiating with al-Qaeda for the release of the two. The rebels had asked the South African and Swedish governments for 5 million euros (5.25 million U.S. dollars) each in ransom.

“We responded that the governments don’t talk to terrorists nor pay any ransoms,” he said.

The militants have also demanded the release of the two in exchange of prisoners either from Mali or Niger, which was also declined by the Gift of the Givers.

The South African organization has distributed food and water during the Islamic month of Ramadaan, built boreholes and upgraded places of worship to encourage the rebels to release the hostages.

“We pray that by this Christmas we succeed in securing an unconditional release as we have run out of options,” Sooliman said.

Malcolm McGown, father of Stephen McGown, told Xinhua that they are hoping that the government, the Gift of Givers and the international community could assist in the release of his son.

“The last five years has been very difficult to us as a family. We do not have the means to pay the ransom money demanded by al-Qaeda.” he said.

xinhuanet.com

The Nigerian Air Force fighter jets have attacked a number of Boko Haram Terrorist, BHT, locations in Northern Borno, killing several insurgents.

On November 16, an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISR, aircraft reported a gathering of BHTs under a tree at Kadari.

An alpha jet on armed reconnaissance was called in to strafe the location thus killing a number of the insurgents and causing survivors to flee in different directions.

On November 18, NAF fighter jets again carried out a series of coordinated air strikes against BHT locations at Ngoshe.

The strike, carried out by a 3-ship formation of alpha jets against 5 carefully selected BHT targets, was part of Operation Rescue Finale by the Nigerian Army.

A similar air strike was conducted on another BHT location near Kangarwa on November 19. Based on ISR aircraft request, an alpha jet was scrambled for air interdiction at a location close to Kangarwa.

The NAF, same day, provided ISR cover for own ground forces advancing from Ngoshe to Pulka. Please find enclosed the declassified video of the latest air strikes for your use.

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Islamic State is slowly encroaching on al-Shabab territory in Somalia — but can it take root?

In late October, a faction of Somali militants aligned to Islamic State and led by long-time cleric Abdulkadir Mumin, walked into the town of Qandala along Somalia’s northern coast in the Bari region of Puntland, meeting little resistance. Whether or not they subsequently retreated to the town’s outskirts is unclear, but a naval attack by Puntland’s forces on November 10 confirmed the militants’ continued occupation of the area.

The development is worrying for a number of reasons. It’s the first attempt by militants aligned to Islamic State to hold territory in Somalia, a key criteria for pledged groups such as Mumin’s to gain official acceptance as a full wilayat (province) in Islamic State’s global caliphate.

Second, Qandala’s strategic location is underscored by its proximity to Yemen, and specifically the port city of Al Mukalla, long rumoured to be a source of weapon imports.

The annual United Nations monitoring group report on Somalia recently highlighted the role of illicit weapon flows from Yemen to Somalia, while the former head of Puntland’s intelligence remarked in June that Mumin’s troops had already begun receiving supplies via the Al Mukalla route.

Finally, the occupation of Qandala may demonstrate the ability of Islamic State-aligned militants to leverage Somalia’s notoriously difficult clan system to their advantage. Mumin hails from the Ali Salebaan sub-clan of the Darod/Marjeteen, whose members inhabit the Bari region, and he may utilise these loyalties for support and protection in the wake of security operations by regional authorities.

Mumin pledged allegiance to Islamic State in October last year with just a few dozen militants, breaking off from an al-Shabab cell based in Puntland. This was the first major pledge, but a small, diverse pool of al-Shabab militants throughout Somalia have since followed his lead, making Mumin’s group the most active, but not the sole representation of Islamic State in Somalia.

Al-Shabab has responded violently to this challenge, detaining some members who express loyalty to Islamic State and clashing with others. Shortly after Mumin’s pledge, al-Shabab official Abu Abdalla threatened to “cut the throat” of anyone defecting. And, according to the UN monitoring group, a disastrous seaborne invasion of Puntland by al-Shabab, involving up to 400 militants this past March, was aimed at eliminating Mumin’s faction.

At the same time, Islamic State has made multiple overtures to bring al-Shabab into its fold. In March last year, Islamic State emissary Hamil al-Bushra called for al-Shabab leader Abu Ubaidah to pledge loyalty to the organisation.

Videos from Islamic State wilayats issued appeals to al-Shabab urging the same, such as a co-ordinated campaign involving militants from various locations in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and West Africa (Boko Haram) in early October 2015.

One likely source of friction between Islamic State and al-Shabab involves foreign fighters. Al-Shabab has a chequered history when it comes to the treatment of foreign fighters in its ranks — in December last year two captured Somali-Americans admitted the difficulties some non-Somali born members have faced.

More importantly, however, there may be a sense of competition as ethnic Somalis lured by the appeal of jihad have started flocking to Islamic State territories, rather than Somalia itself.

A report from the Soufan Group in 2015 estimated 70 Somalis from the diaspora could be present in Syria and Iraq.

Encountering significant resistance, Islamic State appeared to shift gears away from a leadership focus, and instead has attempted to incite division in al-Shabab. Propaganda has been directed at rank-and-file al-Shabab militants, with messages highlighting al-Shabab’s poor treatment of its members.

Islamic State media outlets also published a series of tributes to prominent defectors, such as Muhammad Makkawi Ibrahim and Hussein Abdi Gedi, who were killed by al-Shabab assassins.

From April this year, Islamic State also began claiming violent attacks in Somalia, demonstrating the emergence of aligned cells.

The majority of incidents occurred in and around Mogadishu, but scattered attacks in other places denote a reach beyond the capital city.

Somali security forces also killed Islamic State fighters in Janale in May, while others in Baidoa were sentenced to 10 years in prison in September.

It is unclear if these cells maintain links and function as a cohesive unit or even receive any assistance from Islamic State. More likely, they represent a collection of disparate but ideologically aligned al-Shabab defectors, operating in distinct geographic zones.

Islamic State has concurrently been working to broaden its appeal in East Africa, gaining the allegiance of Jabha East Africa, and another previously unknown group from the Tanga area of Tanzania.

These movements have not, however, demonstrated a presence beyond online statements, calling into question their legitimacy and capacity.

Islamic State also claimed two recent attacks in Kenya, amid a spate of arrests of suspected members. Nonetheless, in neither of the two cases did the assailants demonstrate a long-standing history with the organisation, nor appear to receive direct support or direction.

The extent of Islamic State’s presence has thus far been limited in the region but, as in Somalia, appears to be aimed at enduring and gradually expanding.

Islamic State clearly has a strategic eye on Somalia and perhaps the region, as an important location to advance its global caliphate project. Despite facing resistance from al-Shabab, supporters of Islamic State have made some inroads, as Mumin’s recent escapades in Qandala show.

Nonetheless, Islamic State has yet to officially recognise the actors operating in Somalia as a new wilayat, and their activity thus far pales in comparison to the continued violence of al-Shabab.

The sustained resistance by al-Shabab also ensures Islamic State has an uphill battle to gain greater acceptance in a region where al-Qaeda has had a historic presence.

But the seizure of Qandala and the emergence of violent operations elsewhere show that factions aligned to Islamic State are determined to slowly march up that hill, and may evolve into an expanded threat to Somalia and the region.

mgafrica.com/

The military has released the pho­tographs of an­other set of wanted 55 Boko Haram terrorists. This brings the number of terrorists on the mili­tary’s wanted list to 257.

Prior to the latest fig­ure, the Army had twice in 2015 placed 202 in­surgents on its wanted list.
At the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Maiduguri, Borno State where he unveiled the photographs of the insurgents on Monday, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olo­nisakin, appealed to Nigerians to assist the military fish out the ter­rorists.

He said: “With this launch of additional photographs of wanted Boko Haram terror­ists, it is hoped that all members of the public and other peace-loving citizen will provide use­ful information that will aid in riding the society of these terrorists and criminal elements.”

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tu­kur Buratai, said that several of the 202 ter­rorists earlier declared wanted had either been killed or arrested during operations.

Buratai said: “We have earlier in the course of our campaigns against the insurgents from late 2015 published two edi­tions, comprising 202 individuals that have been identified, key members of the Boko Haram insurgents.

“In the course our counter insurgency op­erations, quite a signifi­cant number of these wanted terrorists have either been killed or arrested.

“Those arrested have been providing useful information that has as­sisted the Nigerian army undertake successful op­erations,” he said.

Two men accused of being part of the Islamic State (Isis) terror group have been sentenced to death in Somalia. Ahmed Aden Abdullahi and Abdullahi Mohamed Aden were tried by a military court in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, where IS fighters seized a town in October.

Colonel Abdifitah Hajji Aden, Puntland military court chief, said two other men believed to be IS fighters were sentenced to life in custody, the Shabelle Media Network reported.

Several other IS suspects were given between 5 and 20-years jail terms.

IS already controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq and has allies in several African countries, such as Nigeria, Libya and Egypt. The group has been trying to establish a foothold in East Africa.

Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorists, who pledged alliance with al-Qaeda in 2012, have been increasingly urged by IS to join their struggle.

In October 2015, an al-Shabaab commander and recruiter, British citizen Abdul Qadir Mumin,pledged alliance to IS, from his base in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, north-eastern Somalia.

On 26 October 2016, Somali militants affiliated to IS seized the town of Qandala in Puntland, marking the first time IS captured territories in East Africa. However, Puntland forces claimed an offensive had already succeeded in driving IS militants out from Qandala.

Experts and analysts believe the scale of ex-Shabaab militants now loyal to IS is still small and Shabaab remains predominantly loyal to al-Qaeda.

However, the 2015 Shabaab defection and a link with Nigeria-based Boko Haram terrorists, who now represent the ‘Islamic State’s West Africa Province (Iswap)‘, suggest IS might try to continue its expansion in East Africa.

Earlier this year, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh claimed Boko Haram had been training in Somalia for some time. The leader suggested al-Shabaab and Boko Haram “were linked” and could destabilise the whole Horn of Africa “and by and large, the African continent”.

ibtimes.co.uk/

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has said it will require at least 4,000 more troops  from African countries in order to further liberate remaining regions of Somalia from the dreaded Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabab.

The need to further decimate the ranks of the terrorist group becomes more needful as Somalia prepares for its first democratic elections in over 20 years in a conflict which has seen millions of the citizens become refugees all over the world.

Somalia has one of the world’s most complicated democratic processes where clans and family heads elect members of parliament who in turn would elect the President. In the past two months, clans have been electing their representatives to the parliament while the presidential elections will hold before December 2016.

AMISOM spokesperson in Somalia, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kibet told The Nation that security for the election is paramount for the AMISOM troops. “Security is calm now even though it is unpredictable, we have been able to drive Al-Shabab out of Mogadishu, but we are yet to liberate Juba Valley from them, also Bakoo and Hiraan and along the coastline.

“What they are doing now is to carry our insurgency attacks using vehicle bombs and laying ambush for our troops, but we are in control of the situation and hopefully we will be able to drive them out. Currently, we have 21,000 troops and for maximum effect we need to double that but for the immediate job at hand we will need minimum 4,000 troops,” Kibet said.

As Somalia prepares for the election, a result of which will have far reaching consequences for the fragile peace of the war-torn country, Al-Shabab continues to intimidate and plan attacks to disrupt the process.

“What they are doing now to stop the election is to intimidate and kill prominent leaders in the country, they acquired Somali National Army uniforms and identity cards but we have been arresting them, we have launched a counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) strategy and more than 70 of them have been discovered.  It is a struggle against a determined enemy, but we are also determined,” Kibet revealed.

Also more than 140  Nigeria Mobile Policemen will be providing security for the elections, Nigeria has been mainly responsible for rebuilding the Somalia Police Force after the war.

The spokesperson for the government of Somalia capital Mogadishu, Abdulfatir Oman Halare said the government is optimistic the indirect elections will be successful. “We are ready to hold the indirect elections not only in Mogadishu but also all over the country. The process has been on for a long time and nothing has happened to stop it, the Somali people hate Al-shabab and they have been giving us information about them, we have been arresting them and diminishing their ranks,” he said.

Even though the city of Mogadishu still bears the ruins of decades of conflict, it was evident the people want to move on to better things. Large political billboards occupy strategic locations in the city and the candidates have been mobilizing the people to vote in an election that may determine the future of the country.

thenationonlineng.net/

President Mohammadu Buhari has blamed the recent clashes between herdsmen and farmers on the unrest in Mali and Libya, making it possible for militants within these countries to infiltrate the herdsmen, and also for the easy passage of weapons.

The President who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the graduation ceremony of Senior Executive Course (SEC) 38 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, said there was evidence to show the infiltration of militants into the folds of Nigerian herders, adding that militants running away with light and heavy arms from the troubled countries had settled among Nigerian herders but warned that criminal violence in whatever form would not be tolerated.

The National Institute, which was meant to graduate 67 participants during the ceremony, announced that one of its participants, Hajia Maimuna Abdullahi, a permanent secretary from Niger State, had died on Thursday.

The Acting Director-General of the Institute, Jonathan Juma who disclosed this at the graduation ceremony, said that the deceased would be awarded the ‘mni’ posthumously.

thebreakingtimes.com

Kenyan police killed four militants from Somalia-based Islamist group Al-Shabaab and recovered weapons in the northeastern border town of El-Wak, an official said.

Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said Sunday the killed were Al-Shabaab militants who had planned to attack police targets in the town, which is situated on the border with Somalia in Mandera county.

“On Saturday afternoon, the police officers acting on intelligence pursued five or so Al-Shabaab militants who had been sighted,” Saleh said.

Saleh said police officers tracked the militants and then engaged a group of 20, who were carrying machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, in an exchange of fire.

Saleh said the police killed four militants and recovered AK 47 rifles with 90 rounds of ammunition.

Kenya has enhanced security in border towns following several attacks blamed on Al-Shabaab in the past months.

Al-Shabaab militants have carried out a series of bloody attacks in Kenya since Kenyan troops entered Somalia to battle the group in 2011, as part of the African Union peacekeeping force.

xinhuanet.com