Monday, November 5, 2012

Confessions of an Ex-Al-Shabaab Fighter

interview

ISA ALI SENKUMBI, 19, was recruited into al-Shabaab group and trained as a suicide bomber. Born to Abdullah Muyingo and Khadija Nakayiza of Mengo, Senkumbi studied at Nakivubo Blue Primary School till P.6. He told Petride Mudoola his story.

What led you into terrorism?

It was my childhood friend, Hassan Hussein. We regu- larly converged at Makindye mosque for prayers. One afternoon, in 2007, he requested me to accompany him to Nairobi for Islamic training but asked me not to inform my parents about it. We left Kampala aboard a Kampala coach bus, on a wednesday at about 3.00pm.

Little did I know Hassan was recruiting me into al-Shabaab. We reached Nairobi at about midnight and spent two hours in Isiri, a Somali-dominated town, before heading to Mombasa. There, we stayed at Sakina Mosque for a month attending Jihad Hafsi (spiritual training). Later we headed to Somalia.

When did you realise you had joined Al-Shabaab?

When I reached Somalia and we were put in a camp. Our leader, Sheikh Abdullah Zaki, warned all fighters about the costs of deserting the group.

What was your experience in the camp?

Sheikh Zaki, the man responsible for the southwestern strategic town of Baidoa, was so receptive; he even offered me a room to sleep during my one week stay.

He told me to call him uncle since I was 13 years old then and the youngest fighter. I gained his favour and I was always by his side as my colleagues were deployed for missions.

What training did you get?

I was recruited as a suicide bomber and later moved to another region for a month's training on how to handle firearms. Thereafter, I was assigned to a nine month preparation course to acquire skills in manufacturing bombs and various weapons.

One time, we escaped from the camp with colleagues to hang out. While heading to Gawitha, we met foreign troops. They asked us to identify ourselves and we refused. A scuffle ensued and we started exchanging fire.

They fled and escaped, but unfortunately, many innocent people died in the crossfire. Yet al-Shabaab regulations restrict fighters from killing children, women and the elderly. We panicked! We carried the causalities to the nearest medical centre for treatment.

But, unfortunately, some of the children who survived the attack had recognized us and they reported to sheikh Zaki that we had killed their parents. The Sheikh asked the children to lead him to the scene of our fight and he found there five bodies. He ordered us to surrender the guns and put us into detention.

But you never carried out any suicide mission?

I started with setting bombs. In 2007, I was assigned to attack Ethiopia with seven explosives. I accomplished it successfully and several people lost their lives, while others were injured. It was my first job and I was very scared, but I later got used. My second mission was in 2008. I was given eight bombs to carry out a task in Sudan. I narrowly missed being killed by the army but I managed to escape back to our base in Somalia.

How were you arrested?

It was around 2009. Eight of us were captured by our rivals, the Hezbollah in Ethiopia, while on assignment. We were detained in Doro Prison for a year. We had to kill a prison guard to escape. There was a big stone up at the control tower.

A colleague ordered me to scale the wall as the guards were not paying attention. I reached the control tower but the stone was too heavy. Eventually, it gave way and tumbled down on the guard below, killing him instantly. In that chaos, we disarmed the other guards and escaped from the prison.

We fled into Kenya but were arrested by the Kenyan army and detained. During inter- rogation, they realised I was a Ugandan and handed me over to the Anti-Terrorism Task Force in Kampala. Brig. James Mugira received me and bundled me with the group of the July 11 twin bombings in Kampala.

I was then taken to Jinja Road Police Station and later Kampala High Court from where i was remanded me to Luzira Prison. In 2010, I was released by the High Court but was re-arrested by unknown men and taken back to Luzira. In 2011, I was again released together with other 17 sus- pects of July 11, after the DPP dropped charges against us.

Why did you denounce terrorism?

There was too much pressure from security organisations all over Africa. But worse still, my mother disowned me and my father succumbed to depression after learning that I was with the al-Shabaab. There was no life in being a security threat both to my country and relatives. I have been detained in 20 prisons in Africa.

After my release, I had nowhere to go. My parents and relatives could not take me back. I sought refuge at Mission After Custody (MAC), an NGO that resettles ex-convicts.

The executive di- rector, Morris Kizito, received me well and enrolled me in a driving school. Currently, they provide me with shelter and basic needs. Considering my level of education, I can only be a driver.

Any achievements from al Shabaab?

Besides manufacturing bombs and various weapons, I did not benefit. I dropped out of school and now I am in a mess. For security reasons I cannot explain how crude explosives are made.via  allafrica

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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