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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Burundi steps up security after Shabab threat |
| 2010-07-14 |
| Burundi stepped up security in response to a direct threat from Somalia's Shabab, who carried out deadly attacks against Uganda, Bujumbura's military partner in Mogadishu, the army said Tuesday. "We want to reassure the Burundian population. We have taken the necessary measures and adopted strategies that I cannot reveal," army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza told AFP. "Shabab will not find in Burundi a terrain where it can operate," he said. On Sunday night, three explosions ripped through crowds watching the football World Cup final at two entertainment spots in the Ugandan capital, killing at least 76 and wounding dozens. The blasts, the worst attacks since the 1998 Al-Qaeda bombings against the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, were claimed by Somalia's insurgent group Shabab, whose leadership has proclaimed its allegiance to Osama bin Laden. The group said the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda's leading role in the African Union force (AMISOM) which has thwarted their efforts to topple Somalia's western-backed president and take over the whole of Mogadishu. The Kampala bombings demonstrated the Shabab's ability to strike beyond Somali borders and the Islamist rebels' spokesman warned Burundi it could be next on the list. "Burundi ought to learn a lesson from what happened in Kampala because the Shabab's mujahideen (holy warriors) are unstoppable," Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamoud Rage told reporters on Monday. But Baratuza was defiant and insisted that his country would not pull out the three battalions it has deployed to AMISOM since December 2007. "We have taken this threat seriously. But while Shabab wants to carry out attacks to show its strength, I don't think this is a true measure of strength," Baratuza said. "There is no reason to withdraw Burundian troops from Somalia... it would not stop Shabab from (carrying out attacks abroad). We must continue to help the Somali population, which is suffering," he added. Uganda and Burundi are the only two countries who have agreed to send troops to Somalia as part of the African Union's peacekeeping efforts there. The Shabab accuse them of being embarked in a Christian crusade against Muslim Somalia and of killing civilians during their operations to secure the weak transitional administration's key institutions. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 I have a better idea: do what Fred said about dismantling Somalia, but rather than allow the sore to fester in the "unincorporated" area, use it as an international target range. The US Navy lost Vieques Island - Somalia would be a GREAT replacement. Open the area for pounding by any nation that has the resources to get there (that'll eliminate a lot, but not all, of the states that Somalia once depended upon). Allow the use of ANY type of weapon except nukes. Build a high fence around the area, and patrol it with rabid dogs. We can check back every 25 years or so to see if the people there have learned anything about living in peace with their neighbors. Still haven't learned, or refused to accept? Rinse and repeat. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-07-14 18:19 |
| #4 no Somali should be allowed close to a civilized country Too late. Our own government has already imported a whole bunch of these people. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-07-14 12:31 |
| #3 I doubt if we need another Crusade. They didn't work well for the most part. You need to be a (capital) Believer, otherwise you end up sacking Constantinople and not doing much else. It'd make a lot more sense to dismantle the Somali cancer sore: recognize Puntland and Somaliland. The remainder can either go to Ethiopia and/or Kenya or remain "unincorporated." There should be no Somali passport, and no Somali should be allowed close to a civilized country. |
| Posted by: Fred 2010-07-14 11:44 |
| #2 Let's take them up on it! Maybe African Christians SHOULD have a quiet crusade against the GODLESS mooslims |
| Posted by: Zenobia Omiter2549 2010-07-14 01:28 |
| #1 NEWS KERALA > UGANDAN BLASTS [Kampala] SHOW AL-SHABAAB INTENT ON STRIKING US HOMELAND. FBI, etc. USGovt Boyz on their way to Uganda. versus * SAME > NIGERIA: ABDULMUTALLUB - NATION MUST SEE TRIAL. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-07-14 01:23 |