Monday, September 27, 2010

Somali leader slams Al-Shabaab, piracy

The leader of Somalia's transitional government says his war-torn nation is suffering from the "twin danger of terrorism and piracy."

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed described the brutality of the Al-Shabaab militant group and other insurgents during the annual U.N. General Assembly debate, CNN informs.

He also discussed what he said was the scourge of maritime terror on the same day a Panamanian flagged ship sailing off the Somali coast was pirated early Saturday.

"Al-Shabaab terrorists are not for the establishment of a national government in Somalia, rather they seek to establish in the Horn of Africa a terrorist hub which is managed by their al-Qaeda handlers with the intention to wreak havoc in the region and beyond."

He cited several attacks attacks by Al-Shabaab, including strikes against hotels, a suicide bombing at a university, and in Uganda, a country that provided troops to the African Union to help the government.

Ahmed urged nations to continue to assist Somalia in training its forces and supporting the AU contingent.

"I call upon the U.N. Security Council to pass a strong resolution with the view to deterring the spread of Al Qaeda terrorists and their home-grown affiliates such as Al-Shabaab."

The waters around the Horn of Africa, especially off the coast of lawless Somalia, have become a hub for piracy, making the busy shipping routes among the most dangerous in the world.
Ahmed denounced the pirates who hijack freighters in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

Source: FOCUS Information Agency

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