The NEFA Foundation - Documents

Documents - Somalia

[11/03/09]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen Declares Formation of the Al-Quds Brigade The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué from Shabaab al-Mujahideen declaring the formation of the Al-Quds Brigade. According to the statement, on October 30, 2009, “Hundreds of thousands of citizens in the Islamic districts in [the] south and middle of Somalia…came out [to the streets]…in solidarity with their brothers in occupied Palestine and as a condemnation of the crimes of the hated Jews." The communiqué continued, “Several of the leaders of The Mujahideen Youth Movement took part in it, among them Sheikh Mukhtar Rubu Ali Abu Mansour, Sheikh Fuad Muhammad Khalaf, Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Muhammad, Sheikh Ali Muhammad Hussein and Sheikh Mahed Omar/Amar Abed Al-Karim. In addition, there were several dignitaries and tribal leaders. The leadership of the movement declared the establishment of a special unit whose name is Al-Quds Brigade, and whose goal is to free the Islamic holy places. The unit has shown a very strong military parade and was supplied with different types of weapons as a welcome to the participants." Shabaab noted, “it is time for conducting an open battle with the oppressing Zionist entity as well as targeting its interests, especially in the Black Continent."

[10/30/09]			Biography of “Martyred” al-Qaida Commander Saleh Ali Nabhan The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a biography, posted on a jihadist website, of al-Qaida Commander Saleh Ali Nabhan, who was killed in a U.S. helicopter strike south of Mogadishu in September 2009. According to the document, Nabhan traveled to Afghanistan, where he attended the Khalden and Al Farouq training camps. There “he mastered various military skills. He then was chosen to be a trainer, and he survived the American raid on the al-Farouq camp…he was the guard of the camp gate at the time of the raid." Most notably, he purportedly “participated in training the 19 [martyrs] chosen to change the course of history; heroes of Manhattan Battle: Muhammad Atta and his companions. He mastered the art of forgery very well, and he told me that he assisted in forging documents for the 19 brothers." Upon returning to Kenya, “they planned the Paradise Hotel operation.” NEFA previously published a statement from Shabaab al-Mujahideen celebrating Nabhan’s “martyrdom.”

[10/22/09]			“Migrating from the Saudi Peninsula to Somalia” In a posting on an Al-Qaida web forum, a jihadist recounted his journey from Saudi Arabia to join the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia, in the process providing valuable insight into the radicalization process and the logistics involved in waging jihad in a foreign land. Identifying the impetus that pushed him to leave Saudi Arabia, he explained, “I was watching a European educational program about the American occupation of Iraq, and the program had gained a recorded video by the Americans about ugly sexual harassment against Iraqi girls under the age of 12…And, the program continued, until the broadcaster said that they acquired another video that shows an Iraqi lady being raped…American soldiers invading one of the houses…an Iraqi lady awakes frightened from her sleep because the invasion was at night time…one of the dogs pulled the lady to her room and raped her as she screamed calling the Muslims…and, another soldier pointed a weapon in her face asking her to be silent…I wasn’t able to finish watching the video…I felt at the moment the sweat pouring from the back of my head down to my back…and I began shivering…and anger filled my joints…until I stood up from my desk and went to one of the brothers…"

[9/21/09]			New Shabaab al-Mujahideen Video: "At Your Service, O' Osama" (featuring Abu Mansour al-Amriki) The Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia has released a new propaganda video titled, "Labayk Ya Osama", or "At Your Service, O' Osama." The video includes footage of the "Abu Suleim" training camp in southern Somalia and new scenes of "Abu Mansour the American" (a.k.a. Omar Hammami). The NEFA Foundation has released select stills from the video.

[9/21/09]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen Issues Demands for Release of French Hostage The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia in which Shabaab issued conditions for the release of a French security consultant who was kidnapped from a Mogadishu hotel on July 14. Shabaab demanded that, “1. The French Government must stop all kinds of support it provides the apostate government, whether politically or militarily, and it must pull out all its security consultants from Somalia. 2. Remove all the crusader forces (Amison) from Somalia, and particularly the Burundi Forces. 3. Pull out all its security companies positioned in Somalia. 4. Pull out all its navy forces from the Somali Shores.” Shabaab further requested the release of all “mujahidin prisoners located in the country…”

[9/18/09]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen: The Martyrdom of Abu Idrees al Muhajir The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué from Shabaab al-Mujahideen lauding the “martyr” Abu Idrees al-Muhajir and providing a short overview of his life. Originally from Sudan, al-Muhajir moved to Saudi Arabia, where he “found the book of Imam Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi…named ‘The clear indications to the Kufr of the Saudi regime’,” which led him to frequent the Jihadist forums. He was jailed twice, including once for castigating the Saudi government in front of an emergency patrol. Then, “in [his] last days in Mogadishu…he drank from the glass of martyrdom…”

[9/17/09]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen: “The Martyrdom of Sheikh Commander Abu Yousef al-Nabhan” The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué from the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia celebrating the “Martyrdom” of Embassy bombing suspect Saleh Ali Nabhan, who was killed in a U.S. helicopter strike south of Mogadishu. According to the statement, “In the attack, six helicopters participated and began firing heavily and in a concentrated manner, and targeted the brothers' car. One of the jets carried a quick landing believing that they have killed the brothers, but the lions, despite their small number and basic weapons, were able, with Allah's grace, to respond against the enemy and resisted, and a fight took place that lasted almost an hour, until four more helicopters intervened to back the first, and Allah willed for sheikh commander Abu Yousef to fall a martyr with a group of his companions.” Shabaab warned, “you will discover that soon enough as the blood of the commander and his companions…will not go wastefully, and the infidels will find out whom the hereafter is for.”

[8/12/09]			Jihadi News Forum Report Describes Dispute Over French Hostages in Somalia The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new post from online jihadi discussion forums of undetermined authenticity that describes a dispute over two French security consultants in Somalia who were kidnapped from a Mogadishu hotel on July 14. The dispute surrounding the hostages reportedly resulted in "disunity in Hizbul Islam that reached the limit of battle." July 2009 media reports provide additional context as a Somali police officer was quoted in the press as saying, "The higher-ranking French official was taken by al-Shabaab and the other remained with [Sheikh Hassan] Dahir Aweys," who is the leader of Hizbul Islam.

[7/27/09]			Shabaab al-Muhajideen Bans 3 UN Agencies The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia announcing that "Beginning from the publishing of this announcement, a number of non-governmental organizations and foreign committees currently operating in Somalia have had their offices completely closed permanently because they are considered to be hostile to Islam and Muslims. They are the following: UNDP - the United Nations Development Program; UNDSS - the United Nations Office for Peace and Security; UNPOS - the United Nations Political Office for Somalia. The decision for closure ad expulsion has already been made for these committees after a precise examination of their activities and the true motivations behind their presence in Somalia. Their involvement in activities hostile to Islam and Muslims and their attempts to preclude the formation of an Islamic state in parts of Somalia have already been proven."

[7/19/09]			"Abu Mansoor al-Amriki" Responds to President Obama's Speech in Cairo The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new audio recording of "Abu Mansoor al-Amriki" -- an American mujahid previously featured in a Shabaab al-Mujahideen video from Somali -- in which al-Amriki responded to President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, which was titled, "A New Beginning." In this tape, titled "The Beginning of the End", al-Amriki stated, "One might seriously ask, ‘how dare you send greetings to the Muslim world when thousands of Muslims are being detained in your facilities.’ And how dare you send greetings to the Muslims while you are bombing our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. And how dare you send peace greetings to the Muslims while you are supporting Israel, the most vicious and evil nation of this modern era." He continued, "...you appear to be extending your hand in peace to the Muslim world based upon a few weak claims of change. As far as your claims to improving some of the policies of Bush, you are claiming that Guantanamo Bay will be close down early next year. We won’t be satisfied until all of the Guantanamos and the Abu Ghraibs around the world have been closed, and all of the Muslim prisoners, male and female, have been released. You claim that you will fully pull out all of your troops from Iraq by 2012. We won’t be satisfied until you pull out all of your troops from all of the Muslim lands. You claim that you won’t interfere with the sovereignty of nations. We won’t be satisfied until you completely cease to push your influence upon any and all of the Muslim lands."

[5/25/09]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen Announces New Spokesman The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia announcing that their former spokesman Shaykh Mukhtar Robow (a.k.a. "Abu Mansur") has been replaced by Shaykh Ali Dheere for unexplained reasons. The statement notes, "Shaykh Abu Mansur - may Allah protect him - held the position for more than two years and worked very well. For this he enjoys the respect and love of Muslims around the world."

[5/13/09]			“A Golden Opportunity for Migration and Jihad” The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new post from an online jihadi discussion forum highlighting "a golden opportunity for migration and jihad" in Somalia. The author of the post writes, "Why Somalia and not some other country? After some reflection on the fronts of jihad and fighting, I did not find a country with an easier path than Somalia." The author then lists several reasons, including that "The Somali borders are free of Arab countries and the spy agency dogs" and "the neighboring countries is consumed by internal wars and rebel movements and the total neglect of the borders.”

[4/6/09]			Letter from American Jihadi Fighting in Somalia The NEFA Foundation has published a letter written by "Abu Mansoor al-Amriki"--an American mujahid recently featured in a Shabaab al-Mujahideen video from Somalia--dated January 8, 2008 and titled, "To the beloved Mujaahideen (in specific) and the Muslims (in general)." In the letter, Abu Mansoor scoffed that "the picture [that has been] presented to the world was the 'moderate' picture of the [Islamic] Courts [Union]... Despite these facts even the Kuffaar could see something else behind the scenes. They publicized that there is an 'extremist' group (according to their description) lurking within the government of the Courts. They were right on about most of this except for mistakenly believing that the leader of this extremist group was Hasan Thaahir Uways."

[1/13/09]			Somali Militants Issue Biography of American Jihadist The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a biography issued by the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia of an American jihadi recruit recently killed in a missile strike in southern Somalia. Former Seattle, Washington-resident Ruben Shumpert (a.k.a. Amir Abdul Muhaimeen) was allegedly under investigation by the FBI for distributing jihadi video recordings and providing weapons training before Shumpert fled the U.S. with the help of local Somali Islamic extremists living in Washington. According to Shumpert's jihadi biography, "While en route, he transited through Dubai and was stopped by the Emirates security services. They were investigating the identity of any person traveling to Somalia at that stage, may Allah punish them. Praise be to Allah, he was able to slip away from the policeman while he was busy talking with some of his work colleagues, and [Ruben] was able to catch a flight headed for Mogadishu... When he arrived at the airport, there was a group of brothers who received the new immigrants. Upon arrival, you must tell them that you are looking for a camp, or to conduct jihad, or a weapon. You say exactly what you want without fear of the intelligence services. They do not become agitated, and instead, they will take you to the camps."

[12/29/08]			Al-Qaida-Linked U.S. Citizen Addresses Shabaab al-Mujahideen; Shabaab Responds The NEFA Foundation has obtained a statement issued by Anwar al Awlaki, an Al-Qaida-linked U.S. citizen, addressed to the Shabaab al-Mujahideen, as well as a communiqué Shabaab issued in response. On December 21st, al-Awlaki released a message titled "Salutations to al-Shabab of Somalia”, in which he stated, "We are following your recent news and it fills our hearts with immense joy. We would like to congratulate you for your victories and achievements. Al-Shabab not only have succeeded in expanding the areas that fall under their rule but they have succeeded in implementing the sharia and giving us a living example of how we as Muslims should proceed to change our situation. The ballot has failed us but the bullet has not.” However, he also urged Shabaab to "be kind and soft with the masses; to excuse them for centuries of ignorance and false beliefs; to teach first and hold responsible last. I would advise you to go by certainty and to leave doubts; to prefer forgiveness over revenge." Al Awlaki served as an imam in Colorado, California, and Washington D.C. and worked as the Muslim Chaplain at George Washington University. He was the “spiritual advisor” to 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar, and the Congressional Joint Inquiry on 9/11 reported that “the FBI agent responsible for the September 11 investigation informed staff that ‘there’s a lot of smoke there’ with regard to…[al Awlaki’s] connection to the hijackers.” Returning to Yemen, he was arrested in 2006 and held for over a year. He reports being interrogated by FBI agents about a number of subjects, including 9/11. A February 2008 Washington Post article notes that U.S. officials now "believe that al-Awlaki worked with Al-Qaida networks in the Persian Gulf after leaving Northern Virginia” and has been involved in planning attacks on the U.S. and its allies. Responding to al Awlaki on December 27, Shabaab blamed the media for purportedly misreporting events in Somalia: "[The media] are continuously throwing accusations at those who want to live by the law of the Creator. For example, we can take the issue of the stoning of the woman in Kismayo. The disbelievers have falsely reported that she was 13 years old, unmarried, and was raped. The reality and truth is that she was over 20 years old, married, and was practicing adultery. This is just one example of how they twist the news, so we would like to take this opportunity to advise our brothers not to believe any news reported about us except from our official Media Department.”

[11/26/08]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen Denies Threatening Pirates in Somalia The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué from the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia denying published reports that it intends to fight with local pirate forces for control of a hijacked Saudi supertanker off the coast of East Africa. The communiqué condemned the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera satellite television network for “publish[ing] a completely false report, in which it alleged that a spokesman for the Shebaab al-Mujahideen Movement confirmed that the movement has threatened the pirates [in Somalia] and has offered guarantees for the release of the Saudi oil tanker. We question the accuracy of this report and demand that Al-Jazeera identify their unknown source. Did Al-Jazeera even try to confirm such reports with our media office, which is well-known to them? …Why is Al-Jazeera putting such emphasis on the information that it obtained from an uncredentialed spokesman, and yet totally ignoring an interview done over 2 years ago with our official spokesman? Also, Al-Jazeera has falsely invented communiqués that it claimed were the wills of the martyrdom attackers [i.e. suicide bombers] responsible for the operations in Hargeisa and Busaso—yet, we have never published any statements regarding the afore-mentioned attacks.”

[10/9/08]			Shabaab al-Mujahideen in Somalia Release Video of FBI Most Wanted Terror Suspect The NEFA Foundation has obtained an Arabic-language video recording released by the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia featuring a statement from Kenyan national Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan (a.k.a. “Abu Yousef”), who is currently wanted by the FBI “in connection with the 2002 attacks in Mombasa, Kenya, against a hotel and an airliner.” In his video address, Nabhan expressed his admiration and respect for Al-Qaida leader Usama Bin Laden, calling upon Muslims around the world: “Here are the training camps in Somalia and elsewhere… that have opened their doors so that you join them… Do you not see your brothers from the people of Al-Shams and your brothers in Egypt and your brothers in Iraq? …So likewise I say, Oh people of Kenya and Tanzania, and Nigeria and Uganda and Chad! Will you not take your share of the jihad? …And we are waiting for reinforcements from Sudan and Yemen of wisdom and faith. Rise up from your seats, in the houses of your mothers, and join the caravan of the protectors of al-Tawheed… and be among those who raise the black banner in Somalia the first time after the invasion of the Ethiopian scum.”

[4/15/08]			"Shabaab al-Mujahideen" Announces New Campaign of Terrorism in Somalia The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué released on April 5, 2008 by the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia. The statement welcomed the recognition of Shabaab as an international terrorist organization by the U.S. government: "As we are a part of the Salafi-Jihadi Islamic trend which opposes the dominance of the crusaders and the aggression led by America, we do not find it unlikely that America would add us to the names of these other honorable men, for whom we are honored to join, at the bottom of their list.” The Shabaab also announced the beginning of a new military campaign inside Somalia under the slogan "Our Terrorism is Praiseworthy": "We swear to Allah that... we will only repeat what our late Shaykh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi once said: ‘we will not compromise on our religion, we will not change the way of jihad, and will not be satisfied with compromises. Between us and the infidels, there is only the sword of Islam.'" On February 29, 2008, the U.S. State Department designated Shabaab al-Mujahideen (a.k.a. the Mujahideen Youth Movement) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. According to the U.S. State Department, the Shabaab movement includes “a number of individuals affiliated with al-Qaida. Many of its senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with al-Qaida in Afghanistan.”