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Nairobi, Kenya, December 12, 2009 — Somali Islamist
insurgents have imported terrorist tactics and technology used with
deadly results in Iraq and Afghanistan, threatening the African
country's beleaguered government and causing alarm as far as Washington.
Somali fighters over the past two years have gone from simply throwing
grenades into crowded rooms to building advanced remote-controlled
bombs. Analysts fear that the transfer of tactics and technology may
strengthen ties between Somali Islamists and al-Qaida.
The Somali insurgents offer refuge to terrorists and may also provide
territory for training for a strike on the West, said Juan Zarate, the
former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Combating Terrorism.
Recruits in jihadist training camps in Somalia are already taught how to
use firearms and explosives, according to local and U.S. officials.
The U.S. military wrote an urgent internal report earlier this year
after a cache of bomb-making materials with sophisticated triggering
devices was found in Somalia.
"People are very concerned that technology from Iraq and Afghanistan is
being transferred to Somalia," said Zarate, who is now a senior adviser
at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The increasing sophistication of attacks came amid an influx of hundreds
of foreign jihadi fighters to the lawless Horn of Africa state over the
last year. Experts are uncertain, however, whether the new tactics and
technology are being brought by Somalis who fought abroad, freelance
jihadi fighters or al-Qaida-linked figures.
In the latest Iraq- or Afghan-style attack, a suicide bomber wearing
women's clothing detonated explosives last week during a university
graduation in the tiny portion of Mogadishu under government control.
The blast killed 24 people, including three Cabinet ministers.
Somalia's most dangerous militant group — al-Shabaab, which has ties to
al-Qaida — denied it was behind the bombing. Taliban militants, blamed
for most suicide bombings in Afghanistan, also typically deny
responsibility for blasts that kill many civilians and cause outrage.
"What happens in Somalia is not original tactics, it is a copy of what
happens in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Somali Information Minister Dahir
Gelle. "We understand where (the insurgents) train and who is sending
them ... The coordination and tactics and sophistication comes from
al-Qaida."
Although Somalia has been at war for nearly two decades, suicide bombs
were unheard of there until 2007.
The first complex bomb attack in Somalia occurred in October 2008, when
five nearly simultaneous suicide bombings claimed 21 lives. Since then,
there have been three suicide attacks on African Union peacekeeping
bases in the capital, Mogadishu. A suicide bomber also killed the
security minister and 24 others in June. Al-Shabaab claimed
responsibility.
"They prepare, they plan, they are very smart," Roland Marchal, a
Somalia expert at the Center for International Studies and Research in
Paris. Marchal said tactics are still crude compared to Iraq and
Afghanistan but are evolving.
Two regional analysts said the type of bombs and their deployment shows
the insurgents are using more sophisticated tactics. The analysts spoke
on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak
publicly on the matter.
Bomb-makers are aiming to maximize damage by using metal fragments known
as "shipyard confetti," one analyst said. Militants once simply taped
nuts and bolts to anti-tank mines but are now using heavier iron
construction rods that have been partially sawed through to cause more
grievous wounds.
Triggering devices commonly used in the Middle East also have made their
way to Somalia.
After a twin suicide truck-bomb attack in September on an African Union
base in Mogadishu, two dead pedestrians were found wearing suicide vests
packed with ball bearings, a security analyst said. These men were
apparently going to attack security services and medical personnel
rushing to the scene but wound up being killed themselves when the
trucks blew up.
The activation devices for their own bombs used keyless entry systems of
the kind used to open garage doors or cars. The analyst said the bombs
also featured apparent "chicken switches," also commonly used in the
Middle East and that allow other people to detonate a bomb if the
bomber's nerves fail.
Zarate said the improved capability might eventually work against the
Somali insurgents if the government can persuade the population, which
traditionally reacts badly to foreign forces, that it shows outsiders
are taking over the insurgency.
Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this
report.
Source: The Associated Press
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