Ethiopian and Somali troops have captured the strategic Somali city of Baidoa from al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab  fighters, who vowed to avenge the loss.

Baidoa, 250km northeast of the capital Mogadishu, is one of the main bases of the anti-government group, and Wednesday’s capture deals a major blow to the fighters, who control large parts of southern and central Somalia.

“We have taken control of Baidoa without a single shot, it is a great day for the people who are now welcoming us warmly,” said Muhidin Ali, a Somali government military commander in Baidoa.

“We are at the centre now and moving towards every corners of the town, to ensure that we are in full control,” Ali added. “The enemy fled the city before our army has reached the town empty.”

Sporadic shooting was reported on the outskirts of the town, but residents said the city was largely calm.

Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Mogadishu, described the recapture of the town as ”extremely significant”.

“Baidoa was taken relatively easily by the Ethiopians, backed up by Somalia’s transitional federal government forces. Al-Shabab itself has said that it withdrew from the town and will now start guerilla style warfare against the Ethiopians and Somali troops within the town right now,” she said.

“That is exactly what they said when they withdrew from Mogadishu back in august  last year, and their guerilla style tactics don’t seem to be working because they are still outside the city of Mogadishu fighting AMISOM (African Union) forces.

“This is a massive blow also because al-Shabab is fighting on three fronts: against the Ethiopians around Baidoa, just south of Mogadishu they are fighting the Burundians and the Ugandans near the corridor of Afgoye, and in the south they are fighting against the Kenyan forces. So they have been weakened in this period and this is a big blow for the group.”

wararka naga soo gaaraya  magaalada baydho ayaa  sheegaya in   in ay gacanta ku dhigeen  ciidamada DKM ah magaalada baydhabo dhamaanteed, waraku waxaa ay intaas ku darayaan in kooxdii shabaab ee ka talinjirtay baydhabo  ay kabaxsadeen  magaalada  ,waraku waxaa ay intaas ku darayaan in uu san magaalada  wax dagaal ah uusan ka dhicin  xiligii ay DKM  ah ay la wareegaysay , ciidamada DKM  ayaa horay ula soo wareergay  degmooyin ka luuq, baladxaawo ,  doolow , garbahaareey, ceeelwaaq  iyo tuulooyin badan oo ku yaala gobolka gedo iyo bay, ciidamada DKM ah ayaa waxaa taageero ay ka  helayaan ciidama  itoobiya  halka kooxda shabaab ay taageero ka helayso ururka alqaacida,  waraka kale oo ka imaanaya koofurta soomaaliya ayaa sheegaya in ciidamada DKM ay la wareegi doonan  magaalada kismaayo  maalmaha soosocda , waxaana ciidamadaas ayguna ay taageero ka helayaan ciimada kenya , dagaalka hada ka socda soomaaliya ayaa ah dagaal sadexgeesood ah oo  isku mar ka bilwday  gobolada hiiraan  baydhabo iyo kismaayo waxaana uu u  egyahay  dagaal soo afjaraya  jiritaanka kooxda shabaab oo  intii mudo ah  ku amarku taaglaynaysay  wadanka soomaaliya.

halkaan ka dhagayso xaalada magaalada baydhabo

wariyaha@ilays.com ee magaalada  muqdisho maxamad cali

waxaa maantay  loo dabaal degay maalintii loogu magacdaray maalintii afka soomaaliga,dhamaan inta ay ku noolyihiin dadka ku hadla afka soomaaliga ayaa si isku mid aH  ugu dabaaldegay maalin afka hooyo,dhulalka sida aadka ah looga xusay ayaa waxaa ka mid ah magaalada garoowe, magaalada hargaysa , muqdish0, caabudwaaq,xuskaan sandwalba loo sameeyo ayaa waxaa  umada sooliyeed lagu xusuusinayaa wanaaga uu leeyahay afka soomaaligu iyo sida loogu baahanyahay in  la daryeelo, waxgaradkii isugu soobaxay xaflada lagu maamuusayey afka soomaliga ayaa sheegeen in afka soomaaligu uu yahay af hodan ah hada facwayn  lehna taariikh fogleh murti leh, waxaakale oo xaflada xuska maalinta afka soomaaliga laga sheegay in qofkasta oo soomaali ahy looga baahanyahay inu u istaago sidii uu o hormarinlahaa  luqada afka soomaaliga , waxaakle oo muhiim ah in la baraarujiyo dadka soomaaliyeed ee lumiyey afkii soomaaliga oo ay u dhasheen martina ku ah luqada kale oo dadkii lahaa ay u istaageen , ugu danbayntii waxaa lagu soo gabagabeeyey  in lagu dadaalo sidii afka soomaaliga  oo dhanloo galinlahaa softawere u  sahlaya inay afka soomaaliga ka bartaan dadka ku nool qurbaha oo  ubadkoodii ay ku adkaatay inay ku hadlaan afka soomaaliga maadaama ay san haysan dad ay kula hadlaan afka hooyo,

Hundreds of Afghans have staged angry protests at two sites in and around the capital Kabul, angered by reports that NATO troops had set fire to copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

General John Allen, the American commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, offered his apology and ordered an investigation into the incident as protesters shouting “Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar” [God is great] besieged the US-run airbase in Bagram on Tuesday, firing slingshots and petrol bombs.

LOOK  ALJZEERA LINK VIDEO

Guards at the base, about 60Km north of Kabul, responded by firing rubber bullets from a watchtower, an AFP news agency photographer said.

Another protest by about 500 people broke out in the Pul-e-Charkhi district of Kabul, not far from major NATO bases on the Jalalabad road, Ashamat Estanakzai, an Afghan police spokesman, told AFP.

Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from the city of Herat, said: “We don’t know if the religious literature was burned, but we know that it was due to be burned because waste at the base is burned generally.

“We do know it was being thrown out. That is what’s caused the protests outside Bagram, about 800-1,000 people were protesting there. 

Investigation launched

Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the NATO-led international force in Afghanistan, said an investigation had been launched into the issue and preliminary information showed that Quran copies had not been burned.

“What actually happened was that in the course of last night, considerable amount of religious material, including Qurans, was set for disposal by ISAF personel,” he told Al Jazeera from Kabul.

“Fortunately for all of us, local workers recognised the type of material and intervened. Actually the disposal process was stopped in time but it led to protests over the day. As far as we know, and the investigations are ongoing, they were not burned. But we have to wait for the results.”

Announcing the investigation into the reports of Quran burning, Allen, the US commander, said: “I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the President of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan,” he said.

Allen’s remarkably candid statement, apparently aimed at damage limitation after similar incidents led to violence and attacks on foreigners, was played repeatedly on Afghan television.

“We are thoroughly investigating the incident and are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again,” Allen said.

Allegations that NATO troops working inside the base had set fire to copies of the Quran were first reported by a senior government official.

“It is surprising that after all these years American and NATO forces have been here in Afghanistan and all the lessons they have learned about how important it is to treat Islamic material with due respect, this sort of thing is still happening,” our correspondent said.

“That is what causes so much offence here in Afghanistan and adds fuel to the anti-American and anti-foreigner feelings

NAIROBI — Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels have forced children as young as 10 to fight alongside them and serve as “cannon fodder” in battles against government troops, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

The Islamists have also abducted girls to help on the frontline and as wives to rebel fighters, according to a report by the New York-based group.

Parents who try to prevent their children being dragged into the conflict have themselves been targetted and even killed, it added.

“After several weeks of harsh training, al-Shebab’s child recruits are then sent to the front lines, where some serve as ‘cannon fodder’ to protect adult fighters,” the organisation said.

A 15-year-old boy interviewed for the report said: “Out of all my classmates, about 100 boys, only two of us escaped, the rest were killed.”

“Families who try to prevent their children’s recruitment or abduction by al-Shebab, or children who attempt to escape, face severe consequences and even death,” the group said.

The Shebab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia, has been fighting since 2007 to oust the Western-backed Somali government in Mogadishu where it is protected by a contingent of African Union troops.

Mogadishu has in recent years seen some of the worst fighting between the AU-backed Somali government forces and the Islamist insurgents, with civilians bearing the brunt.

“For children in Somalia, nowhere is safe,” said Zama Coursen-Neff, HRW’s deputy director for children’s rights.

“Al-Shebab’s horrific abuses do not excuse Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government’s use of children as soldiers,” Coursen-Neff added.

Human Rights Watch said government soldiers and allied militia also have children in their ranks and detain children perceived to be Shebab supporters.

“The TFG should live up to its commitments to stop recruiting and using children as soldiers and punish those who do,” Coursen-Neff said.

“Governments backing the TFG should make clear that these abuses won’t be tolerated.”

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved

The Associated Press

Date: Sunday Feb. 19, 2012 7:36 AM ET

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Famed Sudanese singer Mohammed Osman Wardi, who popularized the music of his native Nubia, died Saturday at the age of 80, the state media reported.

The reports said the singer died of kidney complications in a Khartoum hospital. His funeral early Sunday was aired live on state television, despite his strained relation with the country’s Islamist government.

Wardi, who hailed from Sudan’s northern region of Nubia, played traditional instruments such as the stringed oud and the tambour drums but also sang to more modern instrumental arrangements. He is credited with pioneering a focus on the musical accompaniment of his pieces, as opposed to earlier generations of singers who concentrated on vocals and lyrics.

His repertoire included love songs as well as more politicized pieces favouring Sudanese independence and later uprisings against military regimes in 1964 and 1986.

He was associated with Sudan’s political left. He went into exile following the 1983 imposition of Islamic law codes by then-President Gaafar Numeiri, but returned to Sudan in the last decade, still keeping his distance from the government.

His fame extends to neighbouring African countries including Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

wararka naga soo gaaraya magaalada muqdisho   ayaa sheegaya  in uu ka jiro  qulqul  dad ka soo baraka kacay deegaanka  ceelasha biyaha  iyo agaagaarkeeda, dad kaan soo barakacay ayaa la sheegayaa inay ka baxsanayaan  saansaan colaadeed oo deegaankaas ku soo korortay,  waxaa  wararka ka imaanaya  deegaanka ceelasha biyaha  ayaa sheegaya in  kumaankum  ruux oo horey uga soo cararay magaalada muqdisho iyo gobala  dalka ay hada maciin badeen inay u qaxaan magaalada muqdisho,

dhagayso

waraku waxaa  ay intaas ku darayaan  in  dadkii heli karay inay baaruur raacaan  gaadiidlaydu ay ka qaadayaan  lacagdhan 150 dollar ,waxaa jira kumaankum ruux oo lugaynaya hareraka jidka dheer ee gala magaalada muqdisho, waxaa ceelasha biyaha ku haray dad carari waayey oo sabool ah ,  ugu danbayntii dadkaas ayaga ah ayaa meesha ay u qaxayaan  ee muqdisho ah aayaan  laftigeedu daganayn.  

 wariyaha@ilays.com   ee magaalada muqdisho maxamad cali

In the Dadaab camp – the largest refugee camp in the world- where life is becoming more difficult everyday, hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers are facing a humanitarian emergency. The health of refugees is at risk of deteriorating rapidly while humanitarian aid agencies are struggling to provide meaningful assistance on an ongoing basis.

In October 2011, in the wake of the kidnapping of two MSF staff and amid a climate of worsening security, all ‘non-lifesaving activities’ were halted within the camps, and official registration of new arrivals was stopped. Today, for many refugees, services have not been restored. There is an urgent need to ensure that protection and assistance is provided, even though efforts are being made to guarantee that food aid is distributed in the current environment.

The relocation of families to the newly opened camps of Ifo 2 West and Ifo 2 East has been ongoing while the works to ensure sufficient services have slowly restarted. Today, a limited number of people remain on the outskirts of the camps, in so-called ‘self-settled areas’, where living conditions are still extremely poor. These living conditions have profound consequences on the health of these refugees, as confirmed in a detailed survey by MSF’s epidemiological branch, Epicentre conducted in September 2011. Within the camps, the health situation is alarming, with recent outbreaks of measles, acute watery diarrhoea and cholera.

The situation of the refugees in Dadaab camps is extreme with little hope of improvement in the short term. While the media and political attention concentrate on the stabilisation of the situation in Somalia, we cannot ignore the striking needs of thousands of people who live in inhuman conditions. The international community is failing to provide those men, women and children leeing conflict and drought with more than the bare minimum.

MSF has continued to run its hospital and four health posts in Dagahaley camp, but was forced to halt its activities in Ifo 2 camp, where the kidnapping took place. At the height of the emergency, from October to January, MSF’s 300-bed hospital in Dagahaley was operating beyond its capacity, reaching a peak of more than 350 patients in the first week of January. Today, the situation has improved, as
medical activities have been restored in Ifo 2. However, the figures of severely malnourished children requiring hospitalisation are still high compared to the same period last year, with close to 100 children being admitted to the intensive therapeutic feeding centre.

Despite limited international presence in the camp due to security concerns, our senior MSF staff are still able to provide medical activities of high quality. MSF is constantly adapting to the challenges existing in the camps where not only the humanitarian needs are extremely important, but where the risks incurred by our teams are exceptionally high.

A year of emergency response

Health and nutrition

MSF staff first witnessed deterioration in the health and nutritional status of newly arrived refugees at the beginning of2011. A survey in January 2011 in the self-settled area outside Dagahaley camp, known as Bulo Bacte (‘the carcass dump’), showed malnutrition rates were bordering on the emergency threshold. During the following six-month period, malnutrition rates in Bulo Bacte doubled, and by June 2011, one-fifth of under-fives were acutely malnourished. Older children were also affected, a clear sign of the extremely poor health status of refugees living on the outskirts of the camps.

MSF responded to the emergency by doubling the size of its hospital in Dagahaley camp to accommodate a 200-bed inpatient therapeutic feeding centre. MSF also built a new health and nutrition post in Bulo Bacte itself, and provided ready-to-use supplementary food for moderately malnourished children to prevent their condition from deteriorating even further.

MSF shared the results of its surveys conducted in 2011 with the main organisations working in the camps. The UNHCR, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other aid agencies scaled up their targeted interventions for new arrivals. These included providing food rations to refugees as soon as they reached the reception centre, and improving supplementary food distributions.

However, since the end of November 2011, there has been a large increase in the number of severely malnourished children admitted to MSF’s hospital in Dagahaley camp. Most of them arrived from the new extensions of IFO camp where MSF halted its medical activities after the kidnapping of its staff members. At the time of writing, the Kenyan Red Cross is expanding its activities, with an aim to cover
the massive needs of the population. These efforts are reducing the burden in Dagahaley hospital.  Today, more than 2,400 severely malnourished children are enrolled in the nutritional program, reflecting that one in twelve children is severely malnourished, which means they are at immediate risk of dying.

In addition to the nutritional crisis, several outbreaks of disease affected the camps in 2011. In Dagahaley alone, MSF treated more than 380 cases of measles and vaccinated 113,796 people against the disease. In November 2011, acute watery diarrhoea, along with some confirmed cholera cases, posed a new serious health risk in the camps. Therefore, MSF opened a 50-bed cholera treatment centre in
Dagahaley hospital.

Registration, Shelter and protection

In June 2011, temporary reception centres were set up in each camp to implement medical screening and provide food and essential
items to the new refugees on arrival. In September 2011, the capacity for 

Amnesty International has accused Libyan militias now ruling much of the country of committing widespread abuses, saying suspected supporters of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi are being tortured with impunity.

In a report released on Wednesday, the rights group said the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) had failed to control the fighters.

Amnesty said it had documented widespread abuses, including war crimes, with people being unlawfully detained and tortured, sometimes even to death.

“Militias in Libya are largely out of control and the blanket impunity they enjoy only encourages further abuses and perpetuates instability and insecurity,” Donatella Rovera, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty, said.

Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about torture being used against people, many of them sub-Saharan Africans, suspected of having fought on the side of Gaddafi’s forces during Libya’s nine-month civil war which ended in October.

Amnesty said its delegates in January and earlier this month visited 11 detention facilities used by various militias and at 10 of these locations, detainees said they had been tortured or ill-treated, and had injuries resulting from recent abuse. At least 12 detainees held by militias had died after being tortured since September, the group said. 

The group said one of its delegates had seen armed militia members beating and threatening some detainees whose release had been ordered in the town of Misurata.

“An older detainee from Tawargha was cowering, squatting against the wall, and crying as he was being kicked and threatened by a militia member who told Amnesty International that ‘those from Tawargha will not be released or we’ll kill them’,” the report said.

Gaddafi’s forces used Tawargha as a base for attacks on Misurata when they besieged the city during the uprising and militias accuse its residents, many of them non-Arab Libyans, of committing atrocities.

UN critical

Since the war’s end with the capture and killing of Gaddafi last October, the NTC has struggled to extend its control over the vast desert nation. It has largely failed to rein in the hundreds of brigades that fought in the war, many of which now run their own detention centres for those accused of links to Gaddafi’s regime.

About 2,400 detainees remain held in centres controlled by the new Libyan government, but the militias are holding uncounted thousands more prisoners, Amnesty said. Most are in and around Tripoli and Misurata, the coastal city that saw some of the war’s most brutal fighting, it said.The UN’s top human rights official had also called on the Libyan authorities to take control of all makeshift prisons to prevent further atrocities against detainees.

“There’s torture, extrajudicial executions, rape of both men and women,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said on January 27.

Last month, Libya’s former ambassador to France, appeared to have died of torture after being detained by an armed group in Tripoli, another rights group said.

A preliminary autopsy report obtained by Human Rights Watch, and photographs provided by Omar Brebesh’s family, showed that the cause of his death was “multiple bodily injuries and fractured ribs”. His body was marked by welts, cuts and the apparent removal of toe nails.

Aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres has halted its work in detention centres in Misurata because it said its medical staff were being asked to patch up detainees mid-way through torture sessions so they could go back for more abuse