U.S. Military Launch Attack Against Al-Shabaab in Somalia

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia — U.S Navy SEALs led an early morning raid Saturday against an Al-Shabaab target in the sea side town of Barawe.  Navy SEAL Team Six swam ashore near the town in southern Somalia before members of the Al-Qaeda linked group rose for dawn prayers, U.S. and Somali officials told The Associated Press.

Al-Shabaab Militants (photo courtesy of The New York Times)

U.S. officials are reporting that there were no U.S. causalities but that the mission was not successful and was aborted. A specific Al-Qaeda suspect related to the Nairobi mall attack was the target of the raid  but was not apprehended U.S. military officials told AP.  The target is believed to have been Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Ahmed Godane, who claimed responsibility for the Nairobi shopping mall attack that killed at least 67 people.  SEAL Team Six encountered fiercer resistance than was expected and after a 15 to 20 minute firefight, it was decided to abort the mission and the team swam away. SEAL Team Six has responsibility for counter terrorism activities in the Horn of Africa.

It is believed that most of the members of Al-Shabaab living in the two story beach house were foreign fighters from counties including the U.S. and Britain.

A resident of Barawe told CBS News by telephone that heavy gunfire woke up residents before dawn prayers. Another resident of Barawe, Mohamed Bile, told The AP that  militants closed down the town in the hours after the assault, and that traffic and movements have been restricted. Al-Shabaab members carried out house-to-house searches, most likely to find evidence of a spy.

“We woke up to find al-Shabab fighters had sealed off the area and their hospital is also inaccessible,” Bile said. “The town is in a tense mood.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry stated in a press conference from Bali that the raid showed terrorists that “can run but they can’t hide”.

For more information, please see the following:

All Africa — East Africa: Terrorists ‘Can Run but They Can’t Hide’ – Kerry — 6 October 2013

CBS News — Navy SEALs go after al-Shabab senior leader in Somalia — 6 October 2013

Sky News — Al Shabaab: US Forces Abort Somalia Terror Raid — 6 October 2013

USA Today — U.S. forces strike targets in Libya, Somalia — 6 October 2013

CNN — Al-Shabaab grew amid Somalia’s lawlessness — 5 October 2013

 

 

UN Experts Begin Destruction of Syrian Chemical Weapons

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria-Dismantlement of Syria’s chemical weapons has officially begun as a team of United Nations experts has moved into the country.  The destruction of Syria’s arsenal is expected to be completed by mid-2014.

UN team of experts enter Damascus to begin destroying Syria’s chemical weapons (photo courtesy of Washington Post)

The experts, members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), are operating under the recently passed UN resolution, following international outrage at a chemical attack near Damascus in August.

Hundreds were killed in the August 21st attack in which it has been determined that the nerve agent sarin was used.  The U.S. and Western allies accuse the Syrian government of being responsible, while Syria is blaming the rebels.

The UN resolution was achieved under a U.S.-Russian agreement for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to turn over its chemical weapons for destruction.  Washington threatened military action, but was averted upon reaching the agreement with Russia.

Sunday was the fifth day that the team had been in Syria, and the first day of actually starting the destruction process.  A team of 20 inspectors began the process of disabling and destroying the weapons and machinery.

“Today is the first day of destruction, in which heavy vehicles are going to run over and thus destroy missile warheads, aerial chemical bombs, and mobile and static mixing and filling units,” stated a member of the international mission.

Responsibility of actual physical destruction of the chemical weapons falls on the Syrians, while members of the OPCW are set to oversee the process, verifying that the weapons are actually being destroyed.

This is the first time that the OPCW has been called on to monitor the destruction of chemical weapons during a conflict, which makes destruction of the stockpile more difficult as many of the sites are located in combat zones.

An OPCW official in The Hague stated that “all expedient methods would be used to render Syria’s production facilities unusable.”  He further went on to say that those methods will consist of explosives, sledgehammers, and pouring in concrete.

However, destroying combat-ready weapons will require more extensive methods.  Experts will rely on incinerating the materials in sealed furnaces at extremely high temperatures, transforming precursor chemicals, or diluting them in water.

Damascus developed its chemical program in the 1980s and 1990s, building a stockpile believed to contain mustard gas and nerve agents sarin VX and tabun.  Sunday’s expedition is just the beginning of the process of removing the estimated 1,000 tons of chemical weapons.

For more information, please see the following:

 Al-Arabiya-Chemical investigators begin destroying Syria’s stockpile-October 6, 2013

Aljazeera-UN experts ‘begin destroying Syria stockpile’-October 6, 2013

BBC-Syria chemical arms removal begins-October 6, 2013

Washington Post-Weapons inspectors begin destroying Syrian chemical stockpile and machinery-October 6, 2013

 

 

Libyan Gunmen Kill 15 Soldiers

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya – Gunmen have attacked a military checkpoint south-east of the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing 15 soldiers and wounding five.

The central government has struggled to control militia groups (photo courtesy of AFP)

Two years after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, the north African country’s fragile central government is struggling to control rival militias competing for influence in the aftermath of the conflict.

A military official said the attack was near Bani Walid, a stronghold in 2011 of supporters of Gadaffi.

“The ambush happened on the road between Bani Walid and the town of Tarhouna, where the army had a checkpoint. They came under heavy gunfire. Between 12 and 15 soldiers were killed,” said Ali Sheikhi, a spokesman for the army joint chief of staff.

It is not clear who carried out the attack, but the government has struggled to control armed groups.

Clan and tribal rivalries, as well as Islamist groups, have flourished in the absence of strong central government and Libya’s armed forces cannot fully maintain order.

Four of the wounded soldiers are in serious condition and the bodies of the 15 soldiers killed were being kept in the hospital in Tarhouna, where the five wounded were also taken, according to Lana, the state-run news agency.

The main road to Bani Walid was closed while the incident was being investigated. It was the single largest known killing of military personnel since the 2011 civil war.

The new Libyan authorities have sought to impose law and order in the country, but violence has been rampant, particularly in Benghazi, which has been the center of opposition to Gaddafi’s rule.

In June, six soldiers from an elite special forces unit were shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi by masked gunmen. At this same time, another six soldiers were killed at a checkpoint south of Sirte.

The lack of security in Libya has also been highlighted this year by clashes in Benghazi as protestors demanded the disbandment of militias.

The army is seen as out-manned and out-gunned by a mix of armed groups seemingly pursuing different agendas, says the BBC’s Rana Jawad in Tripoli.

For further information, please visit:

BBC News – Libyan gunmen kill 15 soldiers – 5 October 2013
The Frontier Post – Libyan gunmen kill 15 troops – 6 October 2013
Fox News Latino – 15 Soldiers killed in attack on military checkpoint in Libya – 5 October 2013
iol News – Gunmen kill 12 Libyan soldiers – 5 October 2013
Reuters – Libyan checkpoint ambush kills at least 12 soldiers – 5 October 2013
The Jerusalem Post – Gunmen ambush soldiers at Libyan checkpoint, kill at least 12 – 5 October 2013

Dutch Take Action to Force Release of Detained in Russia

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – Russian officials shrugged at legal action taken by the Dutch to have 30 Greenpeace-affiliated persons released from a Murmansk detention facility. Around the world, protests drew attention to the matter.

Continued detention of Greenpeace activists sparked worldwide protests for their release. (Photo courtesy of Reuters).

In September 2013, Russian authorities arrested 30 participants in a Greenpeace protest against the Prirazlomnaya offshore oil platform. Two activists scaled the structure before their arrest. Three others barricaded themselves in the radio room and tweeted live updates.

Currently, the participants are detained in the northern Russian city of Murmansk, and face piracy charges, which may result in a 15-year sentence.

Among those arrested aboard Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise were two Dutch citizens. On 4 October 2013, the Netherlands began legal proceedings against Russia for unlawful detention of activists and crew of the Arctic Sunrise, which was a Dutch-registered ship.

“With regard to its detention of the ship, Russia invokes its authority to ensure safety at sea in the vicinity of the oil platform,” Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans wrote. “The Netherlands agrees on the importance of safety at sea, but in this case we contest the lawfulness of detaining the ship and its crew.”

Other activists aboard the ship were from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K., Ukraine, and the U.S.

Protesters have called for the activists’ release on an international scale. As a “global day of solidarity”, Greenpeace stated that it would hold up to 100 protests in approximately 48 countries. In support of 6 arrested British nationals, about 700 people protested at the Russian Embassy in London.

London protestors included Jude Law, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, and Vivienne Westwood.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said that Russia asked the Netherlands several times to halt the ship’s “illegal activity.”

“Unfortunately, this was not done,” Meshkov said. “Therefore, we have far more questions for the Dutch side than they can have for us. Everything that happened with the Arctic Sunrise was pure provocation.”

Greenpeace claimed the activists held a peaceful protest in international waters, adding that Russian authorities boarded their ship and arrested the activists at gunpoint when they saw the group drive motorboats near an oil vessel owned by Russia and ExxonMobil.

Greenpeace International Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo said, “The activists were taking a brave stand to protect all of us from climate change and the dangers of reckless oil drilling in the Arctic. Now it’s imperative that millions of us stand up with them to defend the Arctic and demand their immediate release.”

For further information, please see:

CNN International – Greenpeace Vigil for ‘Arctic 30’ Held in Russia, as Dutch File Legal Case – October 5, 2013

Guardian – Worldwide Vigils for Greenpeace Activists Held by Russian Authorities – October 5, 2013

Reuters – Russia Dismisses Dutch Legal Action over Greenpeace Activists – October 5, 2013

Sydney Morning Herald – Shattering Conclusion to a Voyage of Peaceful Protest – October 5, 2013

Impunity Watch – President Putin States Activists Who Protested on Russian Oil Rig Are Not Pirates – September 25, 2013

Court Allows Palestine Farmers to Return to Former Israeli Settlement

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Middle East

RAMALLAH, Palestine – Palestinian farmers can now cultivate land that was the former site of the Homesh settlement in Samaria, after a ruling issued by the Attorney General’s office last week.

Palestinians remove Hebrew written by Israeli settlers on a water tank in a reclaimed area (photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The ruling followed a June decision by the state to cancel the 1978 military land seizure order, which took land from residents of the Palestinian village of Burka for the creation of a Nahal Brigade, soon after the settlement of Homesh on the Samaria hilltop in the West Bank was created.

Since the disengagement, Homesh – and the former Samaria settlements of Sanur, Ganim and Kadim – have been closed military zones. Access had been blocked to Palestinians and Israeli settlers. Now, as a result of the court ruling, Palestinians can enter Homesh, but Israeli citizens are still barred from entering the site.

Settlers and right-wing Israeli activists and politicians have pressed to resettle the Homesh settlement over the past eight years. Over the past several years, Israeli settlers have received temporary permission from the IDF to hold certain events at the former Homesh settlement. For example, last Passover, settlers held a holiday festival. Politicians have also visited the site, including Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who visited in 2009 as vice premier, where he called for Homesh to be resettled.

The Israel government dismantled Homesh and three other West Bank settlements in 2005. The settlements were dismantled in connection with a wider withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. However, until the court ruling, the government refused to allow the original Palestinian landowners from the local farming community to reclaim their land.

The Israel’s Supreme Court upheld a petition by the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din requesting the closed military zone be ended and the land returned to the Palestinians. On Thursday, farmers from the village of Burka were allowed to return to their land for the first time. Some Palestinians were reluctant to attempt to return. “I’m afraid to go there because the settlers are armed,” said Hassan Ashqer, a middle aged man who owns land in the former settlement area.

Palestinian rights lawyers are optimistic that the ruling will set a precedent that shows that Israel’s settlement policy can be reversed and Palestinian landowners can reclaim their land. “Once the owners are able to take back possession of their lands…it will be the first precedent ever [in the West Bank] in which an area used for settlement activity is being cultivated again by the Palestinians.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Palestinians Win Settlement Land from Israel – 3 October 2013

Fox News – After long legal battle, Palestinian farmers reclaim land they lost to a settlement – 3 October 2013

The Daily-Beast – Court Rules Settlement Land Belongs to Palestinians, But Victory is Hollow – 25 September 2013

Jerusalem Post – A-G: Palestinian farmers can return to Homesh – 16 September 2013