Friyday 12, Sep 2025 {HMC} Somalia sharply condemned Israel’s airstrike on Doha, Qatar, at an emergency UN Security Council meeting this week, calling it a grave violation of sovereignty and a deliberate attempt to undermine diplomacy aimed at halting the Gaza war.

Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abubakar Osman (Baale), said the Sept. 9 strike on residential areas in the Qatari capital, which was located near embassies and schools, posed “a perilous escalation” with consequences for the entire Middle East. “We unequivocally condemn this brazen act of aggression, which is a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and risks destabilizing an already fragile region,” Osman told the Council.

Somalia aligned itself fully with Qatar, offering condolences for lives lost and support for measures to safeguard its sovereignty. Osman urged the Security Council to meet its legal duty under the UN Charter to preserve peace and security, warning that silence would render international law “a mere suggestion subject to the will of aggressors.”

The majority of Council members echoed Somalia’s concerns. Algeria’s envoy said Israel was acting “as if law does not exist, as if sovereignty is dispensable,” while Pakistan’s representative called the strike a “deliberate attempt to sabotage diplomacy” and announced an extraordinary Arab Islamic summit in Doha on Sept. 15. Russia, China, the UK and Slovenia also condemned the attack, describing it as reckless and destabilizing.

Israel defended the strike as justified; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ‘the days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity of any kind.’The United States, while not defending the strike directly, reiterated its preference for “quiet diplomacy.” U.S. officials called the strike counterproductive and joined a 15-member Security Council statement condemning the Doha attack.  did not name Israel, a stance several delegations criticized as enabling impunity.

The attack comes as Qatar plays a central role in brokering negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Analysts warn the strike could derail fragile progress toward a ceasefire, further intensifying instability across the region.
 

Source Hiiraan Online

Friyday 12, Sep 2025 {HMC}Somali government troops and allied local militias repelled an AS attack on the central town of El-Dheer on Friday, inflicting heavy losses on the militants as fighting continued on the town’s outskirts in the Galgaduud region.

The militants targeted government and local defence positions early in the morning.AS later claimed online that it had captured  El-Dheer and killed soldiers, though those claims could not be independently verified.

Somalia’s Ministry of Information described the attack as a failed attempt to overrun the town, saying troops had taught Al-Shabaab “a memorable lesson.” The statement, carried on state television, said bodies of slain fighters were left scattered on the town’s perimeter. Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi confirmed the report, saying AS had suffered a major defeat.

The Somali National News Agency (SONNA) reported that the army and local forces, “with confirmation from Minister of Defence Ahmed Moalim Fiqi,” had inflicted a heavy defeat on Al-Shabaab in  El-Dheer, forcing them to retreat and abandon their dead.

State Minister of Defence Omar Ali Abdi also praised Somali troops and local fighters. “This morning, the Khawarij attempted an attack on  El-Dheer but suffered a heavy defeat,” he posted on X. “I commend the Somali National Army and the local forces for their bravery. I pray to Allah to grant our martyrs Jannatul Firdaws. Victory to our strong forces.”

El-Dheer, a dusty town on Somalia’s central plains, slipped back under government control in December 2023. It was part of a wider push in which Somali troops, helped by clan militias, drove AS from a string of settlements across Galmudug and Hirshabelle. The campaign stood out as one of the most significant gains by Somali forces and allied militias in years.

Casualty figures from Friday’s fighting remained unclear, with hostilities still ongoing.

Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked group, has waged a violent insurgency in Somalia for more than 15 years, targeting both military and civilian sites.
 

Source Hiiraan Online