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Islamist militants in the Somali city of Kissmayo pledged allegiance to al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, according to a statement posted on a Somali jihadi blog. “The Islamic administration of Kissmayo, under the command of Sheikh Abu Bakr Zayla'I, pledged allegiance to Sheikh Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda leaders, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Yahya al-Libi God protect them all,” the statement said.

The allegiance oath came in an audio statement voiced by the Deputy leader of al Shabab Kissmayo division, Abdel Ghani Mohammad Yousuf, and aired on a local radio station called “al Andalus Islamic Radio.” He said that the group did not “fear the infidels of America and their allies, nor did they fear the apostate government in Somalia. “

The deputy leader announced in his radio address that his group gets its religious edicts from the leaders of al Qaeda. “I say to the Somali people that our jihad is an integral part of that of our brethren in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said. He added that “every aspect of jihad management in Somalia” was for senior al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan.

President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed had told a press conference in Mogadishu last month that foreign fighters had joined the ranks of Shabab al Mujahideen group and appealed to the international community for help.

This is the first time that Islamist militants in Somalia openly associate themselves with al Qaeda, despite previous indications of cooperation and coordination between the two groups.

In March 2009, bin Laden released an audiotape that he dedicated entirely to Somalia, which reflected his interest and that of al Qaeda in the country. In the tape, Bin Laden lashed out at the newly elected Somali president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and urged Somali militants to overthrow him.

The media committee of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released a new tape that includes an audio statement by a member of the group’s consultative council called Abdel Rahman al Shanqiti.

Al Shanqiti addressed Mauritanians, advising them not to believe in politics and democracy and encouraging them not to take part in the elections.

He said they should stick to “jihad” and work on establishing Islamic rule in the country. He cited previous the elections in Mauritania, from the time of President OuldTaya till that of deposed president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdellahi, who was removed by the army chief, who now seeks to establish himself as legitimate leader of the country through the next presidential elections scheduled for June 6th.

Members of militant Islamist Internet forums reported that weapons seized during militants’ attack on barracks in Libya are now on their way to Algeria to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
A member of al Fallujah forum called “Moheb al-Sheikh al Madisi” claimed to have received information from trusted sources that militants in Libya managed to steal large quantities of weapons from barracks in Benghazi in Eastern Libya. The lot included 400 Kalashnikovs, and 120 hand grenades, he said, adding that such weapons might have already reached the AQIM militants in Algeria.

Some local newspapers had reported that Libyan authorities have opened a large-scale investigation in the theft of weapons from military barracks, without elaborating much on the incident.

The Somali militant group Shabab al Mujahideen announced in an Internet statement that the post of spokesperson which was long held by one of the group’s front line leader Sheik Mukhtar Robow Ali (Abu Mansour) is being given to Sheik Ali Mohamud Rag, who is known as Sheik Ali Dere. Rag was Al Shabab’s representative for the central regions of Somalia.

The group did not give any reason for the new appointment now whether Abu Mansour would be holding another post.

The leader of the Somali militant group Shabab al Mujahdieen Sheikh Mukhtaar Abu Zubayr rejected the government’s plan to implement Islamic law in the country and pledged to continue to fight till it is implemented not only in Somalia, but throughout the whole world.

“We shall continue our fight and the wars shall continue to rage until shari’a is implemented in all continents and until Muslims free Jerusalem,” Mukhtar Abu Zubayr said. He also pledged to continue working on removing Shaikh Ahmad’s government which does not deserve to be called “Islamic,” according to him.

Abu Zubayr’s statements came in a 10-minute audiotape distributed by Shabab al Mujahideen and aired on local radio stations in Somalia.

Shabab al Mujahideen claimed in an Internet statement two days ago they were close to taking full control of the capital Mogadishu. On one of the group’s websites, it showed pictures of government soldiers captured by the militants. A caption accompanying a picture read, “Sharif is left with a bunch of criminals and a few tired old men to fight for him, how can he hope to defeat the mujahideen of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam?”

Arab fighters who wished to travel to Somalia posted several messages on Al Quimmah forum Thursday, asking Somali militants about ways to join their ranks.

“We want to join you and fight alongside you. This is our obligation and a religious duty towards you,” said a member of the forum using the name “Glory Seeker” in a message entitled “An appeal to Shabab al Mujahideen.”

The member also asked for directions about what was the best way to get to the Somali militants with minimal risk. “Please reply,” he said at the end of his message.

On May 7, members on al Falojah forum had discussed joining the militants in Somalia. Many inquired about ways to get to Somalia and join the militant groups there. They were directed towards the website, Al Qimmah, which is run by Somali militants.

On May 12, a leading figure Shabab al Mujaheddin group, Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, told a press conference that foreign fighters from across the Muslim world were flocking to Somalia to give support to their Somali brothers.

The Egyptian Islamist group al Jamaa al Islamiyya urged al Qaeda to put aside the group’s long-standing differences with the United States and make good use of President Obama’s efforts to begin a new era that would bring back the values of justice, tolerance, and would give people back their rights. The group called on al Qaeda to open dialogue channels with the U.S. President, who according to the statement, could be “today’s friend.”

The group also said it looked forward to Obama’s visit to Egypt, and hailed the efforts he undertook in the first 100 days of his presidency. “We value the efforts he exerted in the past 100 days, to end this false "clashes of civilizations" saga that President Bush has created for no reason and which harmed the United States more than any other parties.”

The group also invited President Obama to learn more about the group’s experience in Egypt and about the recent ideological revisions adopted by its leadership. The statement also urged President Obama to release the group’s spiritual leader, Omar Abdel Rahman, a blind cleric serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing.

In an internet statement, the militant Somali Shabab al Mujaheddin group claimed that after four days of fierce fighting, the group’s fighters managed to have full control over four strategic bases in the capital Mogadishu, including the capital’s Stadium.

“We would like to bring good tidings to the nation, that we will soon liberate Mogadishu and rid it from those apostates,” the statement said.

A former Jihad member and head of the London based al Maqreze centre for Historic Studies claimed he had information from “trusted sources” in Libya that senior al Qaeda operative Ibn al Sheikh al Libi (Ali Abd al Aziz al Fakhiri) was killed by his Libyan captors and did not commit suicide as they claimed.

Libyan authorities announced on May 10, 2009, that Al Libi had committed suicide in his prison cell.

Ibn al Sheikh al Libi was a Libyan paramilitary trainer for al Qaeda. He ran al Qaeda’s Khaldan camp in Afghanistan and was captured by Pakistani officials at the end of 2001 or beginning of 2002 as he attempted to flee Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion.

After being captured and interrogated by U.S. and Egyptian forces, the information he gave was cited by the Bush Administration in the months preceding the 2003 invasion of Iraq as evidence of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

A message posted on at Tahadi Internet forum warned members of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb that the the Algerian security forces were about to launch a crackdown against the hideouts of the group in mountain areas Eastern the capital Algiers.

The message was entitled: “Urgent, To the Mujahideen in Algeria” and claimed that based on intelligence obtained from trusted sources, the Algerian authorities will be launching a major campaign against the militants’ camps in the East and more specifically in the areas of Jebel al Lumanza, Al Shareea and al Jebel al Abyad.

The message claims the forces will be called from the barracks of Raghaya, Lebleida, and other places around Algiers.