SOMALIA - TFG MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY KILLED

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001237 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S CARSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PINR PGOV MOPS SO ET SUBJECT: SOMALIA - TFG MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING REF: A. NAIROBI 1236 ¶B. ADDIS ABABA 1409 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: TFG Minister of National Security Omar Hashi was killed midday June 18 in a suicide bombing while in a hotel in Beletweyne (Hiraan Region),Somalia. Former Somalia Ambassador to Ethiopia Abdikarim Farah was reported dead as well. No one to date has claimed responsibility for the deaths. The death of Hashi, who was in Hiraan in an effort to rally forces from his sub-clan in support of the TFG and open another front in the fight against al-Shabaab, strikes a serious blow against the struggling transitional government. Embassy is releasing a press statement that condemns Hashi's murder. We have passed condolences to Prime Minister Sharmarke and are scheduling a telephone call for the Ambassador with President Sharif. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) TFG Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke notified Somalia Unit at about 12:00 P.M. (local),June 18, that Minister of National Security Omar Hashi and former Somalia Ambassador to Ethiopia Abdikarim Farah "Laqanyo" had been killed in a suicide vehicle bombing while in Medina hotel in the capital of Hiraan Region, Beletweyne. The fate of former Hiraan Region Governor Yusuf Ahmed "Dagabeed," who was with Hashi and Farah, was not known. ¶3. (SBU) As of 2:00 P.M. (local) no organization has claimed responsibility for Hashi and Farah's murder, but interlocutors unanimously assume that it was al-Shabaab. ¶4. (SBU) Hashi's death, immediately following the death in Mogadishu combat on June 17 of Banadir Region Police Chief Ali Said, has further demoralized the TFG. Adding to the government's worries has been comparatively heavy losses sustained in fighting in Mogadishu over the last three days (Ref A). ¶5. (SBU) Omar Hashi had been in Hiraan Region as part of an effort to rally forces from his Hawiye/Hawadle sub-clan, and open a "second front" against al-Shabaab (Ref B). He was one of the more experienced military personalities in the TFG and a key member of its inner circle. Hashi was also a close embassy contact and reliable interlocutor on security issues. His death deals a powerful blow to the struggling government. ¶6. (SBU) Prior to his February appointment as Minister of Security, Hashi was a prominent member of the Joint Security Committee and Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia Interior Secretary. He had participated in the Mbagathi talks and been a TFG MP until his expulsion in early 2007. Earlier, he had been allied to General Mohammed Aideed's UNC and was a former Governor of the Banadir Region. ¶7. (SBU) Somali Unit has expressed the USG's condolences to Prime Minister Sharmarke and is in the process of drafting a press statement that will re-affirm USG support for the TFG and condemn Hashi's murder. We are also arranging a telephone call for Ambassador with TFG President Sharif, who remains in Mogadishu. RANNEBERGER