SOMALIA - SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS SUGGEST STEPPED UP

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 002351 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/E E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER MOPS SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS SUGGEST STEPPED UP AL-SHABAAB EFFORTS IN PUNTLAND Classified By: Somalia Unit Counselor Bob Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On November 11, likely al-Shabaab operatives carried out three near-simultaneous attacks in Puntland, resulting in the assassination of two senior Puntland officials. Puntland Supreme Court Justice Mohamed Abdi Aware was gunned down as he left mosque in Bossaso and Puntland MP Ibrahim Elmi was shot and killed in the Puntland capital of Garowe. Additionally, a hand grenade was launched at a Puntland government building in north Galcaio. The attacks were carried out within one and one-half hours of each other at locations more than 700 kilometers apart, suggesting a well planned operation of the sort mounted by al-Shabaab in Somaliland and Puntland on October 29, 2008. The attacks followed the November 6 assassination of a Puntland intelligence officer and stepped up al-Shabaab calls for attacks on Puntland. Our contacts tell us Puntland security officials are conducting search operations and have detained unnamed suspects. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Puntland Supreme Court Justice Mohamed Abdi Aware was gunned down by two masked gunmen as he left a mosque in Bossaso. Our contacts tell us Aware had been heading hearings of accused al-Shabaab members in Bossaso and had recently convicted several al-Shabaab members to 15 years in prison, making him a likely target of al-Shabaab revenge. Puntland MP Ibrahim Elmi was shot and killed when gunmen reportedly approached a tea shop in which he was sitting in the Puntland capital Garowe. Ibrahim Elmi was reportedly close to President Faroole and was a well-respected and senior Puntland political figure. Additionally, a hand grenade was launched at a Puntland government building in north Galcaio but resulted in no casualties. ¶3. (C) Our contacts tell us that al-Shabaab operatives may have been able to play on subclan rivalries and coopt Darod/Kabalah/Harti/Dishishe militiamen to carry out the Bossaso attack. Some Dishishe clansmen, a commercially strong but numerically weak subclan of the Darod/Harti, are reportedly seeking to avenge a recent killing of one of their kinsmen by Darod/Kabalah/Harti/Osman Mohamud clansmen. (Note: Aware was from the Osman Mohamud subclan. End note.) Our contacts tell us Puntland security officials have detained unnamed suspects from the Dishishe subclan. ¶4. (C) In an early-evening November 12 meeting, Puntland President "Faroole" told Somalia Unit that three suspects had been arrested and that the investigation continued. On the evening of November 11, "Faroole" urged Puntlanders in a radio interview to cooperate actively with the authorities in bringing those who planned the attacks to justice. ¶5. (C) Comment: Although al-Shabaab has not to date claimed responsibility, the attacks, carried out within one and one-half hours of each other at locations more than 700 kilometers apart were reminiscent of the October 29, 2008 near-simultaneous al-Shabaab-organized suicide bombings in Somaliland and Puntland. RANNEBERGER