Kenya?s foray into Somalia sows seeds of backlash at home

As Kenya attempts to pacify the Islamist Al Shabab movement in Somalia, issues of poverty and security may go unaddressed back home, says?guest blogger Alex Thurston.

By most accounts, Kenya?s incursion into Somalia has succeeded militarily, as measured by Kenya?s goals of taking territory and inflicting casualties on the Muslim rebel movement Al Shabab. In a sense, the Kenyan advance has also succeeded politically: Kenya has gained some international legitimacy for its mission by moving to join the African Union forces there, a step the United Nations seems to be endorsing.

Skip to next paragraph

But on other political fronts, seeds of a backlash are being sown.

For one thing, there is the question of radicalization inside Kenya. A wave of minor attacks have occurred in Kenya this winter, and Britain warned earlier this month that more attacks are on the way. A Kenyan Muslim organization now says it is officially representing Al Shabab in Kenya, reports the Associated Press:

The statement by the Kenya-based Muslim Youth Center came amid a flurry of warnings from embassies about planned terror attacks in Kenya. The Somali militant group al-Shabab has promised to attack Kenya for its decision to send troops to Somalia in October.

The Muslim Youth Center was named in a United Nations report last year for recruiting, fundraising, and running training and orientation events for al-Shabab. An official al-Shabab spokesman did not answer questions about whether the center now represents al-Shabab in Kenya, but a statement published on the center?s blog on Wednesday was unequivocal.

?There can be no doubt that Amiir Ahmad Iman Ali?s elevation to become the supreme Amiir of Kenya for al Shabaab is recognition from our Somali brothers who have fought tirelessly against the kuffar on the importance of the Kenyan mujahideen in Somalia,? the statement said.

The UN Monitoring Group report that the AP mentions can be found here.

Announcements of open support for al Shabab in Kenya not only increase fears of upcoming attacks, they also threaten to increase political tensions in Kenya. The large Somali community in Kenya has become a target of violence and repression by other groups and by authorities in the past. In a year when Kenya will hold a potentially tense election, where ethnic hatreds could flare up, increased religious tension will only make the situation more precarious.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/EwfWrdz7d0o/Kenya-s-foray-into-Somalia-sows-seeds-of-backlash-at-home

john elway chicago news chicago news girl scout cookies i have a dream speech pipa south carolina debate

84-year-old Thai king treated for abdominal pain (AP)

BANGKOK ? Thailand's 84-year-old king has been treated with intravenous antibiotics after experiencing abdominal pain.

The Royal Household Bureau says in a statement that King Bhumipol Adulyadej "experienced some indigestion" Saturday and was breathing faster than normal.

The statement says that doctors detected pain in his lower left abdomen and that an X-ray showed a digestive condition common in older people, known as diverticulitis. After injecting antibiotics, the king's breathing returned to normal Sunday and he was able to eat "easily digestible food."

Bhumipol entered Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital in September 2009 with a lung inflammation and has stayed there ever since. The palace has said he is getting physical therapy and nourishment to recover his strength.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_king_s_health

lori berenson the incredibles yu darvish jon bon jovi dead new jersey plane crash ohio state kobe bryant wife

Gene Hackman injured while riding bicycle, OK (AP)

MIAMI ? Gene Hackman's publicist says the veteran Oscar-winning actor was briefly hospitalized after a truck bumped him from behind while he was riding a bicycle in the Florida Keys.

Susan Madore says the 81-year-old Hackman was airlifted to a Miami hospital Friday afternoon.

She characterized his injuries as minor bumps and bruises. She says he was released from the hospital several hours later after routine tests.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Hackman was riding on an Islamorada street around 3 p.m. when the pickup hit the back of his bicycle, throwing him onto the grassy shoulder. No charges were immediately reported.

Hackman won an Academy Award for "The French Connection" in 1971 and another for "Unforgiven" in 1992. He received Oscar nominations for three other films.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_en_ot/us_gene_hackman_injured

jay z chris herren beyonce gives birth pierre thomas calvin johnson calvin johnson patsy cline

Soldier faces hearing at Afghan base over suicide (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan ? An American soldier charged with abuse that led to the suicide of a 19-year-old fellow soldier in Afghanistan is facing a preliminary hearing Sunday on a base in the country, the U.S. military said.

The hearing came as two more members of the international force in Afghanistan died of what NATO described as "non-battle-related" injuries and two Afghan police were killed by a roadside bomb.

Spc. Ryan J. Offutt is charged with offenses including maltreatment, involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, the military statement said. Offutt is one of eight infantrymen charged in connection with the suicide.

Chen shot himself in a guardhouse Oct. 3 in Afghanistan after what investigators say were weeks of racial slurs, humiliation and physical abuse.

Offutt, 32, of Greenville, Pa. was charged in December along with seven others in the same unit. He joined the Army in 2006 and served 14 months in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. An attorney for Offutt could not immediately be contacted.

Chen, a native New Yorker of Chinese descent, had only been in Afghanistan for two months when he killed himself.

He had told relatives he endured weeks of racial teasing and name calling while in training in the U.S.

After arriving in Afghanistan, investigators said, Chen was subjected to hazing by members of his unit, the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Chen's family has said investigators told them that at a remote base in southern Afghanistan, he was subjected to racial slurs and forced to do excessive sit-ups, push-ups, runs and sprints carrying sandbags.

On the day of his death, he had reported to the guard tower without his helmet or adequate water and was forced to crawl about 100 yards (100 meters) across gravel carrying his equipment as his comrades threw rocks at him, a family representative has quoted investigators as saying.

Sunday's hearing under Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice will determine whether Offutt faces court-martial.

The two most serious charges, involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide, carry prison sentences of up to 10 years and three years, respectively.

The hearing is being held at Kandahar Air Field, the sprawling base for U.S. and NATO operations in the south.

Chen's family and Chinese community members in New York have called for legal proceedings related to his death to be held in the United States, so they could witness them.

Offutt's mother, Carol Tate of Sharon, Pa., told The (Sharon) Herald last month that she has spoken to her son and thought there were other factors that have not been made public, but she declined further comment.

The Army has identified the other soldiers charged as 1st Lt. Daniel J. Schwartz, 25, of Maryland (no hometown was given); Staff Sgt. Blaine G. Dugas, 35, of Port Arthur, Texas; Staff Sgt. Andrew J. Van Bockel, 26, of Aberdeen, S.D.; Sgt. Adam M. Holcomb, 29, of Youngstown, Ohio; Sgt. Jeffrey T. Hurst, 26, of Brooklyn, Iowa; Spc. Thomas P. Curtis, 25, of Hendersonville, Tenn; and Sgt. Travis F. Carden, 24, of Fowler, Ind.

VanBockel, Holcomb, Hurst, Curtis and Offutt were charged with the most serious offenses, including involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, and assault and battery.

The NATO-led force also said two service members in southern Afghanistan died Sunday of injuries that were not battle-related.

A coalition statement did not say whether the injuries were the result of an accident, suicide, or other causes and it did not give the troops' nationalities.

Sunday's deaths bring to 16 the number of coalition troops who have died in Afghanistan this month.

On Saturday, a roadside bomb killed two Afghan police officers as they were driving home in the eastern province of Khost, provincial police chief Sardar Mohammad Zazia said.

Both officers were members of a counternarcotics squad, he said. Khost lies along the border with Pakistan's lawless northwestern tribal region and is a stronghold of the al-Qaida-allied Haqqani network.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120115/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

kentucky basketball bob costas krzyzewski childish gambino sandusky interview with bob costas sandusky interview with bob costas live oak

Showtime making documentary about Dick Cheney (AP)

PASADENA, Calif. ? The Showtime television network says it is preparing a new documentary on former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Showtime said Thursday that filmmaker R.J. Cutler, who made "The War Room" about Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992, will make the film. No date was set for airing.

Cutler called Cheney, who was George W. Bush's vice president, "perhaps the single most influential non-president in the nation's political history." He promised a balanced and multi-dimensional look at Cheney.

Last weekend, Cutler placed ads in the Casper Star-Tribune newspaper asking residents if they had any footage or still pictures of Cheney. The former vice president lived in Wyoming as a teen and attended the University of Wyoming. He represented Wyoming in Congress from 1979 to 1989.

"Maybe somebody has a home video somewhere that we haven't heard about that we'd just like to see," said Ryan Gallagher, as associate producer at Actual Reality Pictures, Cutler's production company.

Showtime said it has begun an effort to produce high-end profiles. Its other project is about rap mogul Suge Knight.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120113/ap_en_mo/us_tv_showtime_cheney

fergie one republic carlos santana michael dyer suspended new years ball drop new years rockin eve new york times square

Alma College narrows field for head football coach

By NATE SCHNEIDER
Sun Sports Writer

Alma College has narrowed its selection process for a new head football coach down to three candidates.

Sources close to the situation reported that between last Tuesday and Thursday three finalists came to Alma College for interviews.

Those candidates are Michigan Center High School head coach and Athletic Director Greg Pscodna, Romeo High School head coach and Alma College alum Jason Couch, and Northwood University offensive coordinator Tyson Silveus.

An official hiring is expected to take place sometime this week.

Pscodna has been the head coach at Michigan Center since 2008. During his four years at the helm of the program, he has compiled a 22-17 overall record. He attended and played football at Adrian College before also coaching at Albion College (defensive coordinator), Defiance College (head coach), and Grand Valley State (linebackers) prior to Michigan Center.

Couch is a 1997 graduate of Alma College, where he also played football. He has been the head coach at Romeo since 2004 and during that time has put together a 61-23 record. In 2010, he earned the Steve Spicer Leader Award handed out by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Silveus is now in his fourth season on the staff of the Northwood. He served as the team?s offensive coordinator for a second consecutive season after previously spending two seasons as the defensive coordinator. Before his time at Northwood, he coached at Gettysburg College (2006-07) and prior to that at Wingate University.

The new hire will replace previous head coach Jim Cole, who retired last November after serving 21 as the head of the program. He went 114-90 during his tenure to become the winningest football coach in school history.

Source: http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2012/01/09/sports/doc4f0a1b1f5da3a571905971.txt

city of ember virgin diaries kevin smith kevin smith carlos mencia packers stock sale packers stock sale

Belgian church wants abusers to pay victims (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Belgium's Catholic Church says that priests and clergy who abused children will be required to pay damages, even if victims make their claims after the country's statute of limitations has expired.

In an overall response on how to deal with the abuse scandals that have enveloped the church, it urged victims on Thursday to take their case to civil authorities first.

But the church also said it is willing to impose penalties ranging from apologies to financial compensation for recent cases and those so old they can no longer result in court cases.

Bishop Guy Harpigny says the church will keep abusers within the fold but make sure they no longer hold positions of authority or contact with the outside world.

Over the past two years, over 500 witnesses have come forward with accounts of molestation by Catholic clergy, spanning several decades.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_re_eu/eu_belgium_church_abuse

chrissy teigen chia seeds embers metta shannon brown utah jazz mike rowe