Swedes killed in fighting in Somalia
Published: 29 May 09 08:10 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/19736/20090529/
Several young men who left Sweden to join the radical Islamic militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia have been killed in battle, according to Sweden’s security service Säpo.
- Sweden 'far behind' on counter-terrorism (4 May 13)
- Sweden frets over online youth 'self-radicalization' (25 Apr 13)
- Swedish Islamists in Syria leave Säpo 'worried' (15 Apr 13)
So far, a handful of people with Swedish passports have also been killed in the fighting, Säpo reports.
“For the time being, it is believed there are ten or so Swedes on the ground in Somalia. They are either taking part in the violence or in training camps, but there may be more as of yet unknown cases. What worries us is that it’s ongoing and growing,” said Säpo counterterrorism analyst Malena Rembe to the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.
The recruits aren’t only Swedes with Somali backgrounds, but are also individuals of mixed ethnicity, according to Rembe.
Some of them are leaving Sweden without telling their relatives what they are planning to do.
“These are people who are going down on their own initiative. They see themselves as a part of a global struggle and want to contribute,” said Rembe.
Somalia has been at war since 1991 when the country’s government collapsed. Recently, al-Shabaab militants have made advances toward the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Minister: Stockholm riots 'not youth versus society'
With one arrest warrant being issued after four nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said the rioters are a small minority, and did not represent a clash between young people in the suburbs and Swedish society. READ () »
Firefighter to Stockholm rioters: I'll still help you
A viral Facebook post about the terror of being targeted by stone-throwing youths during to the ongoing Stockholm riots has made firefighter Mattias Lassén into something of a Swedish folk hero, and The Local's pick for Swede of the Week. READ () »
Driving in Sweden: Elk, reindeer, and road rage
Fresh from another near miss with a hulking behemoth of an elk, ex-Londoner Paul Connolly offers up a theory on how the prospect of imminent collisions with wayward wildlife affects the driving habits of Swedes up north. READ () »
Swedish parties agree to major free-school reform
The government and its main opposition have agreed to new rules governing performance requirements and profits at publicly funded, privately managed free schools. READ () »
Swedish scientists chart entire fir tree genome
Scientists at three Swedish universities have managed to muddle through the genetic code for fir trees, seven times larger than the human genome, with potential benefits for the Swedish forestry industry. READ () »
Swedish zoo celebrates rare elephant birth
The Borås Zoo in western Sweden has welcomed a rare new elephant calf as African elephant Dudu gave birth on Wednesday after two years of pregnancy. READ () »
Stockholm riots spread south on fourth night
Wednesday night saw more burning cars, smashed windows, and stone throwing at police in at least 15 suburbs around Stockholm, as the fourth night of riots swept the Swedish capital. READ () »
Karolinska joins free online-course community
Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet has signed up to offer free online courses, joining a network of 27 universities worldwide that reach nearly a million students. READ () »
- 23/05 Minister: Stockholm riots 'not youth versus society' »
- 23/05 Firefighter to Stockholm rioters: I'll still help you »
- 23/05 Stockholm riots spread south on fourth night »
- 23/05 Karolinska joins free online-course community »
- 23/05 Swedish pressure needed on Assange: accuser »
- 22/05 Stockholm man lay dead in flat for two years »
- 22/05 Swedish 'serial killer' cleared of two murders »
- 22/05 Thirty fires in third night of Stockholm riots »
- 21/05 Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots »
- 21/05 Body parts found in missing woman search »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 23/05 A French Psy who made Cannes stars see double »
- 23/05 Diamond necklace 'worth €2m stolen' at Cannes »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 23/05 Swiss diamond necklace 'stolen' at Cannes »
- 23/05 Chinese premier touts trade deal with Swiss »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
REFLECTIONS OF A TWITTER VIRGIN…. »
"I confess to having been reluctant to embrace Twitter. But I confess myself a bit of a convert. The great TV critic Clive James once said about “Dallas”, “I came to mock but I stayed to pray”. I wouldn’t go that far, but I have found my first two weeks on Twitter (@hmapauljohnston) both fun and informative. It’s been..." READ »
- 21/5 21:34 WEEK 21 (Stripes News)
- 20/5 15:25 Hockey. Hockey. Hockey. (Boston Blatte)
- 16/5 08:32 Be British, be sincere and be bold (Brits Mean Business)
- 21:35 Husby Riots and violence against the police...
- 21:05 Astra 2F (SKY TV)
- 20:55 Restaurant Inspection Scores
- 20:34 Moving to Sweden from England
- 20:20 Adobo- Filipino Recipe
- 19:38 Moving to Sweden (Questions) HELP
- 19:13 Is it save to keep money at forexbank?
- 18:49 Found out I'm pregnant!
- 15:14 Freelancer needed to build a website
- 14:43 International school in Lund
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
Eritrean and Ethiopian who are running a way from home land to be protected and even proud off being refugee in Sweden . Somalia's problem should be solved by themselves, and it is fair to say that fighting for freedom is much worth than simply selling an identity and living as second hand citizen.
In fact, the problem currently existed not in Stockholm rather in Mogadishu so that they had to go to the fighting place to find the solution… They are smart as they realized these technologies and democracy are not belong to them …
You should bring freedom by yourself and don't need an assistance from other party as if your handicap….. Of course, the passport is nothing but a paper …
…Refugee ur right ….. Pass port is nothing , can not bring freedom … is a simple paper...
Inletwatcher
Did anyone blame christianity, germans for hitler's actions.
Radicalism in religion is bad no question about it. There is a problem in intregration too.
When can a person be called Swedish certainly not if you are a colored blatte!. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Swedish when he plays in the games wins some goals for Sweden. But outside the games, he is mobbed and called bad names on Swedish forums.
Some Somalis are good some are bad.
Tycker det är sjukt att fördömma människor utifrån deras utseende! eller deras religion, kultur, ras, färg mm .
Why they don´t move to the capital of Islam Saudi Arabia a country which doesn´t know what to do with petro dollars???
it's only english spoken or typed on the local! (just joking). if a person makes up his or her mind to go and fight in their home country that's fine. if that person is fighting and killing innocent people and fighting for a cause that isn't just! he or she should lose their visa in their refugee country. HEEBZ said it best in his comment! PS. Mamoshka we all here on the local know swedish ,so where u have to say in swedish say in it english!! (NOT JOKING)
I think these people are lost in life,they couldn't find good use of their lives and become escapists in the name extremism.
If only each one of them used those funds to eduacate 2 somali kids in camps such as daadab refugee camp in kenya they would have the lives of not less than 50 kids.
improper intergration sytem is to blame.If these people don't see the other side of life and stick to their barbaric mentallity what should one expect from them.
When a man or family come to a new country to begin a new life, they must change themselves to truly begin a new hopeful life, how come one comes from a country full with wars and conflict doesn`t think to live a new, clean and innocent life here, it is true there is racism here regarding work and social life but not all the swedes are racists and not all the non swedes are good people. What were those guys doing in sweden? where were their families? didn`t they learn ? didn`t they get jobs, families to care about?
Others think the swedish culture is 'evil' and end up being barbaric extremists trying to change the swedish people.
people don't always adapt to the their new countries. look at the anglophones here, how many are ready to move back to their own countries? and if you add in the "adversity" element, how many of the swedes who emigrated from sweden to the US during really tough times came back to sweden?
The idyllic Sweden the world once knew is gone, victim of it's own policies which it was famous.
Now, Sweden is aiding and abetting the illwillers in the world by acting as a blind sactuary for "refugees of armed conflict" with an open immigration policy.
or are you just thinking of the supposed porn?
yes. there's a little box on our tax return where we can donate 10kr to the muslim overtaking of africa. personally, i always throw in another 5 for good merit.
What does integration have to do with this? Are you saying that the radicalization of religion cases problems in integration or simply that religion cases problems with integration? I agree with the latter. There is no such thing as integrating different religions. Religions call for separation. Integration needs compromise. Religious people do not compromise. There is a reason why all religious groups in the Islamic world live separately and follow different laws. It's the West which for some reason believes a multi-religious society can exist in an integrated multi-cultural society. This is simply not the case.
And here I'm talking about religious people by the way, not secular people.
How racist of you.
Zlatan is born and raised in Sweden and is definitely Swedish. He calls himself Swedish too and I doubt he cares what a bunch of people on some forum thinks of him.
Och vad har detta men den här artikeln att göra?
Question: Didn't Stalin enforce censorship?
.
am just trying to understand why these young people moved back to somalia to kill and avoid blaming it race like some are doing here
goodbye all! censur is bad and racism as well
if this site promotes swedish democrats i'm out of here delete my nick!
like you deleted my post about swedish democrats!
i spent an hour to create this one!
It is better i moved out from this crazy country and its crazy people who have no clue what is an imigrant and what is a refugee
they see every imigrant inferior to them
your clean white aryan race!
bevara sverige white, i get it
non of the racist posts are deleted but mine the moderate as an offensive If i was a Swedish blonde aryan it would have been kept here stay tuned to read about the swedish democrats interview here
delete my nick!
*well in anticipation, bye bye*
Swedish teen tackles centuries-old numbers challenge
http://www.thelocal.se/19710/20090528/
And do you know who is this Swede?He is an Iraqi immigrant.....hmmmm
http://www.thelocal.se/discuss/index.php?showtopic=22223
*check the board*
Sounds long... post it somewhere else where spam is allowed.
Clearly you should move if you see the country and her people as crazy.
What on earth are you on about? Although there's some truth to that. Sweden lets in thousands of people as refugees when they're in fact economic migrants... but I don't that's what you were referring to.
Mamoshka sees every Swede as racist.
What a world.
Do you by any chance suffer from an inferiority complex?
Wtf? Swedish people in the US would read the Swedish news, not Sweden's news in English.
Ever heard of freedom of speech? People are allowed to have their opinion. People are not, however, allowed to spam message boards with posts that have no relevance to the topic at hand.
I think the quote "look for racism and you'll find it" just gained another meaning with you. Just get over yourself.
If you want to talk about SD start another board.
I understand u, they have deleted my comments as well. Integration seems a lie in Sweden.
From my own personal experience i beleive that those who always jump onto others calling them racists happen to be one.
I hope people realize that by arguing more and more about racism we only end up deviding people apart,into racists and anti-racists,therefore propergating hate.
Jimmy James, people who apply for refugee status have to work with an international process overseen by the UN's High Command on Refugees (not the real name, but I'm not arsed enough to find the full title.) They get sent to which ever country agrees to take them in, barring family members in some third country who may agree to support them. So it's not like there is a huge queue of potential jihadists all waiting to come to Sweden. It's just that Sweden, unlike those lovely countries you cite, actually gives enough of a shizzle to agree to take in these folks.
IMHO, Sweden is too lenient with the islamists. Hezbollah is marching in the streets with their flags, AlQaida had their camps here. Black September was welcome here. Muslims are using democracies cynically.
Mamooshka rant
p.s Don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.
The nazis could be regarded as anti organised religion but this had more to do with usurping thier power rather than a genuine athiest belief.
Several posts have been removed from this thread because they were either completely irrelevant to the topic at hand, for example querist's post:
Or full of unnecessary and inflammatory speech:
You may disagree with my decision to remove the above post, but in my opinion it's entirely inappropriate to suggest adopting racist attitudes in order to "protect" one's culture.
Stalin however was undoubtedly athiest. Evil people exist and do evil things whether they are thiest or athiest. The only difference is that I for one have never heard of anyone doing evil in the name of athiesm whereas we are bombarded by daily attrocities committed in the name religion whichever it may be...
Is Lenin still on public display? I had heard that he had started to rot!
The head line should now read "No Swedes killed in fighting in Somalia"
I don't recall stating anything one way or the other regarding pride or identity or my "wishes." However, if you insist on being enlightened, okie dokie. What is pride, exactly? Pride is an irrational state of mind in which you believe that you're somehow better than everyone else. This attitude becomes dangerous when you start to believe that you and the select group of people you consider to be enough like you are more entitled to existance on this planet than anyone else. Words like clan, tribe, and race are meaningless to me because I come from 100% white American mongrel stock. What do I have to be proud of? Oh I know. My ancestors shagged everything that moved in Europe and eventually I emerged out of that genetic mess. That's really the only thing I have to thank them for.
And chocolate.
And kittens.
3 trouble makers less.