Boy, CSS Global has their work cut out for them. What gets me about this kind of attack, is this is Nisour Square material. Insurgents opened up in a crowd, the ensuing firefight ends up killing innocents because they were caught in the cross fire, and no doubt, the insurgency will blame AMISOM and the government and turn it into a propaganda salad for everyone to eat. In a place where there is such little value placed on life, this comes as no shock and you have to expect that. One thing that CSS might want to think about, is putting video cams on their vehicles. That way, as soon as there is a fire fight or ambush, it can be proven who started it and where it came from, and they can show on film what their response was.
Al Shabab and others will be doing all they can to take advantage of any propaganda scenarios, and trying to force a CSS protection team into a fight that results into civilian deaths would be up on the top of the list for embarrassing the US and the new Somalia government. How you counter that, is to get the film out about what went down, way before the window lickers can. To visually show justification for the ensuing fire fight(if it came to that), and turn it around on these guys. Either way, the guys at CSS need to study the Nisor Square accident, and figure out what they need to do in order to work through that kind of worse case scenario.
However they counter the attack and the propaganda value of the attack, is up to them. I highly suggest the company reach out to those in the industry and government that are in the loop for the best industry practices for dealing with this kind of thing. All sorts of companies do things a little different, and by now, everyone has found their happy place with this kind of operation. Build your snowmobile with this one, because all eyes are on CSS to get this one right. Good luck.-Matt
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Somalia: Scores Killed as Somali President Leaves for Kampala
22 October 2009
Nairobi — Fifteen people died and many more were wounded when Somali rebels attacked the airport as a presidential convoy headed there before jetting off for a summit in Uganda.
As the presidential convoy headed for Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle Airport, Islamists opposing the Transitional Federal Government started targeting the airport and Maka al-Mukarramah Avenue that links Villa Somalia, the state house in Mogadishu, to the runway.
It was earlier in the morning when, all of a sudden, mortar shells thunderously started landing in parts of the capital and were heard from far and wide.
The plan was to disrupt a delegation lead by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed that was heading towards the airport before jetting off for Uganda to join an African Union Summit in Kampala. However, the head of state and the rest of the delegation left the airport safely.
Pro-government forces and the peacekeepers serving the African Union Mission in Somalia, Amisom, who were responsible for the delegation’s safe passage to the airport responded.
As a result of the exchange of fire, at least 15 people died and many times that number were wounded. Most of the casualties were in and around the Bakara market, the largest trading centre in the capital. Ambulance services confirmed that over 50 injured persons were shuttled to the main hospitals for treatment.
According to Ali Mussa of the ambulance services, most of those wounded were taken to Daynile Hospital in the west of Mogadishu. “Others were taken to Madina Hospital in South Mogadishu,” said Mr Mussa.
Other sources indicate that both the death toll and the wounded are higher than reported.
Islamist groups usually attack TFG officials heading towards the airport or arriving in the city. However, unarmed civilians usually absorb the impact whenever the opposing sides exchange fire.
Al-Shabaab and Hizbu Islam (the Party of God) are striving to overthrow the government and to chase Amisom peacekeepers out of Somalia.
Story here.