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Somalia’s Al-Shabaab plans to send uranium to Iran  

September 5, 2017 at 1:26 pm

File photo of a drum of Yellowcake (also called urania), which is a form of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU)

Somalia’s government has called upon the US to provide “immediate military assistance” to stop the extremist Al-Shabaab group from supplying uranium to Iran, the BBC reported yesterday.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Garaad sent an official letter to Stephen Shwartz, the US ambassador to Somalia, warning of Al-Shabaab’s recent capture of central regions of the country containing uranium deposits. The group has since been working on extracting the valuable resource used in the production of nuclear energy and weapons. The US government has not responded officially to the claim.

US government official letter

US government official letter

Garaad’s letter highlights Al-Shabaab’s affiliation with Daesh, the so-called “Islamic State”. A small section of Al-Shabaab broke off and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of Daesh, in October 2015. The splinter group operates primarily in Puntland, in the north-east of the country. It is led by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin with an estimated 300 foot soldiers. Most of Al-Shabaab’s members, however, remain linked to Al-Qaeda.

Read: Al-Shabaab attacks military base near Kismayu