“Al-Shabaab has engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia, including but not limited to: acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of August 18, 2008, or the political process; and, acts that threaten the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or other international peacekeeping operations related to Somalia. Al-Shabaab has also obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia. According to the Statement by the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia to the Security Council delivered on 29 July 2009, both Al-Shabaab and Hisb’ul Islam publicly and repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attacks by their forces on the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and AMISOM. Al-Shabaab had also claimed responsibility for the killing of TFG officials, and on 19 July 2009 had raided and shut down the field offices of UNOPS, UNDSS and UNDP in the Bay and Bakool regions, in violation of paragraph 8 (c) of resolution 1844 (2008). Al-Shabaab has also repeatedly obstructed access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia. The United Nations Security Council’s Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia, dated 20 July 2009, contained the following paragraphs involving the activities of al-Shabaab in Somalia: Insurgent groups, such as Al-Shabaab, are alleged to be extorting money from private companies and recruiting young people to join the fight against the Government in Mogadishu, including child soldiers. Al-Shabaab has confirmed the presence of foreign fighters within its ranks and has stated openly that it is working with Al-Qaeda in Mogadishu to remove the Government of Somalia. The foreign fighters, many of whom reportedly originate from Pakistan and Afghanistan, appear to be well trained and battle-tested. They have been observed wearing hoods and directing offensive operations against Government forces in Mogadishu and neighbouring regions. Al-Shabaab has intensified its strategy to coerce and intimidate the Somali population, as reflected in the carefully selected high gain assassinations and arrests of clan elders, several of whom have been murdered. On 19 June 2009, Omar Hashi Aden, the Minister of National Security, was killed in a large-scale suicide car bomb in Beletwyne. Over 30 other people were killed in the attack, which was strongly condemned by the international community and a broad cross-section of Somali society. According to the December 2008 report from the UN Security Council Somalia Monitoring Group (2008/769), Al-Shabaab is responsible for a variety of attacks within Somalia over the last several years, including: - The reported killing and beheading of a Somali driver working for the World Food Programme in September 2008. - The bombing of a market in Puntland that killed 20 and wounded over 100 on 6 February 2008. - A campaign of bombings and targeted killings in Somaliland intended to disrupt the 2006 parliamentary elections. - The murders of several foreign aid workers in 2003 and 2004. According to reporting, Al-Shabaab raided United Nations compounds in Somalia on 20 July 2009, and issued a decree banning three agencies of the United Nations from the Al-Shabaab controlled areas of Somalia. Additionally, Somali Transitional Federal Government forces fought Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam insurgents from 11-12 July 2009 resulting in the deaths of over 60 people. In the fighting on 11 July 2009, Al-Shabaab landed four mortars inside Villa Somalia that resulted in the deaths of three African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) soldiers and injuries to eight others. According to an article published by the British Broadcasting Corporation on 22 February 2009, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack on an African Union military base in Mogadishu. According to the article, the African Union confirmed that 11 African Union peacekeepers were killed and 15 others were hurt. According to an article published by Reuters on 14 July 2009, Al-Shabaab militants made gains in 2009 in guerrilla-style attacks on Somali and African Union forces. According to an article published by Voice of America on 10 July 2009, Al-Shabaab was involved in an attack on Somali government forces in May 2009. According to an article posted on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations authored on 27 February 2009, Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s transitional government and its Ethiopian supporters since 2006. Al-Shabaab killed eleven Burundian soldiers in the deadliest attack on AU peacekeepers since their deployment and states that Al-Shabaab engaged in heavy fighting that killed at least fifteen people in Mogadishu.”