Relatives Of Missing Minnesota Somalia Americans Use Ties To Homeland In Search

Via Terror Free Somalia
Interesting tidbit:

"Actually, it's very tough [for] law-enforcement agencies, especially the FBI, to go back and get information from Somalia," Ahmed(Osman Ahmed, a distant uncle of missing 17-year-old Burhan Hassan) said. "But as Somalis, we know each other, we have a tribe over there, we have friends, we are connected to the Somali government because we supported it. So we are trying in any way we can to get information."

Yes, they would have a in so to speak.

Further reading of the article from the link Terror Free Somalia leads to this:

Another uncle of 17-year-old Burhan Hassan is constantly calling up his old friends about the fate of the missing men. Abdirizak Bihi said these friends from his homeland have told him that the missing men are being held captive in the southern part of Somalia that Al-Shabaab controls. He believes an unknown recruiter in Minnesota lured his nephew to Somalia under a false pretext.

"Someone here -- some people, some group, someone -- has been painting a perfect picture of Somalia," Bihi said. "That is being confirmed by some of the conversations we've been having with people on the ground in Somalia."

Bihi said his friends have told him that the young Americans "are being watched, they are heavily guarded, and heavily trained -- mentally and physically." He declined to explain how they were gathering such information, saying he didn't want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

Also noted, the Somalia Commerce Minister is appealing, through the radio, to the missing men to give themselves up and promising immunity. Use of the radio to appeal to these young men is interesting. Terror Free Somalia has stated a new radio station, reportedly run by al Shabaab, has opened in Southern Somalia:

A new radio that is said to be an Islamic station has been opened in Kismayo town (southern Somalia) which is controlled by al- Shabaab..... [W]we learnt that the radio is owned by the Islamist jehadist administration in the area though they agreed not make it public in order to make the station free for business.

This comes at a time when all other redio in the area are still closed after the station disagreed with the Islamists jehadist over airing of music programmes.This new radio station will be the only station operating in Kismayo

Crossposted at Jawa Report