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Radio al-Andalus

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Radio Al-Andalus
  • Jilib
  • Somalia
Frequency(HD Radio)
Programming
Language(s)Arabic, Somali, Swahili, English
Ownership
OwnerAl-Kataib Media Foundation
History
First air date
March 19, 2012 (2012-03-19)
Technical information
Transmitter coordinates
0°29′46″N 42°47′02″E / 0.496101°N 42.783788°E / 0.496101; 42.783788

Radio al-Andalus (Arabic: راديو الأندلس, romanized: Rādyw al-Andalus, Somali: Idaacadda Andalus, Swahili: Redio al-Andalus) or sometimes called Radio Andalus is a radio station that was created by Al-Shabaab's media outlet, Al-Kataib Media Foundation in 2012.

History

[edit]

Radio al-Andalus was created in 2011 as a way to disseminate Jihadist propaganda during a propaganda effort by Al-Kataib Media Foundation to expand its methods of spreading propaganda and a way to gain a financial outlet with donations, it was created alongside Quran Karim Radio FM, Somali Wayen Radio FM, HornAfrik Radio though Radio al-Andalus is the largest.[1] Radio al-Andalus provides al-Shabaab with a large financial platform, and can be considered the largest, in Somalia as it operates all throughout Somalia and internationally through social media and online forums.[2] Through the dissemination of propaganda, Radio al-Andalus, alongside Shadada News Agency, is used as a way to claim attacks.[3][4] Radio al-Andalus is not only used for the spreading of Jihadist ideologies but also anti-Ethiopian sentiment.[5] Radio al-Andalus relies on mostly stolen radio equipment from organizations like BBC News Somali and Voice of America Somali which they used to broadcast their radio station in the languages of Somali, Arabic, Swahili, and English.[6] Radio al-Andalus, besides the Jihadist sentiments and the use of it for recruitment by Al-Shabaab, runs like an ordinary radio station that plays music (though music is forbidden in Islam so it plays nasheeds), talks about local and international news, and has ways for viewers and news figures to call in.[7]

Radio al-Andalus is stationed at its headquarters in the small village of Bariire 50 miles west of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, that is controlled by Al-Shabaab,[8] which was raided by members of the United States Navy SEALs which led to the death of one of the SEAL team members in 2017.[9] The station went offline in March of 2012 after the militant group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a took over the entire village,[10] there, members of Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a dismantled all the transmitters that Radio al-Andalus used to broadcast the radio station,[11] but went back online and running shortly after.[12] The radio station's headquarters moved to Jilib, Somalia where it remained active until 2018 when an airstrike conducted by the United States Air Force struck and destroyed the building where the radio station was being broadcasted from.[13]

Radio al-Andalus is considered an alias and a financer of Al-Shabaab by the Australian National Security and is designated as a terrorist organization.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Traditional/social media and legitimacy - GSDRC". 2015-07-28. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  2. ^ Mwangi, Oscar Gakuo (2012). "State Collapse, Al-Shabaab , Islamism, and Legitimacy in Somalia". Politics, Religion & Ideology. 13 (4): 513–527. doi:10.1080/21567689.2012.725659. ISSN 2156-7689 – via Taylor & Francis.
  3. ^ "Al Shabaab attacks Somali military base, recaptures central town". Reuters. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  4. ^ Weiss, Caleb (2021-07-03). "Shabaab takes credit for suicide bombing at a Mogadishu cafe". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  5. ^ "Extremists threaten to 'break the necks' of Ethiopian invaders". The Times. 2011-11-21. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  6. ^ "How Somalia's al-Shabab militants hone their image". BBC News. 2014-06-05. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  7. ^ Chonka, Peter (2018). "New Media, Performative Violence, and State Reconstruction in Mogadishu". African Affairs. 117 (468): 392–414. ISSN 0001-9909 – via JSTOR.
  8. ^ "Why U.S. SEALs Targeted Al-Shabaab's Radio Station in Somalia". Inverse. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  9. ^ "Navy SEAL Killed in Somalia in First U.S. Combat Death There Since 1993". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 2020-05-27. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  10. ^ "Islamist rebels ousted from central Somali town". ModernGhana. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  11. ^ "AU troops advance on Shabaab stronghold". News24. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  12. ^ "Al-Shabab Radio Station Off the Air in Somali Capital". Voice of America. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  13. ^ "Somalia: Airstrike destroys Al-Shabab radio station in Jilib town". Garowe Online. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
  14. ^ "Al-Shabaab". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
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