The World's Most Dangerous Place (29 page)

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: A humanitarian mission to relieve a famine in 1992, Operation Restore Hope, began with a farcical Mogadishu beach landing by US Marines. It ended two years later after two US helicopters were shot down following a botched night raid (
above
), and their injured crewmen were lynched and dragged through the streets (
left
).

The grim reality of Sharia law, as applied by some extremists. Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, 48, was stoned to death for adultery in 2009. These photographs were later used by the Kenyan Army as propaganda against al-Shabaab.

Siad Barre, Somalia’s dictator president from 1969 to 1991

US-born Islamist Abu Mansoor al-Amriki (
right
) with al-Shabaab’s deputy, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow

al-Shabaab’s hardline leader Ali ‘Godane’ Zubeyr

the ‘spiritual leader’ Sheikh Hassan Aweys.

Mohamed Farole, the president of Puntland

former TFG President Sheikh Sharif

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, elected in September 2012 following the first genuine presidential poll in a generation.

Suspected pirates are intercepted by the French Navy in 2009. But what will happen to the captives? Prison places in Somalia are in short supply. Here a pirate suspect sits in chains.