12 Time June 6/June 13, 2022
Shifting sands
Volunteers help clean up during a dust storm at the Imam Ali shrine in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf
on May 16. Eight sand- and dust storms have battered Iraq since April, the latest sending at
least 2,000 people to the hospital and leading to closures of schools, airports, and public
offices across the country. Dust storms are becoming increasingly common in Iraq and
surrounding areas, according to NASA, in part because of droughts and changes in land use.THE BULLETINSomalia—with U.S. help—looks to target al-Shabab
Hassan sHeikH moHamud was elecTed
as Somalia’s President on May 15 in a bal-
lot open only to 328 parliamentarians.
Mohamud, 66, a former educator who
also ruled the country from 2012 to 2017,
pledged to move the embattled nation for-
ward following more than a year of political
gridlock that saw his predecessor Mohamed
Abdullahi overstay his term as part of a
widely condemned bid to hold on to power.
But Mohamud faces a difficult road ahead.HUNGER AND WAR Somalia’s worst drought
in decades has displaced 760,000 people
and left around 40% of the country hungry,
and the al-Qaeda-allied insurgent group
al-Shabab—viewed by the Pentagon as a
threat to U.S. security, and a top concern
for Washington—controls large swaths of
southern and central Somalia.COUNTERTERROR The Pentagon has con-
firmed plans to redeploy U.S. troops to
Somalia, reversing a Trump-era decision
to withdraw forces to nearby Djibouti.The Mohamud administration supports the
move and is planning an offensive against
al-Shabab. A renewed U.S. military pres-
ence will enable “a more effective fight
against al-Shabab,” said National Security
Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
The Biden Administration will report-
edly target a small section of influential
al- Shabab leadership that is suspected of
orchestrating attacks abroad.STATE FAILURE However, key to the stabil-
ity of the country is not military force, but
political unity that can effectively respond
to deep challenges including drought, says
Omar Mahmood, senior Somalia analyst at
the International Crisis Group. Al-Shabab
exploits a lack of public services to gov-
ern its territories, collect taxes, and ad-
minister court judgments. “Al-Shabab is a
symptom of political dysfunction in Soma-
lia,” Mahmood says. “As long as the elites
remain divided, as long as there’s griev-
ances on the ground, it will remain a very
pertinent actor.” —eloise barryNEWS TICKERBiden boosts
baby-formbaby-formula ula
production productionOn May 18, President On May 18, President
Joe Biden responded to Joe Biden responded to
a nationwide shortage a nationwide shortage
of baby formula of baby formula by
invoking the Defense
Production Act—a
Korean War–era law Korean War–era law
intended to allow intended to allow
the Executive to the Executive to
mobilize companies in mobilize companies in
wartime—to increase wartime—to increase
production. The same production. The same
day, Biden authorized day, Biden authorized
flights to import flights to import
formula from overseas. formula from overseas.Slain Calif.
mman stopped an stopped
shootershooterDr. John Cheng, a Dr. John Cheng, a
52-year-old sports-52-year-old sports-
medicine doctor, who medicine doctor, who
was the only person was the only person
killed in the May 15 killed in the May
shooting at the Geneva shooting at the Geneva
Presbyterian Church in Presbyterian Church in Presbyterian Church in
Laguna Woods, Calif., Laguna Woods, Calif.,
confronted and tack-
led the gunman, allow-
ing other churchgoers ing other churchgoers
to disarm him, officials to disarm him, officials
said May 16. The said May 16. The
attack, which wounded attack, which wounded
five others, is being five others, is being
investigated as a pos-investigated as a pos-
sible anti-Taiwanese sible anti-Taiwanese
hate crime.hate crime.FDA approves
boosters for boosters for
kids 5–11kids 5–11kids 5–The U.S. Food and The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration Drug Administration
authorized a authorized a COVID-
booster shot for kids
ages 5 to 11, amid
another surge of the another surge of the
virus throughout the virus throughout the
U.S. The booster U.S. The booster
must come at least must come at least
five months after the five months after the
child’s last dose of child’s last dose of
the vaccine.the vaccine.THE BRIEF NEWS
QASSEM AL-KAABI—AFP/GETTY IMAGES