Jilib
Jilib (other names: Gilib, Gelib, Jillib, Jillio; Arabic: جلب) is a city in Somalia,[1] It is 112 kilometres or 70 miles north of Kismaayo.[2]
Jilib | |
|---|---|
City | |
Jilib Location in Somalia | |
| Coordinates: 0°30′N 42°46′E / 0.500°N 42.767°E | |
| Country | Somalia |
| State | Jubaland |
| Region | Jubbada Dhexe |
| District | Jilib District |
| Government | |
| • Control | Al-Shabaab |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 125,000 est. |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
History
During the Middle Ages, Jilib and its surrounding area was part of the Ajuran Empire that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south.[3]
In the early modern period, Jilib was ruled by the Geledi Sultanate. The kingdom was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland protectorate in 1910 after the death of the last Sultan Osman Ahmed.[4] After independence in 1960, the city was made the center of the official Jilib District.
The Islamic Courts Union was defeated there in the Battle of Jilib December 2006 January 2007. The ICU recaptured the town on May 17, 2008.[5]
Somali Civil War
Jilib is controlled by Al-Shabaab, a jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa with links to Al-Qaeda. The town functions as its de facto headquarters in Somalia.[6]
References
- ^ "Jilib". World Gazetteer. world-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Search: distance between Jilib%2C Jubbada Dhexe%2C Somalia and Kismaayo%2C Jubbada Hoose%2C Somalia". www.distance-cities.com. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
- ^ Lee V. Cassanelli, The shaping of Somali society: reconstructing the history of a pastoral people, 1600-1900, (University of Pennsylvania Press: 1982), p.102.
- ^ Cassanelli, Lee Vincent (1973). The Benaadir Past: Essays in Southern Somali History. University Microfilms International. p. 149.
- ^ . The Seattle Times. May 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008.
- ^ "Kenyan troops seize al-Shabaab base in Somalia". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2021-06-16.