Somalia: Shebab Have 'Decided to Execute' French Hostage   The
Al-Qaeda linked Shebab said in a statement they have "reached a
unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer,
Denis Allex," who goes by a pseudonym.  On Saturday, French
commandos launched a raid to free the hostage, but the rescue
bid failed and resulted in the death of two French soldiers.
French officials suggested at the time that Allex was most
likely killed in the raid, a position echoed by the governor of
the lower Shabelle region where the raid took place.  But Al-
Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rageh told a news conference on the
phone that Denis was still alive.  Wednesday's statement did not
explicitly say whether Allex was still alive.  The French army
responded to the statement by accusing the Shebab of
"manipulating the media", and reaffirmed that Allex is likely
already dead.  France's Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard
Guillaud told Europe 1 radio: "We have no element since the raid
indicating Denis Allex is aliv