On the early morning of 1 September, a reported 200 al-Shabaab militants raided an AMISOM base in the Lower Shabelle town of Janaale, killing between 20 and 50 Ugandan troops while 50 others are believed to be missing. Al-Shabaab used… Read More ›
shabaab
AMISOM and Somali Forces Take Major Towns from Al-Shabaab — What’s Next?
Kenyan, Ethiopian, and Somali forces recently seized Baardheere and Diinsoor from al-Shabaab after a long pause in major operations and a withdrawal of several towns during Ramadan due to al-Shabaab’s devastating attack against AMISOM’s Burundian troops in Leego. Timed perfectly… Read More ›
ANALYSIS: AMISOM Vacates 10 Towns in Somalia Amid Al-Shabaab’s Ramadan Attacks
On June 26, al-Shabaab executed one of its biggest attacks ever against AMISOM forces as it overran Burundians who had been manning a base in Leego, situated 100km northwest of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed more than 80 Burundians… Read More ›
Jubaland Suspends Relations With Somalia’s Government — What’s Next?
Taking a page out of Puntland’s political playbook, the Interim Jubba Administration (aka Jubaland) said it has suspended relations with the Somali Federal Government (SFG) after the federal parliament passed a vote of “no-confidence” against the process to select IJA’s regional… Read More ›
GUEST POST: The Decline and Fall of Al-Shabaab? Think Again | by Sahan Research
Sahan Research, led by Matt Bryden, has published a new report on al-Shabaab and how the group is handling the death of its former leader Ahmed Abdi “Godane”, courtship from ISIS, its partnership with regional jihadists, and its overall strategy. The introduction of… Read More ›
Grenade Blast Hits Eastern Tanzania On May Day, Sparking Terror Fear
Last Friday, at least four people were injured in a grenade attack carried out by two suspects who got away in the aftermath of the blast in Msolwa Ujamaa, located in Tanzania’s Kilombero district. According to Tanzanian outlet The Citizen, the suspects… Read More ›
Analysis: Tanzania’s Arrest of Militants Highlights an Ongoing Jihadist Threat
On Tuesday 14 April 2015, Tanzanian security forces raided a mosque in pursuit of suspected jihadists who had infiltrated the Morogoro region. Nine people were arrested and one Tanzanian suspect named Hamad Makwenda, who tried to behead a police officer, was… Read More ›
Will Al-Shabaab Follow Boko Haram and Pledge Loyalty to ISIS?
After Boko Haram recently pledged loyalty to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), many are wondering whether al-Qai’da affiliate al-Shabaab will follow the same path. ISIS supporters have been pushing al-Shabaab to align with the group for some time, and some militants… Read More ›
Key Takeaways from Al-Shabaab’s “Mall Threat” Video
Last week, al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab issued a new video aimed at regaining relevancy in a jihadi landscape currently dominated by its rival ISIS. The video entitled The Westgate Siege: Retributive Justice documents the history of abuses on ethnic Somalis in the Horn of Africa, as well… Read More ›
As al-Shabaab Release Video on Happiness of Fighters, Drone Strike Kills Senior Leader
Summary Al-Shabaab’s most recent propaganda video is intended that its fighters aren’t “in fear or hunger,” but loss of territory and increasingly successful drone strikes show continued vulnerabilities. Air strikes against top al-Shabaab leaders are of limited benefit if not coupled with… Read More ›
Week in Review: Somalia Gets a New Cabinet and Port, Kenyan al-Shabaab Suspect Arrested
Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke nominated a new list of cabinet members after he withdrew his initial nominations due to opposition in parliament. MPs had warned him not to bring in failed ex-leaders and some of the President’s allies. As a… Read More ›
As Somalis Peacefully Protest Against Charlie Hebdo, Al-Shabaab Urges More Attacks in Europe
On 21 January 2015, al-Shabaab released a public statement praising the 7 January attack by the AQAP-connected Kouachi brothers in Paris at the offices of the provocative satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the subsequent siege at a Jewish deli by a co-conspirator named Ahmed… Read More ›
Analysis: Somali Prime Minister’s Cabinet Faces Difficult Challenges Ahead
On 12 January 2015, PM Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke’s new 60-member cabinet was announced after weeks of speculation about whether there would be fresh faces, or instead, the usual lot of Presidential allies and other personalities on the political merry-go-round. The… Read More ›
